Wednesday 10 December 2008

Greyfriars Kirk Garden and Recycling

Last week I went to a meeting at Greyfriars Kirk, one of the most historic churches in Edinburgh, famous for being the burial place of Greyfriars Bobby. The church wants to re-establish its herb garden and make the churchyard a more welcoming place for wildlife and people. As we stood outside there were birds fluttering in the branches above our heads (robins, blue tits, coal tits and chaffinches) and on the grass (a pied wagtail, magpies and a rather bemused looking oystercatcher) so obviously the church has a good start on attracting wildlife! As for people, the churchyard is a popular place for people to wander round, though when i visited it, several of the paths were covered in black ice which restricted things somewhat. The plan is to plant more native plant species, put up more bird boxes and to involve the local community in maintaining the space.

Greyfriars Kirk also operates GROW (Greyfriars Recycling of Wood) a wonderful project that recycles wood from old church pews to make furniture (both for the house and the garden) and bird boxes. The goods are made by people who have faced complex issues in their lives, such as homelessness and addiction, and helps them develop skills.

13 comments:

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

I know the churchyard well. This would be a wonderful proect, I should think. A nice oasis.

Dave King said...

Good to hear of such things taking place.

Unknown said...

Wow - furniture from old church pews! That is soooo me!

Lucy said...

Always something interesting being talked about here!

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

It's lovely to have these reminders of my favourite places in a beautiful city!

Tommaso Gervasutti said...

Jackdaws have been crowding Venice roofs in these latest years together with pigeons, herring gulls and black-headed gulls. This year thoughthe jackdaws are shy and keep themselves scarce, maybe due to the bad weather as I noted in my blog on the exceptional high water and persistent sirocco onslaughts.
Best wishes, Davide

RG said...

What a place .. nothing like that out here where Lewis and Clark didn't arrive until 1802 or so!

That's a great project. Our local area is very progressive at encouraging "Back Yard Wild Life Habitats" and many churches participate. There is a fun tour every year.

PS - Racer has no passport :<)

d. moll, l.ac. said...

Great projects, Greyfriars rock.

Rachel Fox said...

We walked round the graveyard this October. The views around are so amazing and green spaces in the city (grave-filled or not) are so important. Good luck with it all.
x

Deb G said...

This sounds lovely....

YowlYY said...

It is lovely to see that this is happening in a big city - we definitely need more spaces that wildlife can reclaim with our help. :)

Cynthia said...

great idea, recycling church
pews. wandering around cathedrals
in new york city is one of my
great pleasures.