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Unfortunately we have had to postpone this event due to rainy weather. We will be in touch with a new date for our Community Gathering.

Free and open to everyone!

We hope to meet locals, NHS members, staff and patients from the nearby care institutes, community groups, local third sector and council reps.

Thank you to all the community groups and volunteers who are contributing our set of gentle activities celebrating the interaction of creativity, wellbeing, nature and community.

Learn more about the Mountainhall Greenspace Community project! We hope you ask us questions throughout the day, but a more structured working group discussion will be held at 5 - 6pm. If you would like to find out more what the role would entail and meet other working group members.

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This document sets out the approach and actions which will be taken by NHS Scotland, with support from the Scottish Government and working in partnership with others, to respond to the climate emergency and to contribute towards the achievement of the United Nations' (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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Foreword from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

The climate and ecological emergency is a health emergency. Human health is inextricably linked to the health of our planet and its natural systems.

Climate change presents direct risks to human health such as extreme weather events. We only need to look at the heatwaves taking place across the world right now. But climate change also undermines the conditions that are necessary for good health. We are moving to a world of greater food and water insecurity as a result of this climate emergency.

We have a moral obligation to help tackle the greatest threat to human health by reducing our impact on the environment. Responsibility rests with us all.

Importantly, environmental and climate action can have co-benefits for health if delivered with the right intent. For example, eliminating fossil fuels can improve air quality. Air pollution causes over 6.5 million deaths each year globally, and this number is increasing.

To play our part in tackling the climate crisis, NHS Scotland is aiming to become a net-zero health service by 2040 at the latest. We are part of an international coalition of over 50 countries to date who have committed to developing low-carbon health systems.

We want to maximise our contribution to reducing emissions from the manufacture and supply of medicines and equipment and from staff, patient and visitor travel. The level of those emissions is determined by clinical decisions and models of care and so the involvement of all health professionals in efforts to improve sustainability is essential to success.

This will require unprecedented change in how we work.

We need to establish a culture of stewardship within NHS Scotland, where resources are safeguarded and responsibly used to provide environmentally sustainable healthcare.

I've been struck by how the alignment of the principles of environmentally sustainable care support what we want to achieve in NHS Scotland. Those principles emphasise prevention, patient empowerment and self-care, lean clinical pathways and low-carbon alternatives.

Good care is environmentally sustainable care.

The risks that we face from climate change are the greatest threats to health this century. Health care emissions contribute to the climate crisis. But there are tools that we can use to make the NHS more environmentally sustainable and improve patient care. Health services and clinicians can also play a role in advocating for health promoting, environmental action in other areas such as transport and access to nature.

I am determined that we foster a new culture of stewardship - where we are mindful of the resources we use and deliver green and sustainable healthcare - better value care for the people we care for and for our system. And I think we can all play a part in achieving this.
Humza Yousaf
August 2022 Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

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NHS Scotland climate emergency and sustainability strategy: 2022-2026

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This document sets out plans for NHS Scotland to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and impact on the environment, adapt to climate change and to better contribute to the United Nation sustainable development goals. It has been developed by the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland Assure.

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Sign up here to receive our newsletters.

https://forms.gle/4Xz4TqrxtUbqmVA27

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Join our Mountainhall Greenspace Community mailing list:

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You will be added to a mailing list which sends 1/4 newsletters annually, in keeping with the turning of the seasons. We will also send you invites to activities and events from time to time, as well other updates on the Mountainhall Community Greenspace project.

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NHS D&G are looking across their estates through a ‘climate and sustainability’ lens. Connecting the link between public health and public access to greenspaces as well as community. The untamed 11acre greenspace wrapped around Mountainhall Treatment Centre (formally the town's hospital) was identified as a key area to develop this relationship. Since 2024 Propagate and DesignHOPES have supported the NHS to develop the greenspace as a thriving  community asset with access to nature and creative wellbeing.

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I Naturalist is an online platform for people to record their fauna and flora observations. Contributing to a citizen science led approach of conservation. Mountainhall greenspace is home to lots of amazing wildlife and it's amazing to see people's sightings through this app.

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/mountainhall-greenspace

https://swseic.org.uk/ will verify recordings.

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A project set up by Propagate and the NHS to help monitor the wildlife on the grounds around Mountainhall

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Climate impact indicators - Health impacts of climate change - Climate emergency - Environmental health impacts - Population health - Public Health Scotland

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PHS is aiming to produce a suite of indicators to help us understand the impact on Scotland’s health from climate change

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CD in 60 seconds | SCDC - We believe communities matter

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Community development explained in 60 seconds

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The treeline in front of the treatment centre. There are several path access to our chosen location.

What/three/words

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Commissioned by OutPost Arts for Healing Arts Scotland. https://outpostarts.co.uk/pathways-to-wellbeing-has26.html

Jim's mown labyrinth will create a beautiful focal point and mediative exercise for anyone joining us on the day.

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Drop in activity - Beeswax crayon rubbings 

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Drop in activity - Beeswax crayon rubbings 

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Learn about the plant life @ Mountainhall through bees wax crayon rubbings. We'll get know what plant species are on site whilst using handmade bees wax crayons as a tactile mark making activity.

Led by Mountainhall member Emily Tough @ we agree on eggs / @ propagate

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'Talking About the Weather' is a grass roots, community anthology exploring eco grief, published in 2025. Local writers and poets will be joining us for our Community Gathering event to share their work. Their self-published anthologies are for sale for £6. Proceeds go to @ Propagate and @ MECA Middle East Children's Alliance.

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There has been a lot of consultation and behind the scenes work to get this project up to this point. We would now really love it if you were ready to help join us on the next phase of this project!

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Please take a look at our initial proposed structure for our working groups. There are 4 working groups, with a need for people to be R.E.D.I representatives in each group.

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TL Proposed structure for Greenspace programme

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Please follow the link to find out more + add your expression of interest. We will be in touch! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhOhlbmEu9G7DBey85dKAxKf1ZlosOYMOxsPASCOVjRpqpFA/viewform

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https://twoislescollab.wordpress.com/

Funded through the WWDN network, Design HOPES and Propagate.

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Community Engagement Report Mountainhall Greenspace Project November 2024 - April 2025

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Mountainhall Greenspace - an urban place for nature, people and learning

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News * 10 September 2025

THEMES - Buildings and Land Care Communities Digital Design Exploratory Projects Products and Services Travel

AHRC announce £3.1M funding for Design HOPES

Design HOPES receives new AHRC funding, totalling £3,125m, to further develop and deliver pioneering projects supporting NHS Scotland's transition to net zero.

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An AHRC funded project bringing together design-led research and healthcare experts to develop a green transition ecosystem for NHS Scotland. Led by University of Strathclyde and Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design.

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Mountainhall Greenspace is home to one of the locations of 'The Dispersed Memorial Forest'.

The Covid Memorial for Scotland’s Dumfries and Galloway is a memorial forest, planted across the region in five locations: Castle Douglas, Dumfries, Moffat, Sanquhar, and Stranraer. Over 400 native trees were planted as a way to remember and honour each person who died from COVID-19 in the region. Additional trees were planted to represent other types of loss, and the ways communities came together over the pandemic.

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The Dispersed Memorial Forest

A Community Covid Memorial for Dumfries & Galloway

Welcome to home and the online archive for the Dispersed Memorial Forest of Dumfries and Galloway.

The Dispersed Memorial Forest can be found in Dumfries, Castle Douglas, Moffat, Sanquhar, and Stranraer:

Visit the Memorial

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Remembering Together D&G - A Community Covid Memorial for Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

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3pm Tree I.D. tour with Positive Forestry 

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3pm Tree I.D. tour with Positive Forestry 

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We are home to a lot of interesting trees at Mountainhall. From historic arboretum, to the newly planted 'Dispersed Memorial Forest' and lots of other trees in-between homing lots of wildlife! Aidan Rowlands from Positive Forestry will give us a guided tree I.D. tour around the Mountainhall revealing to us the wonder of the greenspace and it's many trees.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579835362285

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Local bio-diversity cation plan - have your say

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Local bio-diversity cation plan - have your say

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D&G council have written a draft plan to conserve and enhance bio-diversity in D&G. Please take a look at this first draft and offer your feedback:

https://www.dumfriesandgalloway.gov.uk/council-elections/have-your-say/consultations-engagements/local-biodiversity-action-plan-engagement

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We will be joined by Simon Lidwell @ Wordsmith Crafts for nettle cordage friendship bracelet making. An ancestorial practise using foraged fibres to make cordage (string). This is a drop in session throughout the event. Simon has been an active community member in helping shape the Mountainhall Greenspace Community Project. Thank you Simon!

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Delighted to have Freya Skinner’s beautiful artwork decorate our outdoor gazebo space for this event.

Born and raised in rural Galloway, Freya is a Forager, Science Communicator and Visual Artist, who works under the name Ferlie, Her practice is rooted in the landscapes, plants and folklore of Scotland. She works to celebrate the beauty and significance of often overlooked species.

With over fifteen years of foraging experience, Freya's work is informed by time spent walking, gathering and paying close attention to the changing seasons. Her practice reflects a belief that creativity can foster a deeper relationship with the landscapes we inhabit, encouraging curiosity and a renewed sense of belonging. Outside of her work under Ferlie, Freya works as a science communicator and knowledge exchange lead at the University of Glasgow, Dumfries Campus. She has long been a fan of the Mountainhall greenspace, having spent a lot of time walking through and sitting in it observing flora and fauna, either on the journey to work or on weekend wanders. She is keen to see the space shared with more people and gently opened up for accessibility, whilst keeping its wild and nature-filled heart.

See more from her here: https://www.instagram.com/ferlie_studio?igsh=Mml4cmVjM2QxdHk4