An area of land in the village was bought in 2000 on behalf of the village by the National Trust for Scotland using funds from the McNiven Bequest. Since then, work has gone on to restore the site. Here are some pictures to show what has been done.

A number of events have been organised in the Tennis Court recreation area including barbecues, musical evenings, bonfires, birthday parties and other celebrations.

The land comprises:
A (former) tree nursery, now with communal chickens and several residents' beehives.
A (former) Tennis Court, now a general recreation area, with a marquee for rainy days in summer
A (former) drying green
A kitchen garden, now fully reinstated and producing plenty of vegetables
A (former) byre, which we hope will be renovated

A professional gardener works one day a week on the land (mainly on the kitchen garden) and the rest of the work is carried out by volunteers from the village and beyond. Everyone is welcome to community land workdays. Forthcoming workdays are: Sunday 19 October, Sunday 15 November and Sunday 20 December, all starting at 10.30 am. The gardener works every Thursday, and everyone is welcome to help her at any time on thursdays.

Most decisions are made by the Garden Users' Group, which all members of the DVCS are welcome to join. The objectives and rules for the land are set out in the DVCS Approach to Land. Click HERE to see this (3 page word document).

Below are some pictures and information chronicling the history and use of the land.

The Nursery (aka the Paddock) was cleared using low ground-impact machines. 55 tons of debris was taken away.

The kitchen garden was completely overgrown, since it was last cultivated in the 1980s. It was cleared (including removal of dozens of willow stumps) by residents, volunteers and the part-time gardener. The first harvest in 2006 included bumper crops of potatoes and beans.

As more people used the kitchen garden, it was inappropriate to keep going through a neighbouring private garden. A wooden stair (with integral storage shed underneath) was built between the Tennis Court recreation area and the kitchen garden in 2006 and has been extremely useful in encouraging local people to participate in maintaining and using the garden.

Clearing undergrowth and rubbish from the nursery area - October 2006:

	The nursery area before clearing started. Mini-vegetable patches (recently abandoned) in foreground. Old horse stall on right. Click on image for full-size photo
	Lightwieght machinery was used because of limited access and to minimise damage to paved surfaces. Click on image for full-size photo
	55 tons of rubbish was removed. Click on image for full-size photo
	The cleared site will be used as a plant nursery for this land and Dr Neill's garden. Click on image for full-size photo

A new bench (March 07):

People have asked to put something in the garden in memory of loved ones who lived in the village. This oak bench was put in place in March 2007. Click on image for full-size photo

Restoration of the kitchen garden (summer 06):

	The vegetable plots are cultivated communally, on a 3 year rotation (roots, brassicas, legumes). The soil is inherently fertile from over 100 years of use as a kitchen garden. Click on image for full-size photo
	Click on image for full-size photo
	The kitchen garden produced a lot of vegetables. This picture was taken at a social event at harvest time. Click on image for full-size photo
	Steps were built to connect the tennis court to the kitchen garden - previously, the only access was through a private garden. This picture is from the opening of the steps in September 2006. Click on image for full-size photo

Restoration of the kitchen garden continues (late winter/spring 07):

The vegetable plots are being cultivated and the remaining uncultivated land is being dug over for the first time in decades. The brick paths (laid out in the 1980s) have been lifted and will be rebuilt with more curves and scalloped areas for seats and play. All the stones and spare bricks are saved for repairing the walls. Click on image for full-size photo

The byre

The byre is in a state of collapse. It would be a very useful space for village activities associated with the land, but it would be expensive to reinstate. Some of the equipment associated with milking cattle for the dairy can be seen in the photo. Click on image for full-size photo

The tennis court surface was completed with reseeding and a donation of turf from Lord Balfour's garden

Click on image for full-size photo

A winter workday was held on 12th Dec 2008, to clear a path behind the Byre.

Click on image for full-size photo