Our Stirling and Perth project was our first flagship Wild Space project in the UK and was run by a dedicated Project Officer Alice Kenny. This projects work focused on working in partnership with Stirling and Perth council to create new Wild Spaces in freely accessible community sites. Alice’s work focused in areas of income and greenspace deprivation and did so in partnership with a wide variety of stakeholders including health workers, libraries, community groups and housing associations.
Sites have been created in a wide variety of sites including community centre grounds, community gardens, open space near verges, graveyards and schools.
As a result of Alice’s support, the Stirling and Perth Youth Climate Ambassadors have created Wild Spaces in school grounds and taken part in engagement activities such as moth mornings and butterfly walks.
20 new Wild Spaces created and maintained such as meadow, hedges and raised beds
37 engagement activities have allowed 1,051 people to take part in activities to help them connect with butterflies, moths and their local greenspaces. Activities included Wild Space creation, moth mornings and meadow discovery.
New Wild Spaces guide for Scotland
New partners such as wellbeing organisations, schools and councils.
“This project has allowed communities in Perth and Stirling to feel empowered in taking practical actions to support their local butterflies and moths. Through the project we have put communities at the heart of activities taking place, helping them feel connected to the Wild Spaces they have helped created.
The moth mornings we held were always great. We did one in Bannockburn and a family let us use their back garden! We set up the moth trap the night before then we all came back at 8am with many of the children who lived locally coming along in their pyjamas.
We caught pink-and-green Elephant Hawk Moths, Large Yellow Underwings and Ermine moths, which have soft white fur with little black dots like an ermine coat. They’re all amazing insects that you just never normally see, and the kids came away from it absolutely inspired. The next time I saw them they were reminding me about things we saw last time and saying they'd been taking pictures of wildlife in the meantime."
"The work Alice and Butterfly Conservation Scotland have done in North Muirton has been exceptional. The hard work Alice and her volunteers have put into revitalising the tired raised flower beds has been fantastic, and her dedication to raising awareness and educating people at various events has been both engaging and insightful"
Craig Allardyce, North Muirton Community Centre.
Alice was really knowledgeable and encouraging of questions. She created space for hopeful action. It was great to feel that we could contribute to being part of the solution.
Meeting new likeminded people. Spending time in a new area. Learning about the different plants and how they help butterflies and moths.
Spending time outdoors, spending time with others, feeling of helping care for our environment and providing opportunities for young people I am working with to get involved in this.
Positively changing the space to attract more wildlife when flowers are established.
