A young Fife gardener who was recently recruited as the newest member of the BBC Scotland Beechgrove team is taking the helm in a special programme to mark COP26.
Calum Clunie, from Leven, takes the lead in outlining a garden makeover project being screened as part of a Beechgrove special on Sunday October 31.
The Beechgrove team are in the Mar Policies area of Alloa to kickstart a garden makeover with the Wimpy Park Community Group.
Over the space of just a few days, the Wimpy Park community together with just a little help from Beechgrove, transform a neglected walled garden and make it into an accessible space built by the community, for the community.
At nearly three-acres it’s a massive site, and with four areas in need of TLC it’s a challenge that requires everyone to be mucking in, but the team are determined that the project makes it from design to done.
New recruit
As featured in The Courier, Calum, who began his Beechgrove life last year when he sent in pieces to the programme from his Silverburn Park allotment near Leven, takes the lead in outlining the project as it takes shape.
“This park is all about growing the community and looking after the environment,” he says.
But his co-presenters are on hand with key advice.
Carole Baxter has handy tips about encouraging wildlife, while Kirsty Wilson helps local schoolchildren make bird feeders from recycled material.
George Anderson has great advice for Alloa people taking part in a local Grow Your Own project, and The Courier’s Ginger Gairdner columnist Brian Cunningham, originally from St Andrews, has top tips for composting and also talks about planting with local community venture Play Alloa.
Also featured in the programme are founding members of the Wimpy Park Community Group Fin Robertson and Lillian Gray.
Local John Macaloney also provides a disabled person’s point of view on the plans, and gardener Eric Armour who has working on it in recent years, explains why the project is so important to the community.
Ambitious
It is an ambitious project, which aims to create an amphitheatre, a sensory and wild garden, and a meandering path.
Garden designer Lynn Hill helps out with some initial plans, taken on by local art student Lou Carberry.
As this Beechgrove special reveals, more than 100 volunteers take part and the cameras follow the local group as they go to a community garden in Edinburgh’s Granton area for inspiration.
There are also some films of inspiration from community gardens in Kinnesswood, Perth and Blantyre.
The special is being shown as part of BBC Scotland’s COP 26 programming.
BBC Scotland’s learning team, The L.A.B., had the opportunity to team up with Beechgrove: Mucking In and a local Alloa school, to make a short film about the plans to transform Wimpy Park into a new community hub.
Pupils from St Mungo’s primary were given the chance to have a look round the new space and interview Beechgrove presenter Calum and garden designer Lynn Hill.
Their film will be available to watch at the Learn at BBC Scotland site from 5pm on October 31 where there are also Bitesize resources available on sustainability and stories about how other young people have been finding ways to save the planet.
*Beechgrove: Mucking In is broadcast on BBC One on Sunday (October 31) from 4-5pm.
