COMMUNITY
Community project pro le:
Blarbuie Woodland
There are opportunities for
everyone to get involved
– from taking a woodwork
course, to enjoying the newly
opened picnic space, says
co-ordinator Pete Creech.
Introducing...
We manage fi ve hectares of
woodland located between
the Mid Argyll Hospital and
Argyll and Bute Hospital in
Lochgilphead.
The project initially addressed
the deterioration in the paths
through the woodland, which
had become overgrown and
was misused for fl y-tipping.
It’s aim then, as now, was to
26 | MAY 2018
improve mental health by the
provision of meaningful outdoor
work and training.
This fi tted with the original
ethos of the Argyll and Bute
Hospital, which had been
ahead of its time throughout
its 150-year history. The early
consultants at the hospital
saw the benefi t of work as a
means to recovery.
Why should people visit?
The woods are beautiful at
any time of year and the Low
Wood paths are easy access.
The High Wood is that bit
wilder and gives you a real
feeling of being away from
it all. We have waymarked
paths, including circular loops
and links to other path networks
around Lochgilphead.
There is always something
going on. If you visit on a
Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday
(our usual working days)
there will be folk in and
around our hub, which is the
community garden. We might
be milling wood, running a
woodworking course, planting
vegetables or maintaining
the paths.
There is also a Men’s Shed
located here, a great opportunity
to get involved, tinker
with stuff, make things and
chew the fat! There is a practical
horticulture course this
month for anyone who wants
to brush up on their gardening
skills.
You’ve asked for support
from the council’s
Supporting Communities
Fund. What for?
The woodland and its paths
require ongoing maintenance