Friends of the Pentlands - Conserving, Protecting & Enhancing
The inaugural meeting of the founder members of the Society was held in March 2003. We are now an all-volunteer body nearly 300 strong seeking to promote the conservation, protection and enhancement of the Pentland Hills with particular emphasis on recreational quality, public access, cultural heritage, landscape and biodiversity. Membership is open to all who share that aspiration.
We enjoy the support of the Pentland Hills Regional Park and, wherever possible, we work with them to achieve our objectives or, indeed, to help them achieve theirs. Our area of interest, however, covers all of the Pentlands, not just the Regional Park. We have an annual programme of walks and talks, undertake projects, organize fundraising and, where appropriate, comment on planning matters.
Over 40 members enjoyed a five-mile ‘winter warmer’ walk in January followed by mince pies and mulled wine. A further six walks will be held during the year including a short evening midsummer walk followed by a BBQ. Some walks have an educational theme, eg cultural history or bird watching, while others are simply to enjoy some healthy exercise and the company of like-minded souls. Evening talks are held in February and November on themes such as biodiversity and access.
Some members have volunteered to help with projects. Some of these are just a few hours planting trees or shrubs, or checking the stakes and guards on saplings. Others are more ambitious and depend upon grant funding. Examples are the provision of a wooden footbridge near Garvald, a major way-marking programme in the SW Pentlands, the refurbishment of the pond in the Harlaw wildlife garden and the replacement of the Threipmuir bird hide.
Earlier this year we installed a bird box fitted with a camera at Harlaw and a monitor inside the Visitor Centre. We are currently working on establishing a new path from Boghall to Castlelaw. The necessary permissions have been obtained and volunteers are now putting in gates and sections of boardwalk. We hope to secure grant funding to establish a bird hide near Carlops and are obtaining expert advice on the feasibility of improving the black grouse habitat in the same area.
Many of our smaller projects are funded from our own resources. We deliberately keep annual subscriptions low, just £6.00 for individuals and £10.00 for families, as that is sufficient to cover our administrative expenses, but invite members to add a donation when paying their fee. Donations go into our project fund and are used, for example, to purchase trees, plants, bird and bat boxes. We also organize three fundraising ‘Teas & Cakes Days’ each year at the Harlaw Visitor Centre when we sell ‘goodies’ to the public. We will be there on 29 June and 26 October so come and purchase a ‘cuppa’ and some delicious home baking. All the funds raised will be invested in your environment.
We enjoy what we do. We feel we are providing something for everyone and putting something back into our environment. If you would like to join us, whether as a passive supporter or an active member, you will be most welcome. It’s good for hills to have friends!
To discover more please contact Bob Paterson on 01383 417771 or at pentlandfriends@tiscali.co.uk or visit: www.pentlandfriends.plus.com