Press Release (13/02/2026)
Local children will be shining a spotlight on nature in Balloch Castle Country Park to celebrate the awesome plants, trees and wildlife who have made it their home.
Balloch Primary School and Haldane Youth Services (HYS) are teaming up with local community based regeneration charity BCCPRG, West Dunbartonshire Council’s Greenspace team and an artist to bring the Park’s red squirrels, hedgehogs, birds, trees, insects and flowers closer to visitors through technology like augmented reality and other colourful displays.
The Balloch Park – Who Lives Here? project builds on a Park user survey the Regeneration Group undertook in 2022 which revealed physical and mental wellbeing and opportunities to see wildlife and spend time in nature were the main reasons people go to the Park, which hosts around 1.2 million visits each year.
The Regeneration Group is delighted two funders, SafeDeposits Scotland Community Fund and Walk Wheel Cycle Trust have stepped up to provide grants to bring the Who Lives Here? project to life and Balloch Primary School and HYS have taken up the challenge to help with the artwork, with the first children’s workshop scheduled for later this month.
Audrey Baird, vice chair of the Regeneration Group, said: “Children really love nature and have an inherent appreciation for it. Their faces light up with delight when they catch a glimpse of a red squirrel or play in Autumn leaves, spot a butterfly or hear a cuckoo.
Nature is essential for all life and Balloch Park provides a vital, accessible opportunity for everyone to enjoy and learn about the truly important forces in the World that provide air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat and the other plants and animals we evolved to share our Planet with.
“We hope the Who Lives Here? project sparks conversations and action around why everyone must shoulder responsibility to look after the natural environment.”
Carol Bradburn, Head of SafeDeposits Scotland, added: “We are delighted to award a SafeDeposits Scotland Community Fund grant to this innovative project lead by Balloch Castle Country Park Regeneration Group. The initiative will involve the local community and raise environmental awareness, which are among the positive outcomes we aim to support through the fund.”
Caroline Austin, Network Development Manager for Community and Stakeholder Engagement, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, said: “We are delighted to be supporting this project in Balloch Park through our ArtRoots programme, funded by the Scottish Government.
“ArtRoots enables us to support art projects along traffic-free National Cycle Network routes in Scotland – enhancing spaces to be more welcoming, and in doing so encouraging more people to explore their local area by walking, wheeling or cycling on the Network.
“This project will bring Balloch Park to life in new ways for both local people and visitors. We are looking forward to seeing what the artists and the community come up with, to inspire more people to discover the park’s flora and fauna whilst getting out into nature on National Cycle Network Route 7.”
Councillor David McBride, Convener of Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “Balloch Park is a stunning visitor destination which is right on our doorstep and it is great to hear that young people are embracing its story. This project provides a brilliant opportunity for youngsters here to learn about and take pride in local nature.”
Artist Laura Henderson, Good Stuff Creative, who worked with the children, families and staff at CHAS Robin House last year to create a series of Balloch Park themed lamp post banners for last year, is leading the Who Lives Here? project, which will be completed in the Spring.
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Notes to Editors: Balloch Castle Country Park Regeneration Group is a community based registered charity. The Group has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with West Dunbartonshire Council (which leases the Park from owner Glasgow City Council) and a vision to work with stakeholders to restore the Park’s natural and built assets and explore ways it can better service the local community and generate income. We undertook a Park user survey in 2022 and received 260 responses. The survey indicated that people want better facilities at the Park and to see the Castle restored.
Photos: The two pictures with the press release illustrate a banner created last year by Laura Henderson and children the at CHAS Robin House Children’s Hospice which were hung on lampposts in the town.