Kirrie group wins £5k grant to help regenerate community farm
Sustainable Kirriemuir is among several community organisations to share more than £339,000as part of the Healthy Planet, Healthy People project run by the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Williamson Trust.
The group received £5000 to help with the regeneration of a 17-acre plot at its community farm at Meadowland, and explore how regenerative land management can help nature recovery and local food production.
As part of the planned 12-month participatory action research project, the volunteer group will sow meadow and wildflower areas to support a rapid transition to regenerative local food growing.
Working with native wildflower grower Scotia Seeds, the group will examine different meadow management practices and assess how a mosaic of habitats can improve biodiversity, eco-system services, and resilience.
Catriona Gibson, of Sustainable Kirriemuir, said: "We have been privileged to receive a grant from the Royal Society of Edinburgh to help fund an ambitious project of converting twelve acres of a previously intensively cultivated field at Kinnordy Estate back to a traditional, native, meadow ley bordered by sunflower swathes.
"Kate Munro and I are managing this endeavour and will be conducting Citizen Science to monitor changes in ecosystem health and diversity over the next year, and learn about wildlife-friendly and climate resilient planting.
"The meadow will also help act as a protective buffer zone around Sustainable Kirriemuir's Market Garden.”
Initiated in 2023, Healthy Planet, Healthy People Awards are now offered under two strands – Catalyst Awards and Change Awards.
Catalyst Awards are designed to enable community-led research across any discipline that promotes the health of individuals by fostering healthy communities, environments, and food quality and supply. These awards offer up to £5000 to pilot a project and this year totalled £99,250, awarded to 20 projects across Scotland.
Change Awards are designed to support standout projects – that previously received Catalyst funding – with major funding to grow and scale their work.
Professor David Salt FRSE, Williamson Trust chairperson, said: “As this community-led work continues to grow there can be no doubt communities across Scotland can build local solutions to ongoing challenges to our environment, our communities and our food.
"This round we have projects spanning seed saving, community growing, fermentation and compositing to coppicing, tree identification, accessing green space, transhumance and repair café. An amazing array of projects.”
Professor Anne Anderson Royal Society vice-president, Research, added: “This marks the third successful round of Healthy Planet, Healthy People: Catalyst Awards, which were introduced to expand the type of research the RSE supports.
“We are also very pleased to announce the first recipients of the Healthy Planet, Healthy People: Change Awards. I congratulate all those awarded under both schemes, and I look forward to following their progress and achievements over the coming year.”