Glebe Greenspace Project

Our Minister and the Church of Scotland have offered the Athelstaneford Glebe* to the community for five years, hoping to develop a green space for the village that brings us actively together. The land is potentially an asset for the parish – and up until now it has been ‘dormant’ (see this map to find out where it is).

* – a ‘Glebe’ is land traditionally given to a Minister to support their household.

Meetings and consultations have helped to explore ideas of how the field could be used. We now have an ‘Action Group’ to take forward some of these ideas.

Initially, the aim is to create a space that will encourage people to work together both outdoors – vegetable beds, wildflower meadow, a quiet contemplative space – and potentially indoors in a polytunnel.

Our local environment is also important, we need to encourage ‘biodiversity’ – that is a place more suitable for different birds, insects and animals. We are getting help and advice for some of this from East Lothian’s countryside ranger service and their biodiversity officer.

The Church has generously donated an initial £1200 start-up fund. Local farmers and businesses have offered some materials and to date have also helped with some work (clearance, cattle grazing). We have cleared a large patch of brambles and have planted nearly 400 young trees to ‘gap-up’ the hedges. We are also looking into other grant-aid.

Work has started on creating the vegetable beds and planting in these but we also need to raise funds for equipment, running courses, a polytunnel, etc.

We have some plots available for those who want to grow and share their experience and knowledge of gardening. A further idea is establishing a ‘Hen Co-op’ – to share chook-care and eggs!

Read the project ‘Mission Statement‘

Catch up on the latest news about the project on the Glebe blog.

Chris Brace, Alastair Macrae, Heather Doig and Jerry Simcock (Glebe Greenspace Action Group – contact glebe.greenspace@gmail.com)