Our Projects
Our community working together
Scottish Government awards Loch Wood Nature30 status
As one of the first four Nature30 sites in Scotland announced in August 2025 (and the only one in South of Scotland), Loch Wood’s biodiversity value is now recognised as equal to that of Protected Areas.
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Our local community woodland is now at the vanguard of the global movement to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030. Loch Wood is a great example of the value of Nature30: a site rich in biodiversity, voluntarily protected but still available for recreation and education for our community.
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A huge "Thank You" to our trustees and volunteers who have worked so hard to achieve this, and to our NatureScot team who have helped us achieve this recognition.
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Our first "en plein air" art class at Blackwood Estate: August 2025
An inspiring class run by our Estate artist-in-residence, Susan McMillan Visual Artist. A great chance to relax and focus in peace and quiet.......
River Guardians of the Atrato River visit Loch Wood: June 2025
A very unexpected experience at Loch Wood: two River Guardians visited our site to interview Willie from Clyde River Foundation. The Guardians of the Atrato are representatives of communities whose main task is to preserve the rights of the river. Along with two environmental lawyers and a translator, the guardians discussed the issues of river protection and the difficulties they face in Colombia.
Thank you to Inspiring Scotland for funding river restoration at Loch Wood!
Our funding of £9216 has enabled surveys by Clyde River Foundation and The Wild Trout Trust, to develop a long-term management plan for improving the Cander Water at Loch Wood.
Toby from Clyde River Foundation getting to work on the first survey
Davie from Clyde River Foundation somewhere in Loch Wood......
Meet Your River 2025
4 schools, 4 days of river ecology. With the team from Clyde River Foundation, our local pupils mapped the river habitat, collected and identified fish and invertebrates and examined them in the pop-up lab. We can happily confirm the Cander Water at Loch Wood is in fine fettle and great for fish!
Our Community Guddle at Loch Wood, with Clyde River Foundation
Many thanks to Nadara for funding this evening event held in May 2025, when locals had the chance to see what lives in the Cander Water. No fish were harmed in this workshop!
Danny from Clyde River Foundation team collecting samples
April 2025: Spring tree planting session
Great weather and lots of help from Kirkmuirhill and Blackwood Men's Shed and Clydesdale Community Initiatives: job done!
April 2025:
Community Easter Egg Hunt
Our free Easter Egg Hunt was very well attended. The tokens were well hidden but everyone won a prize whilst exploring Loch Wood and much chocolate was consumed :)
March 2025
Our tree surgeon Connor installs our new bat boxes
Paid for by our local community donations: thank you!​
March 2025
Thank you to Lesmahagow High School for planting a new shelter belt
Future trees for future generations
Jan 2025: our Tree Preservation Orders have been granted!
Thanks to our trustee Terry's dogged persistence over many years, the ancient trees lining the Estate road are now protected.
December 2024
Outdoor storage container and equipment for our schools
Many thanks to Nadara: this expands the possibilities for outdoor learning sessions at Loch Wood. No more heavy lifting to and from school!
November 2024:
Funding for Bent Primary visits to Loch Wood
We are now partnering with Larkhall & District Volunteer Group to provide a minibus service for weekly visits by Bent Primary to their local community woodland.​
Thank you to our funders: Nadara, Climate Action Lanarkshire, BKCG and SLC.
November 2024: BKCG funds our riverbank restoration project
Our willow spiling project has now been funded! We will be strengthening the riverbank at the first footbridge as a test project, to prevent bank erosion and increase wildlife habitat. Check our Facebook page for the Save The Date - many volunteers needed....... :)
October 2024: Funding awarded for tree planting
Thank you to SLC Climate Emergency Fund for awarding us funds to plant out our new outdoor classroom! This project will be delivered with our partners Clydesdale Community Initiatives and Lesmahagow High School, over the coming months.
October 2024: Community Pumpkin Hunt
We all had a great time!
Over a hundred people came along to our free pumpkin hunt at Loch Wood. Lots of activities, treats and muddy clothing. Every pumpkin was successfully re-homed......
A new School Year!
August 2024
We are pleased this year to welcome both Lesmahagow High School and Bent Primary School to Loch Wood's outdoor classrooms.
All our local pupils can now experience the benefits (and fun!) of being outdoors in natural spaces :)
April 2024: Tree planting session to extend the shelter belt
Thank you to The Conservation Volunteers charity for donating 950 trees and shelters
Now all we had to do was plant them! A fun session in great weather
April 2024: £10,000 awarded by SLC REF for ecology surveys in Loch Wood
Thank you to South Lanarkshire Council for supporting our climate change programme. Baseline ecology surveys in 2024 will enable us to develop a biodiversity enhancement plan going forward, working with our schools and community.
Feb 2024: Winner of the Renantis "Call For Projects" Climate Change Competition
£10,000 awarded to BECA for climate change project
Renantis S.p.A is providing funding for our new climate change awareness and education programme: baseline wildlife surveys are now being arranged and will be uploaded to our website as they are issued.
Feb 2023: Shelter belt planted at Loch Wood
Thanks you to our funder Paths For All
Volunteers from Clydesdale Community Initiatives and St. John's Primary worked (in very sunny weather!) to plant out mature trees, providing food and shelter for local wildlife.
January 2023: Our launch of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Blackwood and Kirkmuirhill. This scheme provides free books monthly by post for all children aged 0 -5
So many books, so many children!
Winter 2022: Emergency fuel vouchers for those in need
We successfully sourced funding for £12,500 of fuel prepayment vouchers to help keep our community warm during the energy crisis. By partnering with Clydesdale CAB and Clydesdale Food Bank, a fast and efficient way of distributing vouchers was achieved.
September 2022: Second footbridge now open
Thank you to WM Services for such efficient and professional work :)
Our second footbridge was opened at the outdoor learning areas, allowing safe access over the burn and opening up another secluded area for learning.
June 2022: Conventicle, The Covenanter's Tomb, The Dovecot
A well-attended ceremony dedicated the new memorial at The Dovecot, commemorating the Covenanter William Lawrie of Blackwood
April 2022: Free First Aid Training Course: Done!
Helping to make our community safer
On behalf of our local community BECA would like to thank Jacek (and Andrew, Willie, Karen, Cheryl, Veronica, Erin, Gail and Jonathan) for giving up two days of their valuable time for the Outdoor First Aid training course: they are now trained and good to go
This will benefit not only Loch Wood volunteering but also our wider community - so thank you all once again
March 2021: We have celebrated the opening of Loch Wood Community Woodland
Great attendance, great fun, money raised for a very good cause
Thank you to our community for supporting us so enthusiastically, on a beautifully sunny day in March. More than 250 people came along to explore Loch Wood and find the random Brussels sprouts hidden in the treasure hunt. All funds raised were donated to DEC for Ukraine.
March 2021: Our first footbridge is completed!
Thanks to WM Services for helping us open up new areas in Loch Wood
We are pleased to announce that the first footbridge over the Cander Water is finished (just ahead of our grand opening ceremony!). A great team effort (particularly by WM Services and
our extremely competent, always amiable trustee John Ward)
June 2020: Rescue Hedgehogs Rehomed
BECA worked with Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue to rehome a number of hedgehogs into Blackwood Estate. Lots of happy hedgehogs now snuffling around the woods.
June 2019: Installation of community fibre
19 properties (8 local businesses, 11 private houses) received fibre broadband resulting from our government funding application. This directly improved children’s education, allowed residents to significantly improve their online charity work, and helped local businesses develop our local economy. Increased internet speed has been invaluable during the Covid-19 pandemic, when much of normal life has inevitably moved online.
December 2020: Tree planting in Blackwood Estate
A successful application to The Woodland Trust provided 420 saplings for improving a public path within Blackwood Estate. This path was originally constructed in 1999 (funded by the Millennium Project) and links the Blackwood and Boghead estate roads, allowing a circular route between both villages.
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Planting was carried out over one weekend by BECA trustees and Kirkmuirhill Men’s Shed volunteers, boosted by tea/coffee/rolls and bacon. Luckily, the weather was good (for December) and the trees are now forming a great shelter belt for wildlife, and a source of wild food for future years.
March 2021: Publication of childhood wildlife journal
In 1973, aged 11, Stephen Reilly, his brother and a close friend produced a detailed journal of Blackwood Estate’s wildlife (with a few extras thrown in for artistic licence). The boys regularly played in the woodland and sketched the wildlife they spotted, researching the written content to produce a 58-page journal. 48 years later, Stevie still walks the Estate and feeds the birds. We are in the coming weeks publishing 100 copies of his journal, to distribute free of charge to our local schools, nurseries and community groups.
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We are very grateful to Blackwood and Kirkmuirhill Co-ordination Group for fully funding this project.
April 2021: Loch Wood Community Woodland, Blackwood Estate
This has been our most challenging venture to date, involving a funding package of almost £250,000 sourced from a wide range of public agencies. Their support and advice over the past two and a half years enabled us to purchase 65 acres of Loch Wood in Blackwood Estate, for use as a community woodland for Blackwood, Kirkmuirhill and Boghead.
Local consultation revealed that the community wishes to keep most of Loch Wood as a wild area to conserve the local wildlife and protected species within. However, there is also demand for a limited path network around the boundary, and provision of outdoor learning areas for schools and community groups.
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UPDATE: November 2021
Three outdoor learning areas are now used by our primary schools:)
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