The report has been prepared by the volunteers at Carsphairn Community Woodland (CCW). It provides a summary of the ecological data gathered during the citizen science monitoring events in October and November 2025 followed by planned improvements and future recommendations.
This project is the next chapter in the Glenkens Land Use Series starting with A Vision For Land Use in the Glenkens developed in 2023 and builds on work done across the area since it was added to the Glenkens and District Community Action Plan (CAP).
This Feasibility Study lays the groundwork for a landscape-scale programme of interventions in the Glenkens aimed at linking existing areas of high ecological value through the creation of new habitats and the ecological enhancement of current land uses.
The Glenkens Hub has now completed three years of delivery to end 2025, funded by the Glenkens & District Community Fund through the Glenkens and District Trust and Foundation Scotland, and the Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership Scheme. The report contains details of key usage data and community engagement.
2025 has been another year of effective delivery of the Glenkens & District Community Action Plan priorities. Frontline delivery projects have been consolidated and evolved to deliver excellent outcomes for Glenkens residents, despite the extremely challenging external context of restricted funding landscape and limited available public sector support.
The project was led by Balmacellan Community Council and carried out by Graciela Ainsworth Sculpture Conservation Company, with funding from Blackcraig Wind Farm Community Fund, administered by Foundation Scotland / Glenkens & District Trust (60%) and Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership’s National Lottery Heritage Fund (40%).
From Anne Errington: "Late 2015 there was a performance at the CatStrand of all the different dance groups in the Glenkens. All ages took part, very young boys and girls, older women and all ages between but there were no men!! So when I heard of the Big Dance Pledge 2016 I thought let’s see if we can get the men dancing. The choreography was by Akram Khan, the music by Nitin Sawney. Workshops for people interested in working with groups were held all over the country - I went to one in Glasgow. In Akram Khan’s video he talks about common movements which unify us all, like washing, swaying, throwing arms in air, turning and more. So I went to the men shed and watched their normal activities. Their wood shaving and sweeping were so similar to the choreography….
40,000 people in 43 countries took part in the Big Dance 2016."
