Broughton dog walkers raise £900,000 to buy their local forest
The woodland at Broughtonknowe had been operating for about 40 years as a commercial forest.Several footpaths and an access road had been maintained to encourage wildlife lovers and dog walkers to enjoy the scenery.During lockdown several of the regular dog walkers teamed up with the owner, Christopher Lambton, to create Friends of Broughtonknowe.For a couple of years they introduced more pathways, created wildlife ponds, built a bird hide and developed picnic areas.But ill-health led the owner to announce his intention to sell in 2023.
Mr Hart added: "When Christopher became unwell and decided the woodland had to go on the market, my heart dropped."Throughout lockdown Broughtonknowe was where we could go for a walk, and we all became really attached to the place."As well as large areas of commercial softwoods, such as Sitka spruce and larch, the vast hillside forest also has areas of native broadleaf trees, such as ash, aspen, oak and sycamore.Willow, rowan and holly have also more recently been planted around the growing number of ponds and viewpoints.
The small friends group managed to rally wider support from across Peeblesshire as it set about raising the £875,000 asking price.With support from the Scottish Land Fund, South of Scotland Enterprise and SSE Renewables - as well as crowdfunding and private donations - the newly formed charity, Broughtonknowe Community Woodland (BCW), reached its target.Charity secretary Alastair Leaver said: "We feared that if we were unable to purchase Broughtonknowe a commercial forester would come in and the whole woodland would be turned over to Sitka spruce."If that had happened, all the wildlife would be ruined and our enjoyment of the place would have been over."It's been a challenging time trying to raise the money, but there has been a lot of enthusiasm from across the community."
Although the sale has just been completed, the new owners already have plans to further improve biodiversity across the woodland.They are also throwing out an invitation for other groups to enjoy the forest.Chair of the group, Ian Brook, believes Broughtonknowe was worth fighting for.He said: "This place is loved by the community - there can be a dozen cars in the car park yet you walk for over an hour without seeing another soul."At the same time, it is used for people coming together - whether it's wellbeing groups, yoga or education - and we hope even more groups can come and enjoy what is here."We will make sure, though, that nature is in control, not any timber companies."
Although BCW only has a five-strong board, the charity is supported by 140 members.Since the recent completion of the purchase, bee hives have been introduced and fruit trees have been planted.Over the coming weeks a new shelter will be built and an area has been earmarked for up to 50 hazel trees.Local councillor Viv Thomson said: "This really is a fairytale that's come true."It would have been devastating if Broughtonknowe had become a commercial forest."
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Scotsman
4 days ago
- Scotsman
Funding push after community set to take Scottish Borders forestry project to court
The Scottish Government's forestry agency has been accused of acting unlawfully. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A community taking a Scottish Borders forestry plantation to court is campaigning for funding to help them fight the legal battle. Save Todrig is hoping to raise £30,000 to cover legal fees to help them block a predominantly Sitka spruce forest stretching more than 500 hectares at Todrig Farm, about seven miles north of Kelso. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Campaigners said they are concerned about the impact the plantation will have on the current moorland habitat and surrounding communities. The application for the woodland scheme at Todrig was lodged by Gresham House Forest Growth and Sustainability Fund LP. | Simon Butterworth A petition was lodged claiming that Scottish Forestry, the public agency responsible for regulating forestry and distributing grants, acted unlawfully by screening out an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) in December last year and claiming there will be no significant environmental impacts before a public consultation was done. The applicant, Gresham House Forest Growth and Sustainability Fund LP, of Gresham House Ltd, applied to the agency for the EIA decision before applying for grant funding under the Forestry Grant Scheme, which would have triggered a public consultation. Campaigners accused Scottish Forestry of 'acting in secret' by making a decision on the EIA before the consultation. It meant NatureScot and RSPB among other groups who put their arguments in, which included comments claiming bird surveys were inadequate, were seen months after a decision on environment impact had already been made. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad David Lintott, of Restore Nature Ltd, the organisation behind lodging the petition, said: 'I think it is a particularly egregious case because they [Scottish Forestry] determined there will be no harms before the RSPB and organisations like Butterfly Conservation were able to put their points across, so their arguments weren't taken into account. David Lintott, of Restore Nature, which lodged a successful petition calling for a judicial review of a forestry plantation at Todrig in the Scottish Borders | Katharine Hay 'That's really poor when your dealing with such a huge area and something that is going to cause transformative change.' The planned Todrig forest would link to another proposed 700-hectare predominantly Sitka forest at Whitslaid. It means the area will see some 11 square kilometres of conifer plantations across the moorland habitat, campaigners said. The proposed schemes, which, together, would be larger than Selkirk and Hawick combined, fall into a pilot map created by Scottish Forestry for the Upper Ale area. It shows an area the agency deems suitable for planting either large scale or medium scale spruce plantations. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A pilot study carried out by Scottish Forestry for a land capacity map. The outer red line is the boundary of the pilot study and blue denotes existing plantations. Todrig and Whitslaid are marked bottom right. | Scottish Forestry Save Todrig said, with the exception of narrow areas along the main river valleys and isolated hill tops, 'pretty much everywhere is eligible for predominantly conifer plantations'. The group said, in effect, the whole area could be covered in conifers, and if extrapolated across the Scottish Borders, pretty much everywhere outside SSSIs and other protected areas. Campaigners said blanketing the area in conifer plantations will lead to 'the permanent loss of a unique rolling moorland landscape in the Scottish Borders,' which provides a natural habitat for wildlife including the red-listed black grouse and northern brown argus, which is classified as 'vulnerable' on the butterfly red list. Butterfly Conservation was recently awarded £730,000 in public funding to enhance conservation efforts for the rare butterfly, which is found in limited areas of the UK, one of those being the Scottish Borders. According to the petition, research on brown argus carried out by the charity found the 'prime threat was found to be the increasing risk of afforestation being driven by generous woodland grant incentives.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Northern brown argus butterfly | Butterfly Conservation Trust The upcoming court case comes after a successful judicial review of a plantation at Stobo Hope, also in the Scottish Borders, forced Scottish Forestry to suspend planting and a £2m grant contract they had awarded to the applicant: Forestry Carbon Sequestration Fund, which is managed by True North Real Asset Partners. The court case was triggered by warnings from Stobo Hope Action Group that hundreds of hectares of the site had been sprayed with herbicides prior to the forestry application being submitted. Scottish Forestry halted forestry work at the Stobo Hope woodland creation scheme in the Scottish Borders in September 2024. The decision came after new information about herbicide spraying at the site. | Supplied In Scottish Forestry correspondence, obtained by Freedom of Information requests, an agency staff member described the site looking like it had been 'napalmed' following the spraying. Mr Lintott, who was also involved in the Stobo Hope case, said: 'You would think they [Scottish Forestry] would be more careful after seeing that. But the fact they haven't been in the Todrig case has been disappointing and particularly concerning.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Community groups have been set up in response to the proposed forestry schemes, including the Upper Ale Water Conservation Group who met with Scottish Conservatives MP John Lamont and MSP Rachael Hamilton to discuss their concerns. MSP Racheal Hamilton meeting with members of Upper Ale Water Conservation Group | Upper Ale Water Conservation Group Speaking during a visit on Wednesday, Ms Hamilton said: 'The local community are rightly concerned by these forestry applications and the lack of scrutiny around the consultation process. 'There needs to be more accountability of Scottish Forestry to ensure that swathes of forestry are not forced upon communities against their interest. 'That's why I brought forward an amendment to the Land Reform Bill for the Scottish Government to implement an Ethical Framework for Natural Capital Investment that ensures local community have a voice, but it was shamefully voted down at stage two.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish Green Party candidate for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Dominic Ashmole backed the Save Todrig petition saying it was 'a fine public service.' Scottish Green Party candidate for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Dominic Ashmole Mr Ashmole, who was recently selected by the Greens as a South Scotland regional candidate for the upcoming Scottish Parliament election, said: 'If successful, the case could set a precedent ensuring routine and substantive EIA of proposed forestry schemes, which could steer us to a place where we have locally-led, nature-friendly, continuous cover forestry that provides a whole host of co-benefits. 'At the moment, it seems that a scary big climate target is being wielded very much as a blunt instrument, perhaps with pressured civil servants reaching for 'big corporate' solutions rather than funding communities and smaller players to create a future closer to what locals and the wider public actually want.' Gresham House insisted it adheres to regulatory standards and industry best practice across all its projects. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A spokesperson for the company said: "Community engagement is really important. 'For the Todrig proposal, we've undertaken a formal public consultation and invited feedback from statutory bodies including SEPA, NatureScot, and RSPB Scotland. "In response to early input, the current design includes a commitment to retain approximately 40 per cent of the site as open ground, primarily to support biodiversity and habitat creation. Once operational, all planting, felling, and management plans will be made publicly available - and as with any forestry project, we actively look for ways to deliver wider community benefits through improved public access, educational opportunities, and support for local initiatives.'
Scotsman
04-05-2025
- Scotsman
Group of residents buy Scottish woodland for £750,000 to keep it in community
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A community group has managed to buy their local woodland after raising £750,000. The successful buyout was launched in response to fears that Broughtonknowe, a 56-hectare forest in the Scottish Borders, would fall into hands of commercial timber after it went on the market two years ago. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But Friends of Broughtonknowe have managed to secure the woodland, located between Peebles and Biggar, before last month's closing date. The woodland was owned by Christopher Lambton for the last two decades, during which he 'aesthetically thinned' the conifers to bring in more light and put in paths and benches to make the remaining woodland 'a nicer wood' for the public. Broughtonknowe woodland has been purchased by a local group following a successful community buyout | Goldcrest This was managed alongside maintaining some commercial forestry in larger plots on the property, which he said is currently about 40 per cent conifer, 40 per cent broadleaves and 20 per cent open ground. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad During lockdown, members of the surrounding community teamed up with Mr Lambton to create Friends of Broughtonknowe to apply for grants continue work for improving public access and benefit. They introduced more pathways, created wildlife ponds, built a bird hide and developed picnic areas. Read more: Anger over Scottish forest plan as community fears 'disappearing under a carpet of Sitka' In 2023, however, Mr Lambton developed Parkinson's and made the tough decision to announce his intention to sell. This was when the community rallied together to form Broughtonknowe Community Woodland Ltd (BCW Ltd) to purchase the property they had come to love and make their own. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With an asking price of almost £900,000, John Hart, BCW Ltd's secretary, said the group came up with a deal that they would buy £750,000-worth with Mr Lambton holding onto a section of the woodland to make the purchase more manageable. John Hart (far left) and other members of the community buyout following news of their successful purchase | Friends of Broughtonknowe With support from the Scottish Land Fund, South of Scotland Enterprise and SSE Renewables - as well as crowdfunding and private donations - the newly formed charity reached its target. 'It's just an amazing feeling,' Mr Hart said. 'When the woodland went on the market in April 2023, my heart sunk. I felt the figure was insurmountable. 'To a find a note saying the purchase is done was a huge relief. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'There's also a sense of trepidation as we're in charge of it now. 'It's not the end of the story. It's very much the beginning of a new one.' Celebrations were had following the successful community buyout | Friends of Broughtonknowe Mr Hart said the woodland is already used by Scouts, cubs, mindfulness groups, dog walkers and more, but that as new owners, they hope to build on what the woodland has to offer. He said BCW Lts is putting out invitations to other groups to come and use the space. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Lambton said: 'For me, to sell to the community was the best outcome for a woodland whose sensitive management over the last 25 years would be erased by conventional forestry practice. Christopher Lambton, who has been involved in improving access in Broughtonknowe over the years and assisted in the community buyout | Christopher Lambton 'I thought it would be a great shame after seeing it grow all these years to then sell it to the highest bidder given the way to make the most money from it would be to chop it all down.'
BBC News
04-05-2025
- BBC News
Broughton dog walkers raise £900,000 to buy their local forest
A group of dog walkers in the Borders have bought their local woodland after raising almost £900, were growing that Broughtonknowe would be taken over by a commercial timber company after it was put on the market in locals managed to raise the asking price to secure the 56-hectare (140-acre) forest, between Peebles and Biggar, ahead of last month's John Hart said: "It's almost unbelievable that we have raised the money and are now the owners." The woodland at Broughtonknowe had been operating for about 40 years as a commercial footpaths and an access road had been maintained to encourage wildlife lovers and dog walkers to enjoy the lockdown several of the regular dog walkers teamed up with the owner, Christopher Lambton, to create Friends of a couple of years they introduced more pathways, created wildlife ponds, built a bird hide and developed picnic ill-health led the owner to announce his intention to sell in 2023. Mr Hart added: "When Christopher became unwell and decided the woodland had to go on the market, my heart dropped."Throughout lockdown Broughtonknowe was where we could go for a walk, and we all became really attached to the place."As well as large areas of commercial softwoods, such as Sitka spruce and larch, the vast hillside forest also has areas of native broadleaf trees, such as ash, aspen, oak and rowan and holly have also more recently been planted around the growing number of ponds and viewpoints. The small friends group managed to rally wider support from across Peeblesshire as it set about raising the £875,000 asking support from the Scottish Land Fund, South of Scotland Enterprise and SSE Renewables - as well as crowdfunding and private donations - the newly formed charity, Broughtonknowe Community Woodland (BCW), reached its secretary Alastair Leaver said: "We feared that if we were unable to purchase Broughtonknowe a commercial forester would come in and the whole woodland would be turned over to Sitka spruce."If that had happened, all the wildlife would be ruined and our enjoyment of the place would have been over."It's been a challenging time trying to raise the money, but there has been a lot of enthusiasm from across the community." Although the sale has just been completed, the new owners already have plans to further improve biodiversity across the are also throwing out an invitation for other groups to enjoy the of the group, Ian Brook, believes Broughtonknowe was worth fighting said: "This place is loved by the community - there can be a dozen cars in the car park yet you walk for over an hour without seeing another soul."At the same time, it is used for people coming together - whether it's wellbeing groups, yoga or education - and we hope even more groups can come and enjoy what is here."We will make sure, though, that nature is in control, not any timber companies." Although BCW only has a five-strong board, the charity is supported by 140 the recent completion of the purchase, bee hives have been introduced and fruit trees have been the coming weeks a new shelter will be built and an area has been earmarked for up to 50 hazel councillor Viv Thomson said: "This really is a fairytale that's come true."It would have been devastating if Broughtonknowe had become a commercial forest."
