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| Development plans | |
Through the years, we've continually added to the attractions and facilities at Almond Valley, extended services and involved new audiences. Our latest grand idea is for the development of Charlesfield, a large area of agricultural land across the river from our main site. Thanks to support from West Lothian Council, a footbridge should soon be complete that will almost double the area of the Almond Valley site that is accessible to visitors. Volunteers have already planted several thousand native broadleaf trees to form a new wood and riverside margin, and our young farmers have planted an orchard of traditional fruit trees. A number of small grants have been secured to allow several other features to be developed. |
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| The
Charlesfield project aims to recreate a typical corner of West Lothian
as it might have appeared in the early 1960’s. This sleepy rural
landscape of hedgerows and lanes, of farms, estates, and former mining
villages was about to be transformed by the establishment of new towns
and the introduction of new industries.
The project will help preserve objects and evidence of West Lothian’s past, and involve all in this heritage through displays, events, demonstrations and play activities. Charlesfield will complement and link with the rest of Almond Valley to promote an awareness, understanding and pride in the local heritage and environment. |
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| Charlesfield will provide many other learning opportunities for families and children, and the chance to acquire new skills. It will extend opportunities for community participation in the development and operation of Charlesfield, the cultivation of crops, and in the stewardship of the natural environment. | |
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Morag's Meadow: a better place to play Green spaces like Charlesfield will be lovely on a summer's day, but there's also need to provide space to play and learn that can be enjoyed whatever the weather. A visitor survey showed that most people felt that better indoor play facilities would be the one factor that would most improve Almond Valley. From further questionnaires issued to mums and dads, and from drawing sheets completed by the kids, we've come up with plan for Morag's Meadow. In Morag’s Meadow children will bounce and crawl, squeeze and slide, through a wondrous multi-sensory landscape of giant vegetables and farm crops on a journey of discovery to reveal the origin of the food on you plate. Like the children, parents and adult helpers will also be shrunk to the size of a mouse as they relax in the adjacent lounge area . A new building beside the tearoom will be required to house this wonderland. We're very close to securing the funded needed to turn this dream into reality. |
By rail to the Almond ponds Our narrow-gauge railway currently trundles a modest 500m. to it's terminus, but plans exist to extend this route, carrying passengers to a pleasant wildlife area beside the river Almond. Scope may exist to extend the railway even further westward, providing environmentally friendly access through the riverside corridor as housing encroaches on the surrounding countryside. Planning consent exists for the first 500m of this route, but significant funds will need to be raised to undertake the considerable earthmoving required to carve out a route beside the river. |
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