Glasgow Kelvin’s Personal Achievement students are contributing to their community in a very poignant way.
The group has spent time in the big outdoors during the restrictions, contributing to the work going on at Pollok Park to commemorate those lives lost during the COVID pandemic.
The Learners have been working alongside Alison Greig and the Pollok Park Countryside Rangers’ team to support several projects, chief among these being the COVID Memorial Project.
This particular project has focused on the planting of small purple and white chequered fritillaria, made famous by the designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, as a fitting tribute to loved ones lost in the last two years.
College students, who were already involved with the team, were asked to be involved with the installation and launch of the Memorial Site to plant the bulbs and other wildflowers at the Riverside Field in Pollok Park.
With the support of Glasgow City Council’s Countryside Rangers’ teams, families who lost loved ones to the pandemic have already been helping to shape the Covid Memorial grove and have planted some of the fritillaria, which are now being brought on in greenhouses before being put in the ground close to the site.
Once in bloom, the site will provide a space for quiet contemplation for those bereaved by the virus and whose ability to grieve has been challenged by restrictions. The students recognise the importance of the project which will help people heal in the time to come. The campaign to establish a memorial site, championed by Herald Scotland, has received popular support :
Scotland's Covid memorial: Charles Rennie Mackintosh flowers provide inspiration | HeraldScotland
The Personal Achievement students have also been involved in a range of other bio-diversity projects with the support of the Countryside Rangers. The first of these was the original ‘Flower Power Project’ which was created by Alison Greig and the Countryside Rangers team and saw these young learners growing and potting on wildflowers, eventually planting them out to support their Pollinator Plan and meadow creation throughout the city.
This innovative project is complimented by the Woodland Restoration Project which will see Glasgow Kelvin students creating bio-diverse glades to encourage wildlife, cutting back and removing alien species and growing indigenous plant species.
In addition, the learners have been invited to take part in the Burrell Woodland Walk Project where they will be planting bulbs behind the building of the newly transformed Burrell Collection. With tree planting and bluebells they’ll help to re-establish the woodland floor and character.
All of the projects are focused on the environment, helping to raise awareness of sustainability which is a core aim of Glasgow Kelvin College. The students have done and are doing a sterling job, despite interruptions caused by the pandemic. Their activities also put them at the heart of the community, contributing not only to civic pride in the city but to mental and physical wellbeing, and the healing, of the people of Glasgow and beyond.
The College is delighted to work in partnership with Glasgow City Council’s Countryside Rangers’ Team and the learners are excited to be taking part in such a high-profile and innovative movement.
