Kemfest information event: Greener Kemnay will be at the Kemfest information event at Kemnay Village Hall on 17^th May from 10:00am-2:00pm.  All the groups attending would be happy to hear your thoughts and you can join in their activities.

Bird Song walk: This is a Kemfest bird song walk on 10^th May from 9:00am to 10:30am, this is starting from the Community Garden, meeting Jenny Spratt there.

Community Garden

Polytunnel: We have now replaced the polytunnel that was damaged last winter. We replaced it with a different type and hopefully the snow will not build up on the new tunnel. This was put up with the help of Kemnay Men Shed which sped up the process and it is looking good.

Trail Camera: We have purchased a camera trap with help of funds from The John Adam Trust this has been set up in the woodland adjacent to the community garden and we look forward to seeing what is recorded.

Community Garden Work party: We have a work party next weekend on 9th May, we are really needing your help and if you could give us some time between 10:00am – 12:30pm we would be grateful. We are looking to get the fence repaired and ready for painting. We also need to do work on the path, weeding it and cutting back the vegetation from the paths. Along with this we need to get the polytunnel ready to plant.

Energy Group

Course: The Energy group are developing workshops for the village, to help people to retrofit energy saving measures into their homes. At the moment they are looking for ways of funding these.

Just Transition get together: 30^th May from 10:00am to 4:00pm at Kemnay Village Hall Friendship room. Last May’s session was very enjoyable with lots of ideas put forward on what the future should look like for Kemnay and its residents.  The setting up of a charity and working towards a development trust for Kemnay is included in the day. Cuppas and Lunch provided by the organiser NESCAN.

Paths Group

Place of Origin work party: There was a poor turnout to our last month’s work party, we did manage to get 10 bird boxes and 2 squirrel feeders up around the site. We also manage to tackle some of the growth around stone circles by the car park, there is still more to do and hopefully this can be done next time.

Trail Camera: Monymusk Thrift shop has given us money for the purchase of two trail cameras for the Place of Origin, we are hoping to place these on the squirrel feeders and look forward to seeing the results.

Kemfest at Place of Origin: Saturday 16^th May between 1:30pm – 3:30pm, meet at Fyffe Car Park for activities around the Place of Origin and discover more of the place.

See the Email below for a course that may be of interest.

Hello Birley Bush Community Garden, 

I hope you’re well.

I’m reaching out because I’d really like to open a connection between our projects. 

We’re developing an 8-acre community land project just the other side of Craigearn, alongside a wider GrowFree learning community.  This is a site we bought alongside Lorna Forsyth and she suggested that if I get this email to you today you might be able to discuss it at your meeting tomorrow.

There are similarities with what you are doing, and yet our projects are also quite different — both volunteer-led, rooted in local people, shaped by care, and also connected outward through the work you do.

There’s something really important in these kinds of spaces, and I have a sense we could learn from each other and potentially support each other over time.

Together in Nature – May Immersion (15–16 May)

As part of what we’re doing, we’ve been developing something called Together in Nature — simple, experiential learning outdoors that explores how we relate to ourselves, each other, and the natural world.

It’s not formal training or classroom learning. It’s more of a shared, practical space where we explore things like:

· how we stay resourced when we’re holding a lot for others

· how we notice and work with our own nervous system in real time

· how connection and attunement show up in everyday human interaction

· and how being in nature can support all of this in very direct ways 

We have a couple of other similar projects joining, and I would like to offer a guest place for our May 2-day immersion – Friday 15^th & Saturday 16^th – to a member of the Birley Bush Team as you are so local to us. 

It feels particularly relevant for people working in community gardens or similar spaces, where so much of the work is relational, informal, and often quietly held.


An invitation

If it feels of interest, I’d love to offer a place for someone from your team or volunteer group to come along in May.

It would simply be a chance to:

· experience the work

· see if it has any relevance for your context

· and begin to get to know each other a little, with no expectations beyond that

From there, there could be the beginning of some useful connection between our projects.


You can read more here:
https://www.grow-free.com/TinN2026

The group will be a mix of people from different community and care-based contexts.

If someone can make it, rather than go through the booking page above, they can use this participation form, or I’m also very happy just to have a quick chat or hear your thoughts.

Burnett Arms Closed: Sadly, the Burnett Arms is now closed; this where a lot of the Greener Kemnay meetings have been taking place. We will need to find a new place to meet, especially for the Greener Kemnay Trustees meeting as we like to have this meeting open to the public.

Trustees: We are still looking for trustees to join the Greener Kemnay management team, we meet on the first Tuesday of every month at 7pm   If you know of anyone who could give up around 1 ½ hour of their time, to help us make decision on Green issue for village, please suggest they come to the meetings or call Richard on 07967439109.

Paths Group

The Place of Origin work party 26^th April at 10.00: We would like to continue the good work we started last year with another work party, this time we want to finish off the stone circle and some path work around the site. Please bring; gloves, work boots and something for a break. We will provide some tools, if you have small saws, loppers or any tool you think would help us to do the job that would be helpful.

I hope you agree that the last work parties have made a great difference to the Place of Origin, we need to continue with this.  The number of folk seen at the top has certainly increased.

Sunday 26^th April 10a.m. to 12.30 

Meet at the Fyfe Park carpark

Enquiries to  07967439109

Energy Group

Taking stock: After their successful heat loss project feeding back results in a well attended meeting at the village hall, the Energy group are taking stock over the next few months and examining the way forward. 

Community Garden

Polytunnel: The new polytunnel arrived this month. We must thank the Monymusk Boule competition for helping us with funds toward its purchase and we bought an 8 x 10 feet tunnel. The trenches are dug, we hope to put the tunnel up next Activity Day (see below), this will require all hands-on deck and we hope to see you there.

Camera Traps: We have purchased a camera (with the help of the John Adams Trust) for the garden. This will be put in the woods, along with a camera trap we have been loaned, and we look forward to seeing what wildlife is in the woods.

Activity Day:   11^th April from 10 am to around 2pm, please come along for as little or long as you like. These are the jobs we hope to complete:

· Putting up the polytunnel

· Pruning of dogwood, hydrangeas, buddleia etc

· Dead heading

· Emptying of compost bins

· Move the water butts closer to the Polytunnels

Poly tunnel: The frame and plastic have been removed to the recycling centre, we have the money (with the help of Monymusk Boules competition and from our own funds) now will be replaced with 8 x 15ft tunnel but a different type that will be more resistant to the weight of the snow and we are going to move it beyond Lorna’s enclosure.

Bird Boxes: 13 bird boxes have been put up in the woods, if you see any activity around them please let us know. 

Trail cameras: We had two trail cameras placed in the woods for a few days, these picked up the badger at the opening of its sett in the woods and we have asked for funds to purchase two for the community garden. Gail Noakes had spare fence wood and has taken it to BB.

May Event: This year we are having a break from putting on the May Event, instead we are going to have an enhanced activity Day with the hope to provide soup and light the barbeque lunch.

Activity Day 14^th March – Anne and Richard will be away, Richard has asked Mark if he can be there, empty compost bins, see who wants a raised bed.  Fill empty ones with flower seed. Sue and Lorna also can’t be there.

Energy Group

Retrofit Project update: 10 surveys have been completed

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Retrofit Project information session: This was held on 26th February. He suggested that some ‘what if’ questions could be asked about how to fund retrofit work.

Air quality monitor would be useful to show the effect of faulty ventilation and using internal air take for woodburning stoves.

Path Group

Sowing seeds: On 7th March, we had a good turnout for sawing (Scotia seeds Mavisbank collection) and raked in wild flower seeds at Mavis Bench area and we are looking forward to seeing the wildflowers coming up.

Daffodils around the Place of Origin: The daffodils we planted last year are now sprouting and hopefully we will produce a great display.

Work parties: 25th April for the next work party at Place of Origin, we are hoping to finish clearing the Stone Circle area and look at areas where we could plant fruit trees.

Celebrations: 20th anniversary of Place of Origin: opening is in October, we are hoping to have the celebration on 26th September. We are planning to have guided talks, a children’s trail and also the opening of the self-guided trail.

Polytunnel: Unfortunately the polytunnel has collapsed due to the weight of the snow, it is not repairable and will need to be scraped. The BB group considered if we need to have a polytunnel at all or should we replace it but with a different kind and it was decided to replace it possibly with one of a different shape.  If you have any experience, and your one withstood this January snow it would be good to hear from you. 

Activity day: This month it is on Saturday 14th February, starting at 10am come for as little or long as you like.

Forecast is cold but dry

Jobs to be done.

• Remove plastic off the polytunnel,
• Dismantle the polytunnel frame
• Look at possible new site for a new polytunnel and measure up
• Examine what is required to repairing fence
• Remove Christmas lights and baubles from the trees.

Next meeting 24/02/26 contact me 07967439109

Energy Group

Home Energy Survey: 10 of the 15 houses have been surveyed, it’s hoped to complete the rest by the end of February.

Home Energy Survey Feedback: The Energy Group is having a meeting on 26^th February from 4.30 to 6.30 in the Friendship Room in theVillage Hall, this is to inform the village on how the survey went and also inform on how they go about having their home surveyed.

Equipment Loan: Greener Kemnay has loaned some of the surveying equipment that we are not able to use to NEFIT  for 3 years

Next meeting 17/02/26 at 7.30 at Lounge bar Burnett Arms.

Path Group

Seed sowing at Place of Origin: The wildflower seeds to be sown at Mavis’s Bench area on the 7th March, meeting at Place of Origin car park at 10am. We hope that families would like to help us with this task, the more people the better.

Work parties: 25th April is the next work party at Place of Origin, we are hoping to finish clearing the Stone Circle area and look at areas where we could plant fruit trees. Meet at the Place of Origin Car Park at 10am.

Celebrations: We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Place of Origin opening in October, we are hoping to have the celebration on 26th September. We are planning to have guided talks, a children’s trail and also opening of the self guided trail.

Help required: We are looking for more people to join us on the committee to help us see our plans through and if you are able to help please contact me or come to the next meeting on 11/02/26. Leave a message on 07967439109

Trustees meeting: This was held on 6th January via Google Meet. Next meeting on 3rd February at 7pm at Burnett Arms Lounge Bar. All are invited to attend the in person meetings

Community Garden

Fence: I would like to express my gratitude to you all for voting for the replacement fence, unfortunately this time we were not successful, but the fence is needing to be replaced, and we are now looking at ways that we could raise the funds to do this. If you have an idea that could help with this, we love to hear from you.

There are growing spaces for the coming season available.

Activity day: This month’s Activity Day will be postponed until next month. (All this snow will be filling up our IBC water containers).

Energy Group

Home Surveys: Matt Clubb has completed 5 home surveys in December and the rest will need to be completed by mid February.  We have tentatively agreed on the 26^th of February for the presentation of the reports.

Next meeting is on 20/01/26 at Burnett Arms at 7.30.

AGM: The AGM was held on 11th November at the village hall, we had a good turnout. The flood alleviation boards were thoroughly examined and soils sampling kits distributed.  Next Greener Kemnay meeting 6^th January

Community Garden

Tidying up the gardens for the winter: We made good progress in clearing out behind the containers, taking a trailer full to the recycling centre.

Water Containers (IBCs): The container supplying the tunnel house has over 900 litres, and the rainwater should be starting to flow into the next one and that is the plan anyway.

The snowman has reappeared and the trees along the fenceline have been decorated.

If anyone has a photo of the manhole deep down inside the fenceline it would be helpful if Sue could see it – very unlikely that anyone did but she can’t find the one she took.

Activity Day – weather permitting 13^th December      Next BB meeting: 27/01/26

Energy Group

Assess homes for heat loss: The volunteer households are being contacted to arrange a date for their assessment, with the surveys to be completed by end of February and looking forward to seeing the results.  We are trying to get funding to take some very short videos of the survey process.

Next meeting 20/01/26

Paths

Planting bulbs: Hopefully around the Place of Origin car park next spring will be blooming with daffodils, as we have planted 25kg of bulbs there and I am looking forward to seeing it.

20th Celebration of Place of Origin: It has been 20 years since the Place of Origin was opened by HRH The Duke of Kent, we are planning to celebrate this fact, and we invite you to watch this space and Facebook for information.

Next Meeting 8/01/26

AGM. Greener Kemnay AGM is on Tuesday 11th November at 7.30 in the Village Hall Friendship Room. We are going to have a short meeting, then have an opportunity to look at the flood alleviation options for the river Don and what else could be done to reduce the impact of climate change on the village.  It would be good to see you there. 

Community Garden

Needing your votes: We don’t have the website address yet, but we will be looking for your vote, in the Participating Budgeting process.  Sue put in a bid in for a new fence at Community Garden and will need you and anyone else who lives in Aberdeenshire to vote online for our project. The fence is really needing to be replaced, as it is in danger of falling down and detracting from our wonderful village resource. (JTPB 2025 should get you to the home page )

Relocating of our water containers: Last activity day we laid a concrete base, in between the youth shed and our cabin, we then placed a purpose-built base (obtained for us by Mark) onto the concrete and then the water container went on top and the gutters were connected. One of the containers will feed the polytunnel barrel and the other watering cans for the rest of the garden. The two containers are filling up with all this rain we have been having, the polytunnel one is nearly full, and it is expected the other will be full by the end of the year.

Activity Day: Saturday 8th November from 10 – 2ish, please come for as little or much as you like.

Work to do:- Richard has offered to do a skip run so we need to move rotten pallets, break up the large frame by red cabin, remove any unusable chairs. We have some daffodil bulbs to plant and need to tidy up around the site. There may be some perennials that are overtaking their allotted space and could be split for planting elsewhere and compost can be added to the empty beds.
 

Energy Group

Assessing your home for heat loss: The Group has now been successful getting money for 15 houses professionally surveyed. These will be done over the coming winter; it is hoped to use the data to show the value in knowing where energy is wasted and encourage building insulation, ventilation and different heat sources into house maintenance and decoration planning.
 

Paths Group

Place of Origin work party to plant Daffodil bulb: The Path Group has been offered daffodil bulbs; we would like to put them in area adjacent to the Place of Origin car park and we have organised a work party on Sunday 16th November and please bring a dibber and someone to help. If we have time and labour, we will complete the unofficial work party’s work from October.

Names of the paths at Place of Origin: We are still looking for names for the paths at Place of Origin, we are wondering if we could name them after anyone significant to the village and if you have any suggestions, please let us know.

AGM: Theme is Climate Change and the Don – Our AGM is on 11th November at 7.30 in Friendship Room, there will be a short AGM, followed by a look at the flood alleviation suggestions from Binnies and then showing of a program on the river Don. We look forward to seeing you there, please make a note of the date.

Community Garden

Activity day: Saturday 11th October 10 to around 2 with the weather looking good at the moment. We’ve got a bit of tidying up to do from the summer growth, removal of any saplings and also put in place the foundation for the IBCs. The foundation materials are being funded by a grant from the Kemnay Bargain Box. Please come and give as much time you can spare, bring gloves and tea and a piece for the break.

New Fence: Sue has been busy over the last month putting in a bid for Participating Budgeting money to get a new fence to replace the rickety one around the site and we will need your help to get the votes of everyone you know in Aberdeenshire. This will be at the beginning of November, we will enclose a link in the next Bulletin so you can look at all the different projects and hopefully one of your five votes will be for the replacement fence.  Aberdeenshire Council have offered to take the wood to be recycled into kindling at Pitscurry rather than it go straight to the biomass plant – this enabled Sue to reduce the bid by £800.

Energy group

Fit is Retrofit: There is a community meeting to be held on  October 14th in the Village Hall in the Friendship Room. This will be open to the household that have volunteered to be part of the study and any other interesting party, Matt Chubb will explain the steps that are taken to retrofit our homes to improve your homes energy efficiency. At the point of writing this we are still waiting for the outcome of the funding bid to provide full surveys on 15 homes. We have granite and wooden homes on the list but just one of the other 1930s -1990s homes represented so far.

Path Group

Climate Week North East: To mark this week our path group organised an event at the Place of Origin, it was to take the form of three parts, a work party, and a treasure hunt and also a guided tour but unfortunately due to the high winds it had to be cancelled. Work was carried out informally, by nine people who were doing it at their own risk and we managed to clear an area by the car park with standing stones. This involved removing the saplings, cutting down wild roses and the willow herb and removal of dead trees and now the standing stones have reappeared out of the undergrowth. The work is being done to encourage safe access for humans to appreciate the “landscape as art” site, the deer, birds and insects and amphibians are more interested in the wild bits surrounding the paths.

Naming the Place of Origin paths: To help us manage the site we would like to name the places and paths in The Place of Origin, if you would lie to contribute to this idea please contact me at lamplugh@btinternet.com or comment on the Friends of the Place of Origin Facebook page.

Tools store: The Paths group would like to establish a tools store at the Place of Origin, to help with the logistics of maintenance and save us borrowing each time. The first stage is looking for a site with good access to Place of Origin and we will then be looking for funds for shed and tools.

Stall at the Village Hall: Greener Kemnay has a stall at the Village Hall on Saturday 20^th September 10 to 2pm, please come along and have a chat with us about what we are up to, and perhaps see other groups that operate in the village.   It would be great to see you. 

Community Garden

Storm damage: There has been some damage to willow trees next to the poly tunnel, another two trees came down over the woodland path so help with cutting and lifting is needed..

Activity Day: This on 13th September, 10 to 2, come along as little or as long as you like and please bring gloves and a drink for tea break. Jobs to be done this time; Sorting out the IBC, siting and digging a new bog garden, cutting back for autumn and removal of last remaining saplings. There are some saplings that are now too big to dig out without being cut down first.

Water: There has been a bit of a shortage of water at the gardens, mainly for the poly tunnel and big thank you to those who have helped to keep the water butt filled.  We could have asked the Depot to fill the IBCs but in a time of water scarcity then spilling it when we move the IBCs would be irresponsible.

Fence: It was suggested that the Just Transition Participatory Budget fund could be used to upgrade facilities in the garden. Although folk want a compost toilet the timescale and huge amount of feasibility work needed as well as ongoing maintenance rules this out for this round so it was decided to make a bid to replace the fence. Two companies have agreed to quote and the first session on writing the bid has happened. Lots of votes will be needed so we will be asking you to lobby friends and family who stay in Aberdeenshire. If anyone would like to take on the work towards a future bid for a compost toilet please volunteer!

Energy Group

Energy Booklet: The Kemnay Newsletter agreed to include Udny Climate Action’s  booklet in with the current edition of the Newsletter. Please have a look at it and get back to us if you want more information or like to get involved with the scheme. https://usercontent.one/wp/climateaction.udny.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/UCA-retroF-booklet-revised-April-25.pdf

Paths

Place of Origin Work Party: We had 19 people turn up on Sunday morning (24th August), armed with a mower, chainsaw, strimmer, hedge clips, long arm, loppers, secateurs and litter pickers. They were there to help us to tackle the long-needed task of making the Place of Origin more accessible to all, we had two aims, to widen the paths in the woodland and clear one of the plateaus where Mavis’s benches are placed. This was accomplished in the three hours we had allocated ourselves, with a lot of hard work in hot conditions. Along the paths, the trees and bushes were pruned back to a width of 2m (allow folk in twos and threes alongside each other along with carers pushing buggies and possibly wheelchairs) and the other parts of the path have been strimmed, mowed and in places spread with weed killer. At Mavis’s benches we cut and removed most of the broom and litter picked – nearly 80 Strongbow cider tins, Coors bottles, vapes, crisps packs and much more.  

There has been a lot of praise for what we have achieved on social media and there have been reports that more people are using the Place of Origin which is great to hear. We would like to thank everyone who came along, you made such a big difference to the place and now we will keep you informed on where we go from here.

North East Climate Action Network (NESCAN)  Climate Action Week 20th September – 5th October

Full details in the link https://climateweeknortheast.org/about/  The paths group are planning an event over this period, please keep an eye out for details. 

Trustees: We are still looking for trustees to join the Greener Kemnay management team, we meet on the first Tuesday of every month at 7pm at Burnett Arms. If you know of anyone who could give up around 1 ½ hour of their time, to help us make decisions on green issues for the village, please suggest they come to the meetings or call Richard on 07967439109.

Paths Group

Work party for the Place of Origin: The Paths Group has organised a work party to try to restore access to the Place of Origin, see advert below and it would be good to see you there.

Community Garden

Activity Day:   9^th August from 10 am to around 2pm, please come along for as little or long as you like and these are the jobs that we would like to do.

· Clean up for Storm Floris, the willows have been battered by the wind and there are trees across the woodland path, if anyone has a chainsaw and knows how to use it please bring it along. 

· Prepare the ground for moving the IBC’s in between the blue container and the youth shed, we need to remove the vegetation and then dig out the soil of an area of 2.1 x 1,1m and down by 20cm.

·  Removing saplings that have grown in places not wanted.

· Finish of spreading wood chips along the woodland path to make the path smooth 

· Pull up and dispose of sticky willie by the fruit trees

· Prune/cut down elder trees which are impeding the fruit trees

· Pull up nettles in the polytunnel and by the compost bins