Glorious Gardens - the first six months

Structures training, digital recording, volunteers AND a day out

Glorious Gardens has almost completed six months of its first full year of existence. So, what is there to show for the work of the Northlight Heritage team and input from Scotland's Garden and Landscape Heritage (SGLH)?

The focus on structured training is bearing fruit. We have a hard core of dedicated volunteers who are well up to speed on how to undertake the historical research following training in both online databases and the use of local and national archives.

We had a great day with eight of them on Wednesday last when between us we mastered the new tablet-based digital recording system. At least we hope so – the proof of that particular pudding will be on Wednesday next when we go to Mauldslie in the CAVLP area to do some recording for real! The first group of the Falkirk gang will get their chance with the tablets on Monday 10th September.

The way in which the project encourages volunteers to learn new skills and to look to new horizons is of major interest to our sponsors. So, it is good to hear from one person that they have gained so much confidence in IT from the our workshops that they’ve enrolled for a computer course, from another for whom a whole new world has opened up and from many who can’t wait to get out into the field to increase their knowledge of their local area.

Our plan is to give the volunteers as much support as we possibly can. An unexpected outcome of that approach, and the need to provide category-based word lists for the software, is a draft glossary of garden and landscape history terms for use in Scotland. As with other aspects of what is a pilot project, the volunteers are bidden to alert us to any errors and omissions, which they showed themselves well able to do last Wednesday!

I’ll be back next week with a report on how we get on at Mauldslie …

Sue Hewer
Glorious Gardens Project Supervisor