Welcome

This newsletter is designed to let residents and interested parties get involved in shaping the priorities of Dunning Community Trust (DCT). We have articles from residents, Directors and supporting professional bodies, talking aboUt DCT and Kincladie wood. Look out for details of upcoming events and ways to get involved. On the last page you will see the people who have volunteered and been elected as DCT directors. This is a great opportunity for the people of Dunning to shape the future of our village and protect the community spirit.

Have your say!

Now that DCT is formally set up we need to survey the members and the wider community. The survey is to allow DCT Directors to identify the priority management objectives for the Trust and our first project, Kincladie wood. It will also allow us to assess the current skills and resources available within the membership and identify where training and support is needed. Please return the survey forms by 1st September to either the membership secretary, address on the survey, or to DCT post boxes in either the Post Office or Food store. . The Management group will then compile a report based on these returns. The report will be discussed with the Directors and presented to the community in the village hall on the evening of Thursday 15th September. Copies of the report will also be available for viewing in the shops. Please take the time to complete the survey and a membership form, to have your voice heard. Full membership of the Trust is open to all adults on the voters roll within the parish of Dunning. Juniors and friends from beyond Dunning are also eligible for Associate membership. This is an important step in our development - so get involved.

Reflecting on Kincladie by Elspeth Pentland

During the war we were always at the wood with our 'CAIRTS' collecting kindling - larger timber was a bonus. In the 50's muddy motorbike scrambles leapt over the Roman Dyke (what would Historic Scotland make of that?) Up to about 1960 tinkers camped with their small horses and carts. They came into the village playing their bagpipes to tempt you to buy handmade pegs. Then in the 60's and 70's they arrived with vans, lorries and caravans! The bog was always a grand place to catch tad-poles in our jelly jars, and see who had caught the most. There was also a great source of blae berries, which we picked, getting blue fingers!

more of this article here

What is the Community Woodlands Association?

DCT has now joined The Community Woodlands Association which is the direct representative of Scot land's community woodland groups. Its aim is to help community woodlands across the country achieve their potential by supporting, representing and promoting them both in the 'corridors of power' and 'on the ground'. Community woodlands are an exciting positive force for change in Scotland. Across the country, groups are uncovering new opportunities for local recreation, education and employment. From small beginnings in the 1980s, the movement now consists of hundreds of groups across the country, responsible for tens of thousands of acres of woodland. The benefits of community woodlands - to both the local and the wider community - are gaining wide recognition, and new groups are setting up all the time.

http://www.community-woods.org.uk/