STEWARTON WOODLANDS ACTION TRUST
Conserve – Educate – Restore – Regenerate
Gill Sherry
In 2004, a group of Stewarton residents got together to set up Stewarton Woodlands Action Trust (SWAT), a charitable organisation aiming to conserve, regenerate and promote the restoration of predominantly native woodlands in the town of Stewarton.
Twenty-two years later, SWAT has a healthy membership of 26 volunteers committed to continuing the good work of those founder members. Susan Williamson is one such volunteer who became involved after moving to Stewarton in 2007. Susan also serves on the committee as Secretary having previously enjoyed the role of Chair for five years.
I ask Susan what membership of the organisation entails.
“We meet twice a month for work sessions on the second and fourth Sunday of the month. It’s totally voluntary. There’s no charge for being a member and there’s no obligation… you don’t have to turn up on work days. The person who does our website, for example, doesn’t come to work sessions, but he’s still a very valuable member.”
Much of the charity’s work takes place in and around Lainshaw Woods where there is a nature trail.
“We don’t own the woods that we manage,” Susan tells me, “it’s a local farmer that owns them. There are public rights of way through them… and our job now is to maintain them for the use of the public. It’s not just Stewarton people who use them, we get people from far and wide.”
With a huge variety of wildlife (kingfishers, otters, foxes, herons and bats to name just a few) the Annick Water, and the many plants and trees, it’s no wonder people travel from all over to enjoy the beautiful woodland. Imagine volunteering for SWAT and actually contributing to its upkeep!
“Volunteers have to be likeminded. If they can bring expertise that’s really good, we have nobody that’s really experienced in woodland management, but people that are good with their hands or people with initiative that are willing to get mucky!”
In addition to the obvious benefits to both physical and mental health, volunteering for the charity is also a sociable pastime.
“On work days we congregate back at our containers where we keep all the equipment, and have tea, coffee, biscuits and a blether. When I first came here, I didn’t really know many people in Stewarton. It’s been a way for me to get to know people. It’s nice.”
There’s also a BBQ in the summer and a festive dinner in December. Plus, SWAT has a table at Stewarton’s Yuletide event where it raises funds from the sale of items made by its volunteers such as bramble jelly, birdboxes, and knitted hedgehogs. Although it’s predominantly a fundraiser, it’s another sociable event allowing members to further integrate with the local community.
On the subject of the local community, Stewarton Woodlands Action Trust recently installed a defibrillator, gifted by East Ayrshire Council.
“They wanted them in more rural settings,” says Susan, “but you can’t have them in the middle of the woods because you need an electricity supply. We managed to get one as close to the woods as we possibly could. That was a feather in our cap!”
Seven dog waste bins have also been positioned around the town, one of which (because it’s situated in the woods) must be emptied by the volunteers.
“We’ve got a rota for that!” Susan confirms with an undisguised grimace.
One volunteer is also trained to deal with invasive weeds, another important aspect of the Trust’s work. In fact, if anyone in Stewarton identifies an invasive weed on the perimeter of their property, SWAT will happily deal with it for them.
The charity’s good work is obviously appreciated by the various local people and organisations kind enough to make financial donations. SWAT also receives bare root trees from I Dig Trees (the largest community led planting project in the UK) and has planted thousands of trees since its inception back in 2004. With the permission of East Ayrshire Council, it has even planted trees in other areas of the town to encourage biodiversity.
Weather is something that Susan and her fellow committee members are always conscious of, although, they seldom have to cancel work sessions.
“We did cancel one last year because of the high winds, it just wasn’t safe to be out. We also have the occasional ‘in between’ work day. If there’s been a storm and trees blow down on the path, a wee gang of us will go out and try and deal with it.”
Sessions take place from 9.30am to 11.30am and volunteers work year-round on tasks such as blocked paths, litter picking, tree planting, vegetation management and blocked drainage channels.
Those interested in volunteering are encouraged to contact the charity. Having attended three work sessions and decided they would, indeed, like to be involved, application forms are completed and an official SWAT high-vis vest is provided.
If your New Year’s Resolutions included spending more time outdoors and/or giving something back to the community, this could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Stewarton Woodlands Action Trust
Tel: 0773 430 8244
Email: stewartonwoodlands@gmail.com
www.stewartonwoodlands.co.uk
