TI Newsletter, May 2025

Here’s a round-up of some recent activities, and upcoming dates for the diary. The next TI event is the TI Lunch in the Hall, Sat 31 May, 12noon.

Ranger work

o  There’s been a range of events over the last months, with wellbeing walks by Caroline Waterhouse, four sessions with school pupils on community land, volunteer work-party sessions along the red and blue paths, sessions starting to clear the felled Sitka, and an upcoming event exploring queer ecology. Additionally, Tayvallich Wildlife Club made a film a while ago that included a segment when the group explored on community land; this film was shown in February at the Wildlife Club evening in the hall.

o  Sitka spruce on Cnoc Leis have been taken down, and this work was enabled by SSE’s community benefit work. The rangers are planning to make timber available as firewood towards the end of the year.

o  Rhododendron control is continuing via a scheme by Argyll and the Isles Coast and Countryside Trust (ACT), whose work parties are working on community-owned land, Carsaig Estate land, etc. ACT is happy to provide more information about this work for those who are interested, and they plan to have a table at the Tayvallich Gala day on 26 July for more info.
Also, TI has recently been successful with an award from Highlands & Islands Environment Foundation (HIEF) to support further rhododendron control on community land and domestic gardens for those who’d like to participate. This project will be developed over the next few months. If you’d like to get involved, please email ranger@tayvallichinitiative.com

o  School walks
The TI rangers held four afternoon sessions in April and May with the pupils at Tayvallich Primary School. The sessions were designed to give the children an opportunity to explore the land we now steward as a community. Over the course of these four sessions the children did the following activities:

• Helped remove invasive Himalayan balsam
• Learned about the selective felling of Sitka spruce that shades out native trees
• Started learning how to read a map
• Observed the seasonal changes in the woodland as spring got underway
• Visited a site of rhododendron removal to see the saplings that are now popping up
• Learned to identify common native trees by the shape of their leaves
• Learned about ground flora that indicates an ancient woodland site
• Pulled bracken around newly planted saplings to give them a good start
• Listened to woodland birds
• Understanding the meaning of community ownership
• Learning how to interact with community land in a safe and responsible way

The ranger team have enjoyed spending time with the school children on the community land and would be happy to run more sessions in the future.

o  Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
The Community Ranger work is possible thanks to the Access and Inclusion Project award from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

Upcoming events

o   TI Lunch in the Hall, Sat 31 May, 12noon: With a focus on cultural and natural heritage. See posters and social media for more details.

o   Community weekend, Sat 14 and Sun 15 June: Finding out about queer ecology with walks and talks, songs and stories around the bonfire, and an art workshop. Queer ecology brings together queer theory, ecological thought, and critical science studies to reimagine the way we see the natural world. See upcoming posters and social media for more details.

Housing

o   Plans for Polldearg, the land around Taigh Eairdsidh
Work is continuing with Communities Housing Trust (CHT) on plans, with CHT running a tender process for the design team and applying to Argyll and Bute Council for funding support. TI Housing Working Group and CHT are progressing with a Heads of Terms Agreement for CHT’s work. There is likely to be some exploratory ground works soon, and this is very early stage exploration, so you might see a digger on the land before too long.

o   Rural Housing Burdens
Highlands Rewilding (HRL) are currently selling land and property across their portfolio, and for land they are focusing on working with purchasers who’d like HRL to continue managing the land. For houses in the process of being sold, Highlands Rewilding offered these with Rural Housing Burdens attached. HRL’s commitment to this approach is reflected as one of the objectives listed in the Memorandum of Understanding that was discussed and agreed in May 2023.
Some people have asked how Rural Housing Burdens work for these sales or other situations where an owner wishes to apply this mechanism to their property. The main purpose is to ensure that a house – or a plot if developed with a newbuild or a renovation – will be lived in as someone’s primary residence. It helps to ensure that there’s housing stock for those living and working in the area. When a house or plot is sold in the future, the same commitment carries across to the new owner so that there’s continuity generation after generation.
This set-up does not undervalue the economic benefits of holiday lets, which bring money into the economy and allow many people to enjoy time in Knapdale, but Rural Housing Burdens help to keep a balance of options for both holiday lets and permanent residents.
Tayvallich Initiative’s involvement with Rural Housing Burdens is as a Rural Housing Body that can deploy these. At the time of any future sale, the Rural Housing Body has the first option to purchase a property (so in the future, if TI had extensive funds for purchasing properties to rent out, this would give options). There’s no obligation for TI to buy using this right of pre-emption, and then the house is offered on the open market.
The spirit of the Rural Housing Burden is therefore to promote continuity for people living and working in the area for years to come, by ensuring that sales of properties are to people who will be living here.
Feel free to email info@tayvallichinitiative.org if you would like more information on this.

Grazing

o   Fields between the old Carsaig road and the new Carsaig road. David Stewart’s three highland cows – Arnie, Doris and Louise – grazed on the TI fields between the old Carsaig road and the new Carsaig road. They and their calves are now back up the track at Ardnackaig. The cows will be visiting the bull for the summer and will be back in autumn. Thanks to all who watched over them.
o   Mary’s Land. Plans for grazing are similar to last year’s, with some grazing over the summer.

Growing scheme and orchard

o  The community growing area has been busy … a full vegetable planter, potatoes dug in and young rhubarb growing strong. The place is looking good. The orchard is great too: trees popping out the tops of the protectors and hedging flourishing in the recent great weather.
o  We have a great crew of folk but would love new members to help with the veg growing, and especially with improving the protection round the lovely orchard trees. If anyone would like to come and give us a hand contact Sal on 07810186484.

o   A reminder that TI meeting notes/minutes are available at http://tinyurl.com/TI-Meeting-Notes, and there are also print-outs in a folder in the café. There are a couple of people who prefer to receive emails as hard-copy printouts; if you know anyone who’d like this, please email info@tayvallichinitiative.org; there’s also a TI mailbox at the Hall.
o   As always, if you’d like to be involved with one of the TI Working Groups or on TI Board, please let us know. If you want to have a chat about any of this, please speak to one of the current TI Directors (Alison Horner, Brian Horsburgh, Iain Gibson, Ken Horner, Paula Hutchings, Martin Mellor, Colvin Osborn).

The TI Board