Hundreds of trees re-planted by employability group

Participants of an employability intiative have planted hundreds of trees across an area of East Ayrshire.

The group of 18-22 year olds are part of our employability programme, in partnership with The SPFL Trust, ‘Kick Off Your Career’. In a bid to improve their hands-on, landscaping skills, we have worked with an environmental social enterprise and have, just this week, re-planted 300 native trees at the Glenmuir Water near Logan.

Grant Wallace, Employability Lead at The Killie Community, said: “This current group of 10 we have are massively growing in confidence. This project in particular has given them opportunities they’ve never had before, and probably didn’t expect when they first came to the football club. As well as improving their mental health, wellbeing and mood by working outdoors, it’s given them a stronger sense of pride in their community. They’re excited to return in the future and see what they’ve achieved here in Logan.”

The wider project is called ‘Coalfields to Wildwoods’, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund via the Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership (CCLP). The project will see thousands of trees planted in East Ayrshire to “enhance the scarred landscape of the mining area and engage local people in growing trees in temporary micro tree nurseries.”  

Co-Founder and CEO of Eadha Enterprises, Peter Livingstone, continued: “This week we were planting at the Glenmuir Water on Dumfries Estate land.  We planted around 300 native trees including Aspen and Willows grown through the project as well as Juniper, Oak, Hazel, Holly Bird Cherry.  It was great to meet the Killie Community volunteers and get their help. They seemed to enjoy being out in the peaceful glen helping nature. We have plenty more planting scheduled for next winter/spring including sites at Patna, Glenmuir Water, and Dalmellington.”

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