A conservation group is celebrating after completing its first event of 2021 despite COVID-19 restrictions.
The St Madoes and Glencarse Biodiversity Group planted 1000 snowdrops spread out between the local churchyard and on a bank near the village bus stop.
Willing volunteers came forward to help with the ‘snowdrops for pollinators’ project, while also adhering to social distancing.
It is hoped that, from next year, visitors and locals alike will be able to enjoy the first flowers of the season.
But the flowers will also supply vital pollen and nectar for bumblebees emerging early when there is usually little food.
Catherine Lloyd of the Tayside Biodiversity Partnership is helping communities across Perth and Kinross set up the partnership’s new Biodiversity Villages initiative. The St Madoes and Glencarse group was the first set up by the partnership.
Environmental groups are choosing from a host of existing projects and adding their own ideas to create individual – and therefore unique – village-wide projects everyone can join in.
Catherine said: “Everybody can get involved in their local outdoor spaces. They are a shared resource but also a shared responsibility.
“From helping to plant snowdrops in the churchyard to getting together with neighbours to create hedgehog highways, every contribution helps.
“As COVID restrictions lift, the group in St Madoes and Glencarse will discuss potential tree and hedge planting, take part in citizen science surveys and help map larger projects across the area.”
The project was taken forward with the help of a £250 grant from Volunteering Matters’ Action Earth.
Catherine added: “Volunteering Matters’ Action Earth grants are especially designed to help groups of volunteers undertake practical action. This not only enhances the surroundings to enjoy for ourselves, but also helps to create important stepping stones for wildlife.”
Kate Barron of the St Madoes and Glencarse Biodiversity Villages Group said: “We had a great day out planting the bulbs and we know that not only will they be a pretty addition to the village, we’re also helping our local wildlife. We are very grateful to Catherine, Volunteering Matters and Perth and Kinross Council for making all this possible."
Action Earth has been supporting some 170 projects in Scotland with grants aimed at supporting volunteer activity through practical environmental projects for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Grant funding for the campaign is provided by NatureScot.
The planting in St Madoes and Glencarse was part of the Action Earth campaign helping local communities respond to climate change.
