Lochcarron Community Development Company (LCDC) is a community-run organisation which manages a local woodland and a small business hub. It is also involved in an affordable housing development as well as educational and environmental projects.
Lochcarron Community Development Company (LCDC) is delighted to announce that Lochcarron Weavers Heritage Shop is now open for business in its new retail unit at the Smithy Hub.
The new shop features a wide selection of Lochcarron Weavers iconic products, including tartans, tweeds and accessories, all produced in the company’s mill in the Scottish Borders. The shop also offers a range of Scottish gifts and souvenirs, for tourists and locals alike.
Said Helen Murchison, Chair of LCDC: ‘Lochcarron Weavers are a well-established tourist attraction with very strong local connections and we believe their new location will be a major boost to other local businesses, including our existing tenants at the Smithy Hub – Kiki’s Corner, Balnacra Pottery and Freedom Framery.’
‘We are delighted to be moving our Heritage Shop to a more accessible location,’ said Dawn Robson-Bell, Managing Director of Lochcarron of Scotland. ‘The new setting will provide our customers with a unique shopping experience, surrounded by the beauty of the Scottish Highlands, and our shop manager Joy Moran and her team will be on hand to offer a very warm welcome to familiar and new faces, and to showcase our exceptional range of Scottish textiles.’
Joy Moran, the Retail Manager of Lochcarron Weavers Heritage Shop, added: ‘We are so excited to welcome all our visitors to Lochcarron and open the doors of our amazing new premises. My team and I will be singing the praises of our wonderful village and area, at the same time as encouraging our customers to visit other businesses around the village. If we work together, then we have a winning formula. We hope our local residents will pay us a visit and have a look around our shop. It will be lovely to see you all!’
Please come and join us at Couldoran House on Monday March 27 from 5-7pm to find out more about the DIGITAL WOODLAND and let us know what content you would like to see included.
“It takes decades for forests to grow but a Digital Woodland could make it happen in a matter of seconds…”
We’re sorry to have to tell you that we’ve had to close the doors at Cafe Ceardach, from November 24th onwards until further notice.
This will be very disappointing to a lot of our members as well as local residents and visitors, but the Board of LCDC and the Board of Cafe Ceardach have decided we have no other option, faced with the continuing financial losses and the other challenges we face in coming months, including the need for major infrastructural changes.
The Board came to this very difficult decision this week after receiving extensive legal and financial advice, and considering the views of our members at the recent open meeting and since then. We have had a meeting with the cafe manager to explain our decision and are doing all we can to address the needs of the staff.
We will provide more details as soon as we have more information to share, but please be assured that we are doing all we can in the best interests of Cafe Ceardach and LCDC.
If you have any questions or comments, please get in touch via lcdc@lochcarroncommunity.org. Many thanks for your attention, The LCDC Board of Directors
Your woodland needs you – and to help restore its natural beauty, you can buy your own trees. Kirkton Woodland will soon be replanted with native species, including birch, alder, hazel and rowan. To fund the replanting, we will soon apply for government support, but this will only cover a small part of the total costs. And that’s where you can help…
For just £5 per tree, you will not only do some good for the planet (removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere) but also have the opportunity to commemorate the life of a loved one or simply buy someone a tree as a gift – the gift that keeps growing.
Or how about buying a grove – 12 trees for just £50?
All donors will be recognised by having their names displayed in the woodland. And to celebrate your purchase, you can also buy a special certificate for only £10 more.
Please email lcdc@lochcarroncommunity.org to confirm how many trees you wish to purchase and we will get back to you with further details, including how to pay.
Ronnie Macdonald (pictured right) and his son Ian (left), assisted by their collie Ken, have started work in Kirkton Woodland, preparing the ground for the new fence. Once the fencing project is completed, replanting can start.
LCDC has an obligation to the Forestry Commission to replant the woodland by June, 2023, and in order to meet this deadline, we need a species layout plan, covering an area of about 25 hectares. The plan must be finalised as soon as possible and submitted for approval by the Highlands & Islands Forestry Conservancy. We will also need a woodland plan so that Scottish Forestry can see the rationale for the changes since the licence was granted. Once approved, we can then apply to the Scottish Government for £550 per hectare to assist with the costs of replanting.
What the woodland looks like now – after felling.
Before replanting starts, we need to fence the woodland to keep out the deer. Work on this will start in late March, and we’ve already raised enough funds to cover the £28,000-£30,000 costs. In addition, volunteers including local school students have also invested their time in the project to date, planting 1,200 broadleaf saplings and 400 hedgerow plants.
There are two basic options for replanting the woodland: commercial replanting (mainly sitka spruce, allowing for some areas of natural regeneration) OR native woodland (mainly birch). Both options have their pros and cons (described below) but for various reasons, it would be difficult to compromise between the two (see below). Both would help with carbon sequestration and creation of new habitats for wildlife, to differing extents.
No matter what option is chosen, the community should have its say in the final decision. This will require an Open Meeting and consultation with members.
Option 1
Conifers – commercial. We already have a species layout plan, with sitka spruce the dominant species, plus Scots pine. This would be a future store of timber and wood fuel. In addition, a small percentage of broadleaves would be planted near the watercourses (riparian) to encourage natural regeneration and provide habitat corridors for wildlife.
Option 2
Native woodland – ecology/amenity. Mainly birch would be planted, mixed with other broadleaves such as rowan, hazel, hawthorn, aspen and oak, as well as willow. In order to provide canopy shelter, a small percentage of spruce could be introduced in areas where future projects such as cabins or huts may be sited.
The existing native Scots pine will be kept for regeneration with possibly more planted, to create a more attractive environment and create new habitats for wildlife such as red squirrels, as well as provide future wood fuel for local consumption.
Pros and cons
1. High-density conifers (2,600-3,000 per hectare)
Pros:
Future source of timber income when harvested.
Future wood fuel would generate long-term revenue and meet local demand.
Create employment/business – during start-up, ongoing and long-term when harvesting starts.
The woodland could be used for teaching – e.g. forestry skills.
As machinery would have to go in, the required infrastructure could be incorporated – e.g. path network. This could be combined with operational tracks to make woodland management easier.
Cons:
High initial investment – infrastructure, drainage, ground preparation, access tracks.
Ongoing management costs – expert advice and monitoring.
Damage to the ecosystem caused by the use of heavy machinery.
Employment or business creation would show no return until harvesting starts, and thus would need funding until then.
Clear-fell system looks like a battlefield for several years after felling and would not be attractive to visitors or possible paying cabin/hutting customers.
2. Low-density broadleaves (1,600 per hectare)
Pros:
Lower start-up costs: Less ground preparation and management, reduced infrastructure, lower up-front investment and less forestry expertise needed.
Would create a more pleasant environment for cabins or huts – more open and light. Would improve landscape.
Contribution to biodiversity and a long-term woodland ecosystem. This could further include projects like red squirrel re-introduction which would further enhance local visitor experience and tourism. Creation of new visitor attraction – walkers (paths could be created over time), accommodation (pods/cabins/huts), teaching aid and wood fuel for local consumption. Social benefits – outdoor learning, health and well-being, by providing welcoming and well-managed woodlands.
It is a core aim of the national biodiversity action plan to significantly increase the area of native woodland, creating opportunities for more people to see, enjoy and learn about wildlife.
Cons: The value of the timber crop would be significantly reduced.
What the woodland could look like ten years from now.
Compromise?
If we replanted a mixture of conifers and native woodland, the pros and cons may cancel out each other. Conifers are more valuable the greater the area used because of the economies of scale Half the area would generate significantly less than half the revenues, because of the initial infrastructure costs. In addition, we would need the same degree of expert input to manage the woodland, regardless of the size of the area used for commercial purposes. The attraction value of a native woodland would also be diminished by sitting alongside a commercial operation. It could also be argued that the simpler, the better.
This suggests that we need to make a simple choice between commercial and native woodland, although it may be beneficial to plant a small percentage of low density conifers to provide shelter for birds and mammals in winter, also adding economic value by providing timber in areas earmarked for future projects such as woodland huts, cabins or pods.
So now it’s up to members to express their views and make the final decision.
Did you know? Forestry and timber processing in Scotland is worth a total of about £771 million a year, while £183 million a year comes from forest tourism and recreation.
As part of the “Think Health Think Nature” Green Health initiative LCDC ran a Halloween Event at the Treehouse. What a scary turnout we had, with over 30 people in attendance. We offered a range of activities from a Sweetie Hunt and some crafting. Many thanks to our “SeaHag” Judge – Sue Mitchell who had a tough time judging the best costumes. The children (and some adults) enjoyed some spooky stories from “The Witchdoctor” – Lynda Beveridge as well as some crafting activities. Special thanks to all those that took part and especially to Babs McCritchie and Annie for their help setting up on the day.
Thanks to everyone who attended the AGM and talk by Michael Scott last week. It was a welcome change to see a strong attendance and for people to get a chance to air their views how LCDC is doing. Michael’s fascinating talk was a much needed break from the frank exchange of views! We thank him for giving up his evening to talk about his adventures as a wildlife cruise ship speaker.
The LCDC committee are desperately in need of more directors and active members, but it became clear that events of recent years have left members with lots of questions and concerns which need talking through further. It was decided to hold another public meeting as part of this process.
This will take place on the 30th September at 7pm, in Cafe Ceardach once again. Please come along, join up if you are not already a member ( £5 life membership details in comments ) . If you are already a member but didn’t get the email about the AGM, PM with your correct email address.
Together we can push forwards for the benefit of our community!
Lochcarron Community Development Company 