Udny in Bloom - WordPress.com › 2011 › 07 › portfolio-2011.pdf · Udny in Bloom Wood RecyclAbility - showing the way in growing sustainability in social enterprise. Our polytunnel

2011 Beautiful Scotland in Bloom .

Udny in Bloom

These pages outline the progress of the Udny entry and our aspirations and plans

WE have been 4 years in theplanning. This year we haveachieved a first for mainlandScotland that our community hasinvested in a wind turbine. Thissocial enterprise has raised 1.5million pounds in grants and loansto fund a 77 metre tall 850kwgenerator. This will bring majorincome into our parish forcommunity projects, environmentalimprovements and energy savingmeasures. The projects to befunded are in the process of beingdecided.

Key amongst this is the work toinvolve the community in improvingthe sustainable environmentalimprovements.

It is the start of a huge change forus.

Pitmedden and Udny Green havebeen working hard in the last yearnot only to construct the majorwind turbine but have been working

at other planned improvements wehave highlighted later.

Our plans for the Park had taken astep forward with designs for playequipment and the preparation of aNational Lottery Bid. The ParkTrustees have finally established thata land issue around the school canbe resolved and that a plan toestablish a village centre as anobjective of the Community TrustCo can go ahead to the detail stage.

We have provided new drainage forthe car park plan and improvedplay areas.

The Drove Road project has fundingplans and agreements on access arenow in place around CloisterseatCroft while agreements on a path

route to Udny Green areprogressing.

We supplied new seating in UdnyGreen and renewed planting.We have involved the childrenmore and both schools entering theFormartine in Bloom schoolscompetition starting this year. UdnyGreen School was the winner!!

The PUT Co-op have 3 polytunnelsof a commercial size with plans toexpanding the community use andcreating a financially sustainableproject based on using the compost.

We have planted trees on thesouthern approaches to complimentthe new flower beds when we wereimproving the southern entrance toPitmedden. Our larger planted areain a former grass desert in front ofan elevated row of cottages calledSt Medden’s Terrace has beenadopted by the girl Guides.

In summary this has been a busyyear and above all the sense of hope

and pride in the community hasgrown with the fabulous windturbine project and the prospect of£4.25 million in inveting in allaspects of our community.

Pitmedden and Udny GreenUdny in Bloom

WHERE WEARE NOW

LOOKINGFORWARD

The project sees a new path, clearedlevelled and surface with possible sheltersand floral, fruit planting along its length. Itwill link with the path network to Tarvesand a future project to develop a safercycle and footpath to Udny Green.


The new path to Cloisterseatis now finished, planted withspring bulbs and we are 25%complete on the project.

The Udny Community TrustCo is funding the work.

The path from Cloisterseat to New Craigs road has been surveyed and initialplans, clearing work where possible is done. The community has to finalisethe consents from the local Estate for part of the route to divert around thewood-re-cycling facility. The section will be made into a path with plantingof fruiting trees to continue the theme leaving the village to the south.


National Trust andPitmedden Garden

Pitmedden is famous for their National Trustowned Pitmedden House and Gardens. Manypeople from around the United Kingdom andabroad visit the gardens during the season. Ithas been a key factor in focusing local peopleinto wishing to regenerate their village withso many visitors in the area.

That Community Council and other groupshave been working closely with the managerof the Gardens to help each other reach ourgoals. The Community has been working toreduce vandalism and encourage better dog-walking in the Gardens area as well aspromoting the house and grounds. TheNational Trust has being giving advice andpractical encouragement providing surplusplants from the Garden Nursery.

The village has a small number of allotmentsowned by the National Trust and arediscussing how to help expand provisionlocally with PUT Community Co-op.

Susan Burgess, the manager of theNTS property locally is a trusteeof the local park and involved inour Community Planningexercises to improve Udny.


CreatingUdny’simage

Udny has entered Scotland inBloom again for thebenchmarking and judginghow well we are doing in abigger and longer journey inour community than might beexpected in entering anannual competition.

Our aim is to build asustainable community not inan academic or simple ‘eco’sense but in a more generalway. Improving ourenvironment, bringing backsense of community andgetting people doing thingsand making it last by creatingways we can afford to dothings by investing in thecommunity.

We Have created communitysocial enterprises and acommunity Trust Co Ltd todevelop all things that willmake Udny and Pitmedden agreat place to live.

The principle of what we aredoing is that we look at it notfrom just a floral point ofview but we try to reducewaste, re-cycle materialscreate sustainable areas andinvolve people in the widestsense - not just in greenfingered things but in pride intheir whole community.

So we have take massivesteps this year with our windturbine launch. Less vandalism

Our approach to ourwork is not aboutquantity of floral displaybut creating views thatlead people to think thatthere is a harmony instreetscape.

Our plan has been forspring colour with bulbsand planters that give anuplift. We try for all yearround colour and as canbe seen we replace bedsthroughout the year. Ourcrocus display this yearwas huge and is now adistinguishing point of thevillage. 10 years agothere NO spring flowersof any note.

We continue to look atthe views, vistas andwalks and try to create,improve and balance thefeel of the villages whichwould otherwise lack astrong architecturalbackdrop.

As Part of the Community in Udny around Pitmedden and Udny Green we have aninternational award winning social enterprise project.

Wood RecyclAbility provides meaningful employment in a realistic workshopenvironment for 45 adults with learning difficulties and minor physical disabilities. Inorder to provide this service thy accept deliveries or collects clean uncontaminatedwood and pallets for recycling. In 2007 they processed more than 2500 tonnes ofwood which would otherwise have gone to landfill.

Where possible the wood is remanufactured into a wide range of garden furniture,planters, fence panels, etc or protective habitats for most furry or feathered wildanimals. Wood which cannot be used for this purpose is sold to DIY enthusiasts orshredded and sent off to be made into floorboards for the building industry. We arealso investigating the use of our chipped wood as a carbon neutral fuel.

Wood RecyclAbility

Udny in Bloom

The Pitmedden Udny TarvesCommunity Co-operative (orPUT as it is known locally) isone of the main driving forcesby which the Community hasgot things done locally. TheCo-operative covers the twocommunities of Udny and theCommunity of Tarves.

Set up over four years ago ithas been composting greengarden waste to produce a highquality soil improver to theequivalent of PAS 100 standard.Nearly 250 tonnes wasprocessed last season.

All of the Community's flowerbeds, hanging baskets and tubsuse the compost from PUT.Compost from PUT has alsobeen given to neighbouring

villages,encouraging them to use localcompost for themselves inBalmedie, Potterton, Belhelvie,Whitecairns, Foveran, UdnyStation, and Methlick.

The PUT co-operative is a not-for-profit social business. Partof the aim is to use profits toencourage community actionlocally and has beeninstrumental in encouraging thisentry into Beautiful Scotland inBloom.

PUT has acquired three formercommercial polytunnels to addto its existing Communitypolytunnel as part of a projectto extend the use of thecompost produced at PUT. Abusiness plan is in preparation

along with Centrica personnelas part of a development planfor their staff..

Part of the project will be toallow community allotmentsunder polytunnel as well as toencourage community effort togrow produce and vegetablesfor sale within our community,raising funds for sustaining theproject and improving localamenity, health and wellbeing.

Currently PUT provides apolytunnel for bringing on bothannuals and perennials for thefloral displays. But also use thisfor testing the growing mediumof the compost with vegetablesas a demonstration.

The site for composting is atMill of Allathan Quarry whichserves both Pitmedden andUdny Green. Besides makingcompost it also has a plantedcommunity orchard utilising thesteep ground around thequarry. In time it will providepleasant landscaping for theproject while being productive.

Udny in Bloom

This year we have taken theplanting total for bulbs to the45,000 mark.

Spring is an important time ofyear for the community inUdny. A strong show of colourin the spring was a definiteobjective of the communitygroups.

Over the last two years the GirlGuides in particular haveplanted a set flower bed(Picture on front cover) andhave been planting bulbs on thewalk between Pitmedden andCloisterseat Croft (WoodRecyclability) to link with the

proposed new Drove RoadWalk project.

We have worked with theCouncil to get a new path whichruns from Udny Post Office upto Wood RecyclAbility.

Many of those who work atCloisterseat Croft have learningdifficulties and it was adangerous walk along a busymain road. The new pathneeded brightening up andtherefore this was our priorityplanting area as part of ourpaths project as well..

Wood RecyclAbility is a socialbusiness which helps clients

with learning disability. It notonly recycles and make thingsfrom used wood but also trainspeople in polytunnel gardens.They have provided a numberof the planters and displaysaround the community.

We have planted over 200 treesalong the road entrance to theSouth of the village.

These were varieties for fruitsand flowers that would beuseful and will form part of thedrove Road walks. Elder,Hawthorn, Hazel and plum, wildcherry.

Getting planting...

Udny Green Eco School

Udny Green Primary school has beenparticularly successful in gain awards in theEco Schools Program.

The school has a section of nativewoodland garden which it uses foroutdoor teaching of natural science. It hasinstalled bat and bird boxes and takeschildren to monitor special water volesites locally.

Udny Green school has created a smallwater pond which has naturally attractedwildlife including frogs.

The grounds are litter picked andmaintained by the children. The school,alongside Pitmedden primary school hasan allotment in the old walled garden atUdny Castle which is the historic houseand grounds which forms the centre of thesettlements.

The school composts its green waste fromits gardens and school grounds.It has two green flags and is working on itsthird.


Polytunnel projectsfor recycling and sustainability


Wood RecyclAbility - showing the way ingrowing sustainability in social enterprise.

Our polytunnel -to beexpanded with 3

others for community

Udny wants to be a sustainable village.In order for us to produce our ownplants, create local volunteeringopportunities, create employment andsustain ourselves with local food wehave a series of projects that willinvolve our poly tunnels.

Wood Recyclability createsopportunities for those with disabilitiesand also local employment with itstunnels as part of their project. PUThas one in operation for its compostand three more waiting for consent forconstruction.

These will provide local plants, foodand get more of the communityinvolved with tunnel allotmentarrangements.

Our two social enterprises growingthe community.

Working toimprove thegrot spots inour area.

All villages have places that are hard to makepretty or attractive. Its just the nature ofthe space. How do you make recycling binsattractive? Do you just hide them? And ifyou do, does that mean we recycle less?

To address this we are near completion witha new project to remove, tired and poorlymaintained shrubs by a car park which theCouncil has few resources to keepattractive. By redesign and modelling, we aremaking the area both visible AND attractiveAND maintains parking spaces for residents..

The project material is recycled paving fromAberdeenshire Council. The Council areassisting with dropped kerbs. The work isbeing done withOur plans to the right, illustrates our finalplan.


Pitmedden School andour Community ParkPitmedden School is full to overflowing as the communitykeeps growing. The School has no playing fields or greenareas but instead relies upon the Community Trust ownedPark next door. The School has made use of raised bedsin the previously waste concrete areas around thebuilding. It is actively assisting with litter picks in the Parkas well as it’s own School grounds.

The Park is not owned or fully maintained by the Councilwhich has led to some considerable difficulties in recentyears. This ongoing problem is still in negotiation with theCouncil,However, the Community has been keeping the place tidywithin its resources. A Park Committee and Trustees haveplans for a village centre revolving around a re arrangedcar park and floral displays.

NewNoticeBoardsat Park

Plantingof nativehedgingof parkboundary


The schoolhave adoptedfloral displaysand basketsin term timeto soften thestark schoolfrontage.


To get the word out about helpingthe community look and feelbetter a group in the communitypublish the Pitmedden News, anewsletter which is delivered toevery house in Pitmedden andUdny Green as well as mosthouses in the surrounding ruralarea.

Pitmedden News advertise thelocal spring clean up and providedinformation about keeping thevillage tidy. Articles include helpfulinformation about how the binlorries collect waste remindingpeople to to ensure the bins facethe right direction.

News about PUT CommunityComposting and waste preventionis given.

The newsletter strengthens thelinks between the schools and theCommunity, getting peopleinvolved with encouraging thepupils to look after theirenvironment.

Volunteering opportunities areadvertised in the newsletter toget people involved with thevarious projects - Park,composting, flower beds, litterand other activities.

The newsletter is entirelysustained from localadvertisers and makes a smallfinancial surplus which goestowards Community funds.

Pitmedden News has a verysuccessful web site which willkeep people involved withwhat is going on locally.Messages about looking afterthe environment are regularlyavailable for local people

alongside all the other the parishnews.

The website is constantly updatedand gets hundreds of visits permonth. Things like the treeplanting, paint-a-thon and litterpick have all featured prominently.

INVOLVE

Again in 2011 we held a village spring clean up. This time, teams did Udny green and Pitmedden. We werepleased we had less litter this year and fewer larger items. Volunteers were rewarded with a coffee and rolls atthe Bog breakfast, another key community event that happens on the first Saturday each month in Kirk. Itraises funds for habit for humanity where we send a local team to build homes in the townships of South Africa.We contract with the Council to provide volunteers throughout the summer as well as the main spring clean.We work through the Aberdeenshire Litter Initiative (Ali) providing litter picking equipment and safety vests.


The CleanDog Walkersscheme

Every community has problems with dogwaste. Udny Community Council hasperpetual discussions about dog dirt anddog owners responsibility.The community was inspired by an initiativefrom Falkirk Council. In order to get togrips with the problem the community inpartnership with the National Trust andAberdeenshire Council have launched ascheme called CLEAN DOG WALKERS.

Aberdeenshire Council are hoping todevelop this as a model for otherAberdeenshire communities.

Signs are up around the area and the areascovered by the scheme are monitored.

Alan Gordon (pictured right), who co-ordinates the scheme is recruiting fellowdog owners to join. Susan Burgess (left) ofthe National Trust is working with Alan toget the message to less responsible dogowners that the designed landscape areasaround Pitmedden gardens are not a dogtoilet just because they are not in thevillage street light area.


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Udny in Bloom - WordPress.com › 2011 › 07 › portfolio-2011.pdf · Udny in Bloom Wood RecyclAbility - showing the way in growing sustainability in social enterprise. Our polytunnel