I’ve realised an explanation of my role and the project I’m working on is well overdue, so here goes!
Destined to become Scotland’s largest urban wildlife site, the Seven Lochs Wetland Park is an exciting project spanning the Glasgow and North Lanarkshire Council boundary. Bringing together 17 sq km of lochs, parks, nature reserves and woodlands it aims to create a new Wetland Park of national significance, linked to a wider network of greenspaces.
At the moment the area can be described as a large site bursting with wildlife, surrounded by communities, yet hardly anyone goes there.
Plans to transform the site and create the wetland park 
include enhancing and creating new paths, designing and installing signposted trails, eye-catching entrance features, building bird hides, viewing platforms, walkways through reedbeds and lots more. There will also be green routes outside the boundary to enable people to access the site from further 
afield. To help raise awareness of the park, the intention is to create seven visitor gateways around the park’s boundary. Some of these centres will be newly built and existing centres will be refurbished to promote the park, and provide associated educational and training facilities.
My role is to spread the word about the project to local communities. Each person I engage with has something to say and I encourage them to be involved in the development plans for the project by putting forward their ideas and opinions. At the moment I’m building a network of volunteers interested in practical habitat work and wildlife recording. In time I 
hope to encourage locals to form a “Friends of” group for the wetland park, led by several proactive individuals. I know from talking to colleagues that it could take several years to achieve, but you never know!
Another aspect of my role is a co-ordinating one. For the wetland park to be a success, lots of people and organisations need to work together and make use of the park as a natural resource; for education, recreation, health and well-being, training and employment and so on. The work they currently do is incredibly important and valuable. A community engagement workshop earlier this year helped spread my message to people working with local communities, and the information I gathered from them about their projects will help me write the Communications and Engagement Strategy for the wetland park.
A third of my time is spent with the three key partners: Glasgow and North Lanarkshire Council and Forestry Commission Scotland. 
This involves joining them when they engage with local schools and community groups, run public events, work with volunteers and other projects. I’m placed with them for lots of reasons. It enables me to discover first hand what work they do and helps me establish new contacts, such as school teachers, health workers and community figures. Meeting people also means I can discover how the wetland park, in its current state, is being used. I believe by understanding their viewpoint I’ll be better placed to communicate the plans for the park, encourage their involvement and ensure it becomes a place they’ll want to visit.
The rest of my time is spent with GCV Green Network (the partnership behind the project) doing a variety of things. I’ve already mentioned the Communications and Engagement Strategy for the park, which will include establishing a message, style, how to promote it, partner delivery coordination and more. Recruiting volunteers will be an on-going job throughout my placement. Last month I created a flyer about the project to inform the public about the plans to create the wetland park. I’m also in the process of designing the site-map
for a new, public facing website, which will be launched by the end of the year. So I imagine I’ll have to populate that with plenty of meaty content and pictures too! And finally at every given opportunity I can be found at community meetings and events spreading the message about this exciting project!
If you’d like to know more and if you’re interested in volunteering to help make the Seven Lochs Wetland Park a reality, please pop me an email: sevenlochs@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading and watch this space!