Friends of Gallow Hill

Been a while since last post.....the hill looking lush and green just now. Abundance of grasses, wildflowers, shrubs, regen and planted trees. Good to see one of the aspen stands coming along nicely. Fairly quiet for birds, but still saw or heard blackbird, nuthatch, the ubiquitous willow warbler, blackcap, chaffinch, goldcrest, robin and wren.

More detail about this event is now available.

Local young piper Ryan will welcome you on site from 5.45, music / poetry from Scots Scriever Susi Briggs and from our own Pete Farrell and Dave Dick. Creative crafts from Emily Tough, a guided walk round the reserve, Kayantics pizza and refreshments.

A chance for conversation, sharing memories and reflections and to meet those involved in bringing this memorial to Moffat.

All welcome, make your own way or join the walk leaving the Ram (meet at 5.15)

Great event coming to the community nature reserve next week....

Just a reminder we have our AGM on Wednesday 22nd. 7pm at the Beechwood shelter.
If you would like to ask a question or raise an isssue please contact us ASAP before Wednesday
If you would like to consider joining us as a trustee of MCW, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you

We were pleased to host two groups of S1 pupils from Moffat Academy today. They walked up and around the hill, and back via Archbank and Well Road.

The visit was part of the school's health week. Thanks to Susan Barker of Walk Moffat for leading the walks.

Image is not from today - it was much less cloudy!

Views on the hill today. It’s fabulously green 💚
Thank you to Moffat Scouts for helping to remove plastic tree tubes this week. The area by the path (top left photo) is now looking much better, great job👏
They also learnt about the different trees on Gallow Hill and the ecosystem that supports them

NOTICE
Moffat Community Woodlands AGM - https://mailchi.mp/051b62d96adf/moffat-community-woodlands-agm
Wednesday 22nd May, 7pm at the Beechwood shelter by Gallow Hill

Please get in touch if you would like to register interest in becoming a MCW trustee or volunteering your time. We appreciate your support, thankyou

The side path up through the beechwood is partially blocked by forestry operations......we're attending to a number of trees that have been identified as dangerous. Apologies for any disruption

A wee bit of tree maintenance this morning.....rain just about kept off and good to be surrounded by the trees, views and birds!

The initial contractor planting on the East Side of the hill is doing well. Some of the oaks are 10ft + and holly and rowan doing well. Not so much birch regen on this side, but a fair bit of oak

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/12/rare-truffle-find-scottish-spruce-forest-sends-fungus-experts-alien-species-hunt

Seems as though Sitka plantations might have something a wee bit more interesting to tell us? Eyes down!

Rare truffle find in Scottish spruce forest sends fungi experts on alien species hunt Chamonixia caespitosa found during rewilding project in west Highlands while removing non-native Sitka spruce

Slight change of plan for the Covid Memorial tree planting at Moffat Community Nature Reserve next week.

A new message from the artists creating the Covid memorial. The second planting date (Saturday 30) is now cancelled. But we’re still on for Wednesday 27 from 11am.

VOLUNTEER DAY NOTICE

If you’ve got a couple of hours to spare this Sunday 25th we’d be very grateful of your company to help us with a few jobs - forecast is looking dry so we might get the view😎

Meet at Beechwood shelter 11am, just a willing pair of hands is all you need 😁

Fine day for a walk😎

It was with great sadness that we learnt of the recent death of our former Chairman and founder trustee, Tom Mulholland.

Tom was the driving force behind the purchase of Gallow Hill, calling a number of public meetings that resulted in a small group coming together to develop plans. Without Tom, it is unlikely that the hill would now be in local community ownership with a developing broadleaf woodland. He regarded the project as being as much about community development as woodland creation, giving the community confidence in our ability to own and manage local assets - and giving the community a voice in how the land is managed.

Tom was a warm and supportive man, with a great sense of humour and a strong commitment to progressive causes. He had previously been involved in many projects and organisations locally and had a short spell on the community council.

He will be sadly missed by many, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Come and see us at Moffat Christmas festival this Sunday 26th November from midday 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Pre order your Christmas tree - all sizes can be cut for a donation to Gallow Hill Community Woodland charity.

Gallow Hill volunteers will be available to assist you with tree selection/collection on Sunday 10th and 17th December from 11-1pm at the Beechwood shelter.
A suggested minimum donation of £10 would be much appreciated

See you at the Fair 🎅🏻🥃🎄⭐️🎶🎡🍭

Rainbow weather up Gallow Hill today. Home now counting the coins in the pot of gold, and feeding unicorns....

Nicely decorated woodland shelter! Thanks, presumably, to Wise Owls Nursery And Out of School Club

Another beautiful autumn day in paradise!

Moss and liverwort update.......
We've now got the current list of bryophytes identified on the hill from the British Bryological Society. It includes a newly found rare specimen (isothecium interludens) which is more common in the north of Scotland and some of the Hebridean islands. There are only a few other identified locations nearby - two up Moffatdale and one site in Kircudbrightshire.

How many different species do you think are currently identified on Gallow Hill? Watch this space for an answer!

Pictures courtesy of Claire Halpin, BBS website.

Take a wander up the hill in the autumn colour 🍂 🍁

As part of national moss day marking the centenary of the British Bryological Society, we had a fascinating moss walk on Saturday morning, led by Dr Liz Kungu from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh. She showed us dozens of different mosses and liverworts (collectively, along with hornworts, known as bryophytes) and talked about many aspects of their life cycle. She has previously surveyed bryophytes on the hill and elsewhere in Moffat - in due course she will be sharing her results with us.

Star billing went to ptilium-crista-castrensis or the ostrich plume feather moss, which was identified on the hill in the late 19th century and recently re-discovered there - having survived all the changes in the intervening 130 years or so. The image here is courtesy of Claire Halpin.

Safe to say we all came away with a little more knowledge, and a fascination with the range of species to be found - in common with many folk we habitually look at these plants and lump them together as 'moss'!

Many thanks to Liz for taking the time to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with us.

Saturday is National Moss Day, and to mark the occasion, Elizabeth Kungu of Edinbrugh Botanical Gardens is coming to Gallow Hill to lead a Moss Walk. 🚶🏼‍♀️

Meet at the beechwood shelter at 🕙

Everyone welcome 🤗

We are really looking forward to learning more about the mosses on the hill and showing you our ‘star species’

Come along this Sunday 15th to help us celebrate the symbolic planting of our last tree on Gallow Hill, Moffat.

We’d love to see families and children as they will be the future custodians of our community woodland

There will be refreshments!

Let us know if you can make it…

It's World Mental Health Day today. Many people, including our trustees and volunteers, value being in the outdoors as a contribution to their wellbeing. Here's some research into the mental health benefits of woodlands...

Valuing the mental health benefits of woodlands - In Brief - Forest Research This research is the first of its kind to value the mental health benefits associated with the UK’s woodlands

Took advantage of some slightly better weather this afternoon to do a bit of tree maintenance - checking stakes and ties, and detubing as needed.

Blue and great t**s, chaffinch, wren and bullfinch plus a small common lizard.

Juniper was not widespread in our planting, so it was good to see it doing well in the area being worked today.

We want Moffat Community Woodland to be welcoming to everyone. Our gate is never locked, but we do prefer that you don't drive up the track if you don't have to: we'd like to keep vehicles to a minimum for the sake of the wildlife and so that children, dogs and walkers feel safe to move around freely.

We’ve had a productive week on Gallow hill and Moffat Community Woodlands HQ…
Our temporary youth group have enthusiastically helped tame the overgrowth broom on the circular path as well as removing tree guards. We got more young trees set free today as well as tackling invasive rhododendron and continuing the tree survey - thanks to Ali🙏
Some of us learnt new skills on the recent drystone dyking day course at Corehead which will hopefully be put to good use!
There’s always plenty going on, so if you fancy a wee stroll on the hill and some light work to help enhance this wonderful community space let us know and we’d love to have your help

Join us for a Drystone Dyking workshop on the 8th of September at Corehead!

Lead by expert tutor Neil Moffat, we will focus on repairing drystone walls on the in-bye land at Corehead, to protect naturally regenerating woodland, while allowing us to keep our hay meadows under conservation grazing.

Check out some of Neil's incredible work here...
http://www.nmdrystonework.co.uk

Those interested in booking a spot, please email Adrian at...
[email protected]

What to bring?
Full equipment for the day’s training will be provided, but please wear suitable clothing, a hat and sturdy footwear, and bring a packed lunch and plenty of water, as well as insect repellent and sun protection.

Where to meet?
Borders Forest Trust Corehead Car Park at 10am (Postcode DG10 9TL)

Rural skills training for Borders Forest Trust volunteers is component of Reviving the Wild Heart of Southern Scotland, a Borders Forest Trust programme of habitat restoration, community engagement and education. It is part of , a multi-partner source-to-sea river revitalisation project lead by Tweed Forumand part-funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund

Took a walk round the hill this morning and reflected on the changes over the last 6 or 7 years.

Thinking back to it's previous incarnation as a dark, dense monocultural conifer plantation without much wildlife.....it is now a much more biodiverse space as we've planted 40,000 native broadleaf trees and there is considerable natural regeneration. Species on the hill now include sessile oak, hazel, rowan, downy birch, willows, aspen, juniper, hawthorn, holly, blackthorn, bird cherry, crab apple, beech and scots pine.

The understory and groundstory are also much more diverse with wildflowers, grasses, heathers, mosses, raspberries, brambles, honeysuckle, gorse and broom - and fungi.

Bird species (plus invertebrates) are much more numerous (for details check out our sister page Gallow Hill Moffat Natural History).

Whilst walking I came across a young family near the summit, one of the many regular walkers, dog walkers, a woman enjoying the peace whilst reading at one of the picnic benches and the children from Wise Owls Nursery And Out of School Club having a snack in the woodland shelter.

This is why I love this project! ❤️