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Monday 10am - 4pm Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm Sunday 10am - 4pm

Water of Leith Conservation Trust

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Water of Leith Conservation Trust

The WOLCT works to conserve and enhance the water of leith river for the benefit of all wildlife and visitor to it.

Cared for by the Edinburgh Community you can support our work by making a donation here - https://bit.ly/35rq8Q3 We work to conserve and enhance the Water of Leith, its heritage and wildlife. The Trust promotes education and recreation through the Visitor Centre, and works with volunteers and community groups to deliver around 300 river clean-ups and habitat improvement tasks annually. Operating since 1988, it was the first river charity to be established in Scotland. Support our work by becoming a member, sending a donation or joining the hundred strong team of volunteers who are involved in projects on the river and in running the Visitor Centre.

12/10/2026

Weekly Update 5th - 11th of October

After the ranger conference it was back to normal proceedings for our conservation team with volunteer sessions at Longstone, Longstone, Leith and Bells last week

With our own volunteers, we did the second round of tree planting of the spoil heaps at the back of Saughton prison, adding 200 trees funded by CMS Law and clearing lots of rubbish locally. Whilst down at Leith it was our monthly clean up with the boat sweeping the basin and small teams brushing leaves off the walkway and planting for next year.

In addition we had corporate teams from AECOM at the visitor centre getting it ready for our Summer's End event. Whilst Wood Mackenzie were at Bells enhancing the meadow and river bank.

Our education team wrapped up the first semester of the school term with visit from Currie High, Musselburgh Grammer and Thomas Aquins

Finally we hosted our AGM announcing last years financial results and plans to tackle the Murrayburn

08/10/2026

A great morning down at Bells with a team from the Edinburgh office of Wood Mackenzie

On the menu today was raking the meadow and sowing yellow rattle to weaken the grass and encourage more wildflowers next year

Willow spiling to reduce bank erosion along the edges

Clearing the walkway of leaves.

Refreshing the soakaway drain and building a brash fence to reduce mud being washed down the slope

Top work team 👏 👍

06/10/2026

A busy day for staff from the Edinburgh office of AECOM at our visitor centre. They rolled up their sleeves to help get the visitor centre and Dells looking it's best ready for our Summer's End event on the 25th of October.

Then they took to the river wading from the visitor centre down to Longstone Inn removing several bags of waste to keepnthe the river healthy

Thanks for all the help

04/10/2026

Another busy quarter as we progressed through July, August and September with 2,706 hours of practical volunteering recorded. This takes the running total for our conservation volunteers to 5332 hours, equivalent to £72,000 worth of work based on the living wage.

As you'll see from the pie chart, showing the mix of tasks done by just WOLCT volunteers, after the big spring clean in quarter 1. We then moved to a more diverse list of tasks keeping the walkway in good order as vegetation started to take over, treating non native species along the river banks and up the tributaries, continued to litter pick, scythed wildflower meadows and carried out 166 hours of biological surveys to monitor species in the catchment.

A huge thanks for the volunteers who have been consistently helping to improve and enhance the river.

03/10/2026

September on the river

02/10/2026

28th of Sept - 2nd of October Weekly Update

A different week to the norm for our ranger team, they still managed two practical sessions of conservation on the walkway.

After that they headed to the biennial Scottish Countryside Rangers' Association - SCRA conference. During the four day conference they had chance to connect with Rangers from all across Scotland. Take part in workshops to learn new skills, site visits to see the work of others and a chance to consider the actions needed to protect the natural world.

Our education team hosted Leith Academy, Broughton primary, Balerno High and Clermiston High across the week as part of their studies.

Whilst Helen, our CEO was in full meeting mode contributing to the Pentland Hills Regional Park Consultative Forum and the Edinburgh Biodiversity Action Plan Group.

01/10/2026

Fancy something different to celebrate the changing seasons - join our Samhainn inspired Summer's End event on 25th October. Book your start time from 3pm onwards. £5 per person. https://www.waterofleith.org.uk/events/summers-end/

As summer fades and the nights draw in, join us for an evening inspired by the ancient traditions of Samhainn – a time when the boundary between the everyday world and the otherworld was said to become a little thinner.

We’ll head from the Visitor Centre into the woods and along the river, with stories, traditions and a few surprises along the way.

Expect lanterns, folklore, fire, the river, a little guising – and some encounters with the unexpected.

We’ll finish back at the Centre with something warm and harvest-inspired.

Come prepared for an evening outdoors, and perhaps don’t be too quick to believe everything you see…

27/09/2026

Weekly Update 21st - 27th of Sept.

Volunteer session at Saugthon Park, Currie, St Marks Park and Redhall Orchard
Small team invasive non native species work above Balerno.
Visits to Leith Theatre & Warriston Cemetery
Education sessions with Sciennes, Preston Lodge and Balerno.

The sun continues to shine, so we've had big numbers out making a difference along the walkway.

The week started with a scythe/rake of the wildflower meadow at Saughton park and a big clean up locally. At Currie we were getting the walkway into good order cutting back overgrown vegetation and raking off the falling leaves.

We received help from a small team at Blackrock helping to rebuild the hazel fence at the Redbraes tunnel and cutting back the entrance to St Marks park. Whilst pupils from Fettis College spent a day in the Redhall Orchard cutting back all the paths.

We had a small team out dealing with stands of Japanese knotweed by chemically injecting them above Balerno.

Finally as we are always on the hunt for more stories about locations along the river. We took part in the historical tour of Leith Theatre, learning that the Wombles performed a xmas concert there in 1974. Then visited Warriston Cemetery as part of doors open day to hear about the famous grave in amongst the 69,000 burials that have happen there.

24/09/2026

So that's Soup back on at the Water of Leith Visitor Centre, every Friday and into the weekend while stocks last. This week it will be Leek and potato - vegan soup, gluten, nut and lactose free. Come and see us!!

20/09/2026

Weekly Update 14th - 20th of September.

A mixture of conservation tasks including wading, walkway maintenance, wildflower scything and of course litter picking.

With our volunteers at Leith, St Marks, Colinton Dell, Juniper Green and Pathhead this week they certainly made a difference on the world.

Whilst our education team hosted pupils from Sciennes PS and Thomas Aquins High.

Address

24 Lanark Road
Edinburgh
EH141TQ

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm
Sunday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

0131 455 7367

Website

http://www.waterofleith.org.uk/

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