Take your seat for burn project
Joy as three-year Coupar Angus scheme is completed
The completion of the Coupar Angus Burn project was marked by the Provost of Perth and Kinross and pupils from the town’s primary school last week.
Provost Dennis Melloy, primary seven pupils from Coupar Angus Primary School and local volunteers opened the seating area by the burn at the western end of the town at the end of a three year project.
The idea to redevelop the area along the side of the burn was first mooted in 2013 when judges from the Britain in Bloom competition visited the town.
They suggested to awardwinning environmental group Pride of Place (PoP) that they might see if they could improve the biodiversity of the area, the variety of plants and encourage more wildlife.
Taking up the challenge, PoP asked landscape architect Chris Palmer to draw up proposals for the project, and then following a community consultation, with the help of Take a Pride in Perthshire, funding was granted to the project by Perth and Kinross Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund and Leader.
The work was then carried out by Clive Bowman of Community treeCycle, a social enterprise, in February this year.
And throughout the project, PoP worked with pupils at Coupar Angus Primary School.
The youngsters designed posters asking the community for sightings of wildlife along the burn, identified the vegetation and learned about the historical links the town has with Clydesdale horses.
Chair of Pride of Place Anne Easson was delighted to see the project come to fruition.
She said: “Many groups within the community have been involved.
“The Men’s Shed constructed the bench in the seating area and the bat and bird boxes that can be seen in the trees and which are already in use.
“The Make a Difference (MaD) team set the bench and the three sign boards - the wildlife board in the seating area, the vegetation board along the burnside and the Clydesdale board on the wall in Cuddy’s Wynd - in place.
“They also removed all the flytipping from along the burn.
“We have also had assistance from Community Greenspace and the rangers who worked with the children.”
Anne went on: “And Pride of Place worked with the school children encouraging them to make posters asking the community for sightings of wildlife along the burn, identifing the vegetation and also learning about the historical links Coupar Angus has with the Clydesdale horses to gather information for the three information boards.
“They have also helped to write a leaflet encouraging the community to learn more about what a fantastic resource they have in their town and encouraging visitors to come and see the burn too.
“This has been a wonderful opportunity for the community as a whole to work together.
“The area was fast becoming a dumping ground and now has the potential to become a fabulous wildlife area in the middle of Coupar Angus.”
Cutting the ribbon to declare the new area open, Provost Melloy said: “A big thanks must go to PoP for this project.
“It is going to be a big thing for Coupar Angus - it has been needing done for years and now it has been finished it will benefit everyone.
“Congratulations to all involved.”
Head teacher at Coupar Angus, Nikki Drew, added: “Projects like this bring the learning alive for the children and the fact that it’s in their local community gives them ownership both of the project and their community history.
“The whole of primary seven was involved in this and worked very hard on it and I would like to say really well done to them all and thanks to PoP for the opportunity to be part of this.
Strathmore councillor Fiona Sarwar lives in Coupar Angus and was at the official opening.
She said: “It was wonderful to see so many people at the opening, especially the school children who have worked so hard in collaboration with PoP on this project.
“Hopefully this area will be widely used by the community, and well done to everyone involved for making it happen.”
And Clive Bowman from Community treecycle added: “Brodie Duncan and I worked with a number of local unemployed men on this project, providing them with on-the-job training.
“We carried out the work in February this year and it was a very physical job, with lots of winter weather, including snow and a high burn.
“But it was a great job and we really enjoyed it, and it’s great to see the coppicing coming back and looking really good. We were very pleased to be involved.”
Many groups in the community have been involved . . . a wonderful opportunity . . .