Hello and a warm welcome to all our readers! Happily this issue of the Voice for Arran is coming with a different perspective from the sense of bewilderment I shared last month. In contrast to the disheartening situation of government inaction on Climate at the start of April, there is an optimistic feeling about May. Maybe it is coming from the awareness, as one contributor writes that, “we are on the cusp of an explosion of an array of new life.”
Perhaps my feeling is a reflection of this rich and abundant time of year. But this issue is filled with inspiring reports – of a wildlife High Corrie haven, of the Climate Choir at the Big One in London, and encouraging news that the High Court is allowing a legal challenge to the government’s plans for fossil fuel expansion. So that whatever the government may or may not be doing, it seems as if people and nature are responding in full and resounding reply!
The Save Our Wild Isles campaign is calling for “Everyone to act now for nature: making space for it, helping it in our everyday lives, and speaking up on its behalf.” And the impression I have been getting over the last days, both locally and further afield, is that more and more people are doing just that. Here on Arran in the coming weeks there is a wonderful range of events and activities to get involved with, many of which are outdoors and nature based. There are walks lined up with Arran Geopark and Eco Savvy, an opportunity to plant trees in Glen Shant, and the weekend of 12th – 15th is dedicated to exploring and experiencing the island’s geological setting at the Arran Mountain Festival.
The week leading up to the Festival is Green Health Week, which is all about the benefits of connecting with the natural environment. Spending time in nature not only supports our wellbeing, but helps us to recognise the value of the earth and its resources, something which despite the beauty all around us in Arran, is often not immediately clear. A new meditation group is starting this month with the motivation of greater environmental awareness behind it. Mindfulness meditation gives us the chance to still the mind and look deeply, allowing us to see ourselves and the world more clearly, and from here effective action can arise.
David Attenborough has recently said: “We now have a few short years during which we can still make a choice. Where just enough remains of the natural world for it to recover. This starts and ends with us.” There is so much we can do and so many ways we can make space for nature. We can sing and we can march, we can walk and we can sit, we can listen and observe.
There is little else for me to say but will leave the articles to speak for themselves. I hope you too find inspiration in the following pages, and have a lovely month to come. Elsa
