News on Tilly-Wood Proposals (Streets for All)

Wildlife in Tillydrone

Walking in Tillydrone

Celebrating the Living Streets National Walking Month this May, we teamed up with Aberdeen Countryside Rangers and on Thursday 16th May we ran the Wee Wildlife Wander Walk.

We started down at the River Don from Tillydrone and walked to the Seaton Park. The walk was led by Ranger Rob who shared with us some interesting facts about the wildlife in the area and the history of people living and working on the river. Below are a few of our favourite facts:

Did you know that...

The River Don rises in Strath Don and is known for its agriculture and industry which included many mills like Gordon's Mills est in the 16 Century and Grandholm Mill across the river which was a famous cloth mill. It needed a water wheel over 20ft wide to power it. And about 20m in diameter.

Among the plants to be seen were Sweet cicely- which smells of aniseed and is edible. The seeds used to be considered as 'sweeties'. Other plants include red campion, pink purslane and green alkanet. Willow is often seen by rivers and in damp places. It is a native species and can support 450 species of insects.

Seaton Park used to be a big estate owned by the Hay Family. The manor house which used to be in the park suffered fire damage and was replaced by a fountain.

Walking Activities in Aberdeen

The Countryside Ranger Service promotes biodiversity in the city, and offer quality environmental education for people of all ages and abilities. An exciting outdoor events programme includes wildlife walks, pond dipping, minibeast hunts, shelter building and tree study. Check here for the summer programme full of activities across Aberdeen.

Walking is free, flexible and fun. Coupled with this, it is proven to have a huge impact on your wellbeing. Walk for 20 minutes a day and experience the health and wellbeing benefits that come from an everyday increase in small steps. Make a small change to your daily routine and add more walking at work, to school, or around your neighbourhood.

If you’re wondering how to incorporate 20 minutes' walking in your everyday routine check here for some tips.

#TidyTillyWood Clean Up

Last month we held a clean-up event that took place along Hayton Road and Western Road with the aim of making the local street environment a more attractive place for everyone to spend time in and travel through on foot, by bike and wheeling.

Around 50 pupils from Riverbank Primary School and Woodside Primary School joined along local residents representing the wider community-led #TidierTilly initiative. 14 bags of rubbish from streets and green spaces were collected, therefore improving local residents experience when using their local streets.

Individual actions you can take now

It’s not too late to get involved. it can take only two minutes to make a big difference to how clean an area is. Next time when you’re going out, take a bag with you (and some rubber gloves) and tackle a grot spot by bagging all the rubbish you can see. You can then bin or recycle this en-route or at home. On average, a black bin bag of rubbish contains 133 separate items, which spread out along a pavement would cover over 100m. Take a friend along for a #2MinuteCleanUp and you will soon find you have got the equivalent of a black bin bag full between you, which is 100m cleaned for you and others to enjoy.

Upcoming Events

We’re currently analysing the feedback we’ve received from the recent public consultation and we’ll be holding our next public session in June. Watch this space for further updates. https://tillywoodproposals.commonplace.is/news

Posted on 21st May 2019

by Emily, Community Engagement Officer, Sustrans