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Athnamulloch
Bothy in Glen Affric
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A
leading wildlife filmmaker is backing a bid by Trees for Life to
transform an iconic but derelict mountain bothy into an eco-friendly
weather-tight base that will be used to launch a quarter century of
forest restoration in one of Scotland’s great wildlife
wildernesses.
Glasgow-based
cameraman and filmmaker Gordon Buchanan – well known from
television programmes such as Big Cat Diary and Springwatch – is
supporting the conservation charity’s appeal to raise £30,000 to
renovate Athnamulloch Bothy in Glen Affric on the Forestry Commission
Scotland managed
National Forest Estate.
And
in a major boost, Trees for Life’s ‘Build the Bothy’ appeal has
just secured a grant of £20,000 from the Moray-based Gordon and Ena
Baxter Foundation, which supports
worthy projects and charitable organisations, particularly in the
north of Scotland and the Highlands and Islands.
The
initiative to restore Athnamulloch Bothy is key to the next stage of
large-scale forest restoration work being delivered in partnership by
Trees for Life and Forestry Commission Scotland, in which volunteers
will plant 250,000 trees
to extend Glen Affric’s endangered forests further west, creating
vital forest corridors
and habitats for unique wildlife.
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| Gordon Buchanan, wildlife film-maker and Trees for Life Patron |
“For
me, time spent in Glen Affric's ancient forest is precious.
Watching eagles soaring
against the mountain peaks, red squirrels in the branches and
glimpsing pine martens hunting amongst the heather is as wild and
remote an experience as Britain can offer. How lucky we are to have
this unique and wonderful landscape,” said Gordon Buchanan.
“The
problem is that this forest is tiny, and these ancient pines are just
a fragment of the forest that once filled the glen. Further west, the
grasslands are silent and empty, and the only signs of the former
forest that once grew there are tree roots scattered in the peat.
“I
am thrilled to be supporting Trees for Life’s appeal for a new base
in Glen Affric. It’s not possible to plant trees in this remote
location without a place for volunteers to stay. We now have a
fantastic opportunity to renovate Athnamulloch Bothy in the western
glen, saving it from dereliction and bringing it back to life.”
Lying
to the west of Loch Affric, the remote bothy became unsafe and was
closed in 2008. Trees for Life’s volunteers had previously used it
as a base for planting the first new Scots pines to grow in the area
for centuries, but restoration of the Caledonian Forest in this part
of the glen stalled with the bothy’s closure.
However,
detailed plans have now
been drawn up to renovate the building to a high ecological standard
while retaining its rustic character, and the
charity has signed a
25-year lease for the building with Forestry Commission Scotland.
Generous donations and grants have contributed towards much of the
total £137,000 cost.
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(left-right)
George McIntyre (Trustee, The Gordon and Ena Baxter Foundation),
Kay Jackson (Manager, The Gordon and Ena Baxter Foundation) and
Alan Watson Featherstone (Executive
Director, Trees for Life).
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The
most recent of these grants is £20,000 from The Gordon and Ena
Baxter Foundation based in Fochabers.
Brothers Gordon and Ian Baxter, with their wives Ena and Margaret,
established the foundation in 1981 so that the family could continue
to extend its support for the Fochabers and district communities. In
the last 12 months, the Foundation has widened funding activity to
assist projects in the north of Scotland and the Highlands and
Islands.
“We’re
proud to support Trees for Life’s restoration of the Caledonian
Forest and its Build the Bothy appeal. It is inspiring to think that
this will lead to the planting of thousands of trees and create
opportunities for hundreds of people to benefit from being physically
active in spectacular Glen Affric,” said Kay Jackson, Manager of
the Gordon and Ena Baxter Foundation.
A
final £30,000 is now needed to complete Trees for Life’s most
ambitious fundraising endeavour of recent years. This will bring the
bothy back to life with new timbers and flooring replacing rotten
woodwork, and the installation of a kitchen, living room, bedrooms,
drying room, and a bathroom with eco-friendly energy and water
systems.
To
support the Build the Bothy appeal, please visit
www.treesforlife.org.uk
or call 0845 458 3505. The names of those donating at least £250
will be listed on a celebratory plaque at the bothy.
