Approval sought for Inverness woodland path improvements
Councillors are expected to visit the woods before considering the proposals at next week's south planning applications committee.The woods provide habitat to red squirrels and birds.Tiny burrows in an area of earth bank have also been found to be home to bees.Future proposals include improving an adjoining area of grassland for the benefit of plants and insects, and potentially putting up bat boxes.
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Times
an hour ago
- Times
Pupils told to walk for two hours after council cuts school bus
Pupils have been told they should walk for two hours a day to attend school after the council cut their bus service. The almost three-mile route to Cumbernauld Academy had been deemed unsuitable in April, but parents were notified in June that after the summer break pupils who live on the fringes of the catchment area would be advised to make the journey on foot. Previously, pupils in the Carrickstone area were allocated seats on the school transport service provided by North Lanarkshire council. Emma Ross, whose son Nathan, 12, is due to join the school in August filmed herself walking the route, which she said took 69 minutes each way and included poorly maintained paths through forested areas with overgrown bushes. Nathan is one of 183 pupils affected by the cancellation of three school bus links. Of these pupils, 13 will still be allowed free transport when term starts in less than a fortnight, while the other 170 must make their own way. 'I'm all for exercise and you know a good 15, 20-minute walk is totally acceptable, but after a three-mile hike day and night carrying books and equipment they will be exhausted,' said Ross, 44. 'In Scotland the weather is not the greatest and Cumbernauld itself is very known for its hills.' She questioned the safety of the pupils in winter walking when it was dark, noting some children may be travelling alone after staying late for after-school clubs. She said the forested path 'is obviously very secluded' and the amount of overgrown foliage on the route could be a ' bully or a predator's dream'. Her video, shared on social media, has attracted support from other parents. 'I too am a parent of a 13-year-old girl from Carrickstone,' wrote one. 'I 100 per cent agree the walking route is unsafe.' Another contributor said Ross had 'echoed the thoughts and feelings of parents across Cumbernald,' adding: 'To request young children to do such a walk twice a day, five days a week is ludicrous.' Based on typical walking speeds, 12-year-old children would be expected to take between 45 minutes and 75 minutes to complete the journey to school, and the same to return home at the end of the day. The statutory walking distances for school in the UK are generally two miles for children under the age of eight and three miles for older children. Buses to Cumbernauld Academy and Our Lady's High School in Motherwell are affected by the withdrawal of bus routes. Announcing the decision in June, North Lanarkshire council said: 'The parents and carers of pupils on these contracts had previously received information indicating that no acceptable walking route had been identified at that time. 'Further letters will be issued on June 16, 2025 to advise that this position had now changed and that pupils who currently travel on these contracts will no longer be entitled to school transport from August 2025. 'We understand that this means that some parents/carers will be disappointed with this news but the policy change to school transport qualification distances means that North Lanarkshire council is now in line with the majority of local authorities in Scotland. The routes identified have been deemed acceptable following robust assessments.' Jean Taha, Nathan's grandmother who was born in Lanarkshire and became a deputy head teacher in Plymouth, said she was 'very concerned' about what the decision would mean for her grandson. She said some parents had heard of an assault taking place on the path in the past. She added: 'I worked in a challenging area. There are going to be kids that are going to have to walk to school and will not be properly shod and properly protected from the weather.' This would add to their stress levels and ability to learn, she said. Ross said pupils who walk to school may be at an educational disadvantage compared with their peers. Tanya Braun, director of external affairs for the charity Living Streets, which supports walking to school schemes, said: 'What is considered safe differs depending on location. Even where schools and homes are geographically close, our experience is that people will not choose to walk unless routes are safe and attractive. Better crossings, clear pavements, safe speed limits and good lighting are some of the measures needed to make people feel safe. 'Ultimately, if a family doesn't feel safe to let their child walk to school, then they won't walk – regardless of what's deemed appropriate on paper. 'We know from our work in schools that distance is one of the main factors affecting someone's decision as to whether their child walks to school or not. Removing a sustainable travel option runs the risk of just forcing more people back into their cars, increasing congestion, pollution and road danger around schools. For families without access to a car, it creates unnecessary anxiety at what should be a happy time in the next chapter of their child's life as they seek alternative arrangements.'
BBC News
9 hours ago
- BBC News
Rare species seen at Cheshire's Wybunbury Moss nature reserve after restoration project
A number of rare animals have returned to a nature reserve after a restoration project aimed at improving its England leased the fields neighbouring Wybunbury Moss, near Crewe, Cheshire, from the Church Commissioners for England in September part of its work to restore them, the organisation stopped the use of fertiliser on the fields, reintroduced grazing by livestock and restored then, 169 species have been recorded at the site, Natural England said, with several locally rare and threatened birds, mammals and insects among them. These included the red-girdled mining bee, yellowhammer bird, brown hare and soprano pipistrelle bat.A spokesperson for Natural England said the transformation had "exceeded expectations" and was the result of their restoration work to cut nutrient pollution at Wybunbury Moss – one of only three known floating peat bogs, created by subsidence in the rare types of wetland have a thick layer of peat floating on top of a body of water. Zara Gower, of the Church Commissioners for England, said she was delighted to see the "remarkable biodiversity improvements" over the last two years."The rapid return of rare and threatened species demonstrates the value of this partnership approach to land management," she Moss, along with the surrounding woodland, reed swamp and meadows, covers an area of approximately 16.5 hectares (41 acres), forming one of England's most unusual national nature reserves, according to Natural reserve was first designated in 1955 with further land acquisitions added to the site between 1957 and 2009. Read more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Times
18 hours ago
- Times
Call for barbecue ban in tinderbox conditions
Disposable barbecues must be banned throughout Scotland during a record year for wildfires linked to a lengthy dry spell, conservationists have said. The country has endured more than 170 wildfires this year, the most in six years, with the majority occurring between March and May. Of these, the most devastating — in Carrbridge and Dava on Highland moors — scorched nearly 30,000 acres, an area 30 times larger than Strathclyde Park. These wildfires, classified by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) as large, uncontrolled outdoor fires exceeding 1,000 square metres, are often started by human activity. Causes include campfires and glass bottles magnifying sunlight as well as the use of disposable barbecues, which conservationists argue are a 'no-brainer' to ban. Paul White, 40, a climate scientist who has been campaigning on wildfire awareness in the Cairngorms for two years, said the surge in fires was no surprise. 'There is a lot of frustration here,' he told Scotland on Sunday. 'There have been 14 major wildfires this year alone, which is a record. Everyone saw the writing on the wall because this issue has been building and building with climate change.' White highlighted a fire in Glen Finglas in the Trossachs in which a disposable barbecue was identified as the cause. The blaze, which covered two hectares — the size of two rugby pitches —resulted in the death of nesting birds and other wildlife, according to the Woodland Trust Scotland. A charred burger was found on a disposable grill at the scene after the fire was extinguished. White, who lives in Aviemore, warned that the danger from disposable barbecues persists even after they are removed from a site. 'When you put it on heather or peaty soil, it can burn underground,' he explained. 'Someone could walk away and take the disposable barbecue with them, and then a fire ignites an hour or two after they have left.' He also pointed to the risk of burns from discarded barbecues. 'If you put the disposable barbecue on a beach, then the sand will capture that heat and stay hot for five or six hours after. So there have been numerous occasions where small kids or dogs have walked on that and been burned.' White, who called disposable barbecues 'nightmares across the board', has submitted a petition to the Scottish parliament calling for a nationwide ban on their sale. It has already garnered the support of about 2,000 people. • How to remake our houses and cities for hotter weather In response to the growing threat, the SFRS has invested £1.6 million in a three-year wildfire strategy, which includes the acquisition of all-terrain vehicles, specialist equipment and the hiring of 14 wildfire tactical advisers. Area commander Michael Humphreys, the service's wildfire lead, said: 'We know that most wildfires in Scotland are started by people and often by accident. 'That's why we always urge caution when outdoors, especially during dry spells when the risk of wildfire is highest. That includes never using naked flames or disposable barbecues in the countryside during these conditions.' The Scottish government confirmed it was aware of White's petition and said it would be discussed by MSPs after the summer recess. Siobhian Brown, the community safety minister, praised firefighters for their efforts and highlighted the government's continued support. She said the service's budget had been increased to £412.2 million this year, a rise of £18.8 million.
