2020 AGM and Open Meeting
John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Education & Skills, was at Dùn Coillich community land on Friday 7th February to present awards to Rural Skills trainees on their completion of the course. The mixture of training and work experience gives a solid skills base for a variety of land-based industries. Previous trainees have gone on to work in areas such as forestry, farming, game keeping and conservation.
If you’d like to know more about the course and the other work done by HPCLT, come along to our 2020 AGM at 2pm on Saturday 28th March at the Tryst, Pitlochry. The meeting is open to all and there will be light refreshments. The formal business of the AGM will be quite short, and will be followed by a talk by Dr James Rae of the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, entitled Climate Science and Solutions.
At Dùn Coillich we are restoring the land to a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem. Over 220,000 native trees have been planted, helping to create a patchwork of woodland, heathland and wetland. Dùn Coillich is a partner in the Heart of Scotland Forest Partnership, which in turn is part of a much larger movement throughout Scotland to enhance the upland landscape for the benefit of wildlife and people.
HPCLT also looks after the Wee Birks Field in Aberfeldy. This will be kept as an area for public enjoyment, with the informal paths kept clear of vegetation. Some 40 native flowering trees were planted in 2019.