Welcome to the Green Volunteers Blog, the place to check out what the Green Team has been up to! If you've been involved in Green Volunteers, send us your story ...

On this page:
27 Feb 2011 Linlithgow Loch
6 March 2011 Burdiehouse Burn
20 March 2011 Fidra
10 April 2011 Pentland Hills
10-15 April 2011 Kintail
23 April 2011 Borthwick Castle
8 May 2011 Lord Ancrum’s Wood, Newbattle
5 June 2011 East Lothian Coast
12 June 2011 Pentland Hills
28 August 2011 Binning Wood
3 September 2011 Wooplaw Woods
11 September 2011 Corstorphine Hill
8 October 2011 Vogrie
4 November 2011 Water of Leith

Been on a Green Team project in the past? Read about the Green Team in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

27 February - sent in by Callum
Linlithgow Loch

The day trip to Linlithgow loch was very enjoyable and extremely rewarding. We performed various activities from cutting down branches, planting garlic by the river bank. Weaving thin pieces of wood to create bird watching screens. We also got shown a few new things from the ranger. The first one was using an axe to create a spear like at the bottom of long pieces of wood, which would form part of the bird watching screen. We also had a session on different types of rope knots, was surprisingly good fun and a first for me on a project, got the impression the group liked the task.

What was learned, well it was my first project, so will take it for my experience, the rope knots and the weaving were both good fun and different.

We also had a fair amount of group games and activities. Name games, killer Frisbee and putting up a little shelter so we could eat our lunch later in the day. We also set up two storm kettles and got some hot water on the boil, for hot drinks. Not to mention the biscuits, good times!

Finally at the end of the day, our review was an art challenge. We asked the group to think what they liked about the day and to create a picture object by using things around them like leaves, branches etc. Think it was a good idea but maybe a bit more guidance to the group, if we use a similar task in the future.

6 March - sent in by Steven
Burdiehouse Burn

A Green Team day at Burdiehouse Burn was on my Sunday agenda in March. This was my 5th Green Team project. I met up with the rest of the Green Team volunteers at their new venue which is now at Tynecastle High School. After a few of the usual name games we headed for our minibus and after a short drive arrived at Burdiehouse Burn to start our task for the day.

And what a task it was! The burn was littered with trash. Throughout the rest of the morning we lifted from the water, shopping trolleys, old clothes, old TV’s, car tyres, slowly clearing the burn. We had a great collection of discarded objects! Then we had lunch followed by a few games and activities. After lunch we finished off our clearing task (it was good to complete it and have a trash free burn again) and then began to dismantle and clear a fence. After all these tasks were complete, we did a few more short activities before getting the mini bus back to Tynecastle School. A busy day for me, but a very enjoyable one!

20 March - sent in by Jack
Fidra

On Sunday the 20th March, the Green Team and I went to an island called Fedora. Fidra is a small island just of the coast of North Berwick. We left early in the morning from Tyncastle School by minibus which took about 45 minutes to get there. When we arrived we had to wait for the speed boat to collect us. When it did arrive, we loaded our bags and the equipment on board. The speed boat journey over to Fidra was amazing, the boat went so fast and only took around 10 minutes to get over. When we arrived on Fidra, a man took us around the island and showed us where the puffins come each year to lay their eggs. Once we had our mini tour, we got started with the annual cutting of the foliage which covers the island and has to be cleared each year so the birds can find their burrows.

We started clearing the garden area where the lighthouse keeper used to grow his veg. After a couple of hours cutting down the plants we had a break and our well deserved lunch.

After lunch, we played a few word games before heading back to our tasks. We saw a few grey seals popping their heads out of the water, they looked very interested in what we were up to. At the end of the day we had another amazing speed boat journey back to North Berwick where the minibus was waiting to ship us back home.
I had a fantastic day and really enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to anyone who likes a challenge.

10 April - sent in by Francesca
Pentland Hills

We started the day with the classic name games. This one consisted of saying your name and an adjective starting with the same sound so I think I was "fantastic Francesca" and there was also an "appetising Alex" and a "happy Henry".Then we loaded the bus and headed to the pentland hills! when we arrived we bundled out the bus and met the ranger who told us the first task and we set to work scraping the earth to reveal the side of the car park. I remember there were so many worms everywhere that it was hard to dig a couple of centimeters without coming across five of them, but it was fun and we finished kind of 11:30 and put the tools away and played a couple of games. For the first, we divided into three teams and were each given an eleven letter word. for each letter we had to find something that started with the same letter eg. N would be nettles. Then we had to "spell" the word given to us.

We had another task before lunch, involving sanding and repainting some picnic tables. this was fun, although the paint smelt a bit funny! Lunch was a welcome stop and afterwards we played an epic game of stag and doe followed by a tour of the Pentlands by the ranger. We also did a timed orienteering in pairs. We ran almost all the way and were sooo tired when we got back!! At the end of the day we drove back. There was considerably less conversation in the bus than on the way because we were all tired but it was absolutely awesome.

10-15 April
Kintail

23 April - sent in by Calum
Borthwick Castle

We all met up on a mild, cloudy Saturday morning on 23rd April at 9am at Tynecastle High School with team leaders Lorna, Nina, Mel and Celia. There were two other volunteers when I arrived, a boy and girl about the same age as me. A shiny white minivan then promptly parked in front of the enthusiastic leaders, the excited volunteers and their supportive, talkative parents. The van, of course, was plastered with the ‘Green Team’ logo and as the leaders opened the boot up we all quickly realised there was a job to be done. We joined in transferring equipment from the shed and soon the van seemed to be filled to the brim with every single piece of equipment known to man, covering all eventualities which could arise from a trip to carry out conservation work. So we waved good bye to our parents and clambered into the minivan to set off to Borthwick Castle in East Lothian for the day.
When we arrived we were greeted by a park ranger called Alan who gave us a guided tour of the forest where we would be working. Whilst this was going on we had the opportunity to try a plant called sorrel which surprisingly tasted just like apple. We then ruefully retired for lunch despite having not yet got our hands dirty. We made up for this after lunch when we commenced building steps in the forest for school children nearby who would be using the forest as a shortcut to and from school. This required us to remove the existing worn slabs of wood implanted in the ground, smooth over the higher and lower ground beneath, replace the slabs with young, strong and lively new pieces of wood supplied for us and fix them in place with a nail. Snack then commenced and spirits were still high despite the fact that by this point the rain had started. After I had shared out and devoured my delicious, delectable maltesers we then proceeded in felling trees for the rest of the day until close of play at about 5pm at which point we returned to Tynecastle High School to be greeted by our proud parents.

Despite the fact I suffer a slight disability on one side I still managed to partake in all the activities and I have the leaders to thank for making me feel part of the team. I surprised myself by doing a lot more than I thought I could. I had a great time taking part in all the activities and meeting new people. Although the residential turned into just a day (rather than the planned overnighter) I had a great time and also had the advantage of staying at home with my family, stuffing my face with chocolate on Easter Sunday. Thanks to all the leaders, Lorna, Celia, Nina and Mel as well as the young people for making me feel welcome. I’m really looking forward to my next outing. Thanks Green Team!

8 May - sent in by Sam
Lord Ancrum’s Wood, Newbattle

I arrived at the school in a friend’s car, where we gathered in the car park and played a game involving M&Ms, which was a good way to get to know everyone there. We piled equipment, then ourselves into the bus and after a short drive arrived in Newbattle. After being told what we were going to do, we headed off to the thicker part of the woods. We immediately set to work clearing an ancient path so it could be possible to walk through it. Since I’m a boy, I enjoyed cutting down and burning trees. So did my friend, he was in charge of the fire for a bit. We had breaks now and again, which made me grateful I’d brought water. Once we’d done for the day, we whittled sticks and toasted marshmallows on them, which was great. After that one of the rangers at the park, I forget his name, showed us a map of the area which showed the path we had been clearing. On the way back to the buses, various trees were pointed out and another ranger, I forget her name too, told us interesting facts about them.

Finally, at the entrance to the park we played an odd game involving blindfolding a partner and making them find a tree that they had felt while blindfolded, and just before we left we chose photos and lined them up to describe the day we had, which was quite fun. I really enjoyed my first project, everyone was very nice and the work we were doing was hard but in a fun way, and you felt good after you had done it. I’m hoping the next project will be as fun as this one. Thanks for reading.

5 June - sent in by Laura
East Lothian Coast

The Green Team’s day out to the East Lothian Coast on Sunday the 5th of June, was great fun and very rewarding. We visited Levenhall bird reserve near Musselburgh for the day. The weather wasn’t the best, but it didn’t stop us from having fun and getting the job done.

We helped the ranger to manage the shallow ponds used by the birds. Our task was to remove aquatic plants from the sides of the ponds, which were taking over. We had to carefully repuddle the clay lining of the pond with our wellies, which was a muddy job, but the enthusiasm of everyone got us through!
We played some fun games like toilet tag and “midges, salmon and cats.” At the end of the day we constructed a line of ‘highs and lows” with some string, showing how we felt at different points of the day.

The day at the East Lothian Coast was definitely something that the whole team should be proud of! We were very muddy at the end but it was worth it after seeing the finished result, (the before and after pictures were great!) The day was very enjoyable and I met lots of new people.

12 June - sent in by Henry
Flotterstone, Pentland Hills

On Sunday 12th June we went to Flotterstone in the Pentland Hills. On arrival we were met by a ranger who told us the tasks we were going to undertake. The group was then split into two with half going and clearing the road of overhanging trees and branches whilst the other half went to weed around the new hedge plants. After weeding we began to mulch. This is putting down wood chippings.

During the day we also had breaks and played several fun games including 2p tag!

Luckily the weather held out and the day was very pleasant with the sun shining.

After finishing the jobs we did several more activities including tree study and poetry. We learned quite a lot from this.

My favourite part of the day was making our own animals out of clay, which we put back into the environment where they would be best suited.

28 August - sent in by Moritz
Binning Wood

On August 28th the Green Team started the day off in a little anticipation and disappointment as we first couldn't enter the school to get to the minibus and our original plan to go Craigleith Island was cancelled due to the high winds. Nevertheless after a few name games we eventually left for an adventurous and rewarding day at Binning Wood to cut down the invasive rhododendron. On arrival, we had a little walk to explore the wood (keeping an eye on the squeaky branches over head!). After arranging ourselves in groups by birthday, we got down to the task of cutting away the HUGE rhododendron bushes. Soon we made good progress and were ready for a good earned lunch, with an unknown wiff of fishy smell coming our way ever so often and playing the classic “I can travel from Edinburgh to Glasgow but you can’t” game. We also played a very fun game of “1, 2, 3 I’m not he” in the clearing at the centre of the woods, learning a lot about the sneaky hiding and speedy diving! After lunch, we continued our ‘rhody bashing’ task and then ambitiously planned out our den made out of rhododendron branches, as we were not allowed to burn them. The den included a wall, an archway (which unfortunately became unstable and had to be demolished), a pathway leading to the entrance and a soft floor to sit on. It was a very good team effort which we should be proud of. The day ended with tea and biscuits in the den sharing our thoughts with postcards which we thought were relevant to the fun hard-working day behind us. In all the day was very enjoyable meeting lots of new people, learning many things about trees, working hard as a team to get the job done and playing all the fun games. Thanks to the leaders (Nina, Sara and Caroline) and the rest of the team for making it another fantastic day in the great outdoors!

3-4 September - sent in by Catriona
Wooplaw Woods

On the 3rd of September 2011 the Green Team and I set off on our latest conservation weekend in Wooplaw Woods. Once we had arrived and set up our tents, which took some time longer than expected due to some of the tent poles being mysteriously long, we went straight into our first task which was to thin some birch in order to prevent overcrowding as the trees grew taller. After lunch we moved on to another area where we weaved willow stems to create a living wall- the time flew by, no doubt helped by the alphabet celebrity name game and its other endless variations which we played! By the time it was evening the good weather which we had been enjoying was suddenly overcome by a massive downpour, just as it was time for us to cook the dinner on the fire outside. Luckily, the fire managed not to be put out before it could cook our food and we also were lucky enough to have a log cabin in which to spend the evening where we kept spirits up by telling riddles and creating a green team quiz! The next day, having warmed up with a team relay race, we then went to another part of the forest where we learnt more about the local artist Tim Stead whose work could be seen throughout the woods. We then got stuck into our other tasks which included gathering stones to prevent the erosion of a footpath and clipping back a hedge. Unexpectedly turning bright and sunny, the day was a perfect end to a fun and rewarding weekend!

11 September - sent in by Thomas
Corstorphine Hill

First of all we got to know everyones names and how to use the tools we'd be using, safely. We chopped down and dug up the roots of Salmonberry. We then had a break and had biscuits. After that we continued to chop down more Salmonberry until lunch. Then me and a friend lit up a storm kettle in a strong wind and boiled water to have hot chocolate and tea. In the afternoon we did a bit of orienteering and we went up a tower on the top of Corstorphine Hill. We were also shown a badgers burrow by the ranger. At the end of the day we went to a garden made totally by volunteers. Then we came back on the bus.

8 October - sent in by Ewan
Vogrie Country Park

On the 8th we went to Vogrie Country Park. The weather was horrible. We met a countryside Ranger who wanted us to cut down brash and other invasive plants. We then created a big bonfire with all the brash and dry sticks we collected. It rained all day but we managed to get out for some games and activities such as going to the adventure park and looking for bats in the evening. At the end of Saturday I had learned how to use knifes properly and how to look for bats. On the Sunday we had an early start, we had completed all tasks set for the weekend so we just helped with little tasks like willow weaving. We then started another bonfire and baked bread over it. I enjoyed the bonfires and eating any food we made over it. I also enjoyed cutting down trees.

4 November - sent in by Lars
Water of Leith

On the morning of the 4th of December, we made our way along to an area of the Water of Leith, near the Water of Leith centre. There, we unloaded our tools, including spades, shovels, forks and trowels and collected large trays of native Scottish plants for us to plant in a bare, unused field a little bit along the river. I recognised a few of the plants but most of them were a mystery to me unfortunately. I recognised them but I couldn't have said what they were called.

Once we'd unpacked all the equipment, we carried it along the river to the field. It was absolutely freezing! It was the first (and only) day of snow in 2011 so it was pretty slippery underfoot too - we really had to watch our step making our way along the path near the river! We arrived at the field and played a large game of group rock, paper, scissors which involved the winners chasing the losers and catching them. If they were caught, they joined your team. That was a bit of warm up because we were all cold and miserable. After that, we had a brief safety demonstration about the tools we'd be using and then we got down to work digging small holes with the spades and putting the new plants in them. Once we’d all got over the cold, we really started enjoying it. Well, at least I did...

That went on until lunch when we had our sandwiches and had a quick rest from the work. During our lunch, we were interrupted by some over-enthusiastic little dogs, trying to steal our sandwiches! Luckily, none were stolen and the dogs ran away eventually.

After lunch, we started on a new job Lighting fires to burn Japanese knotweed. Knotweed is an invasive species of plant imported to Scotland many years ago. Since its import, there have been many problems with it taking over large areas of land and killing all the other plants there. Also, it’s very difficult to eradicate which is part of the problem. Getting the fires going took a fair amount of time due to most people’s inexperience. We then gathered as much knotweed as we could and burnt it on our fires. That was great fun. A bit smoky, but fun all the same.

Finally, to round the day off, we cooked bananas and chocolate over the fire and ate them. On word to describe the experience DELICIOUS! I have never had a better treat after a hard day’s work. After we’d all licked our fingers and wiped our faces free of chocolate, we put out the fire and packed up the tools. A great day was had by all and I think we were all tired and ready for a long sleep afterwards.