Join Our Woodland Community Today
Support local nature and community through volunteering efforts.
Join Our Woodland Community Today
Support local nature and community through volunteering efforts.
Protecting the Planet Together
Thank you
Dear Friends and Neighbours
Exciting news is the approval of major funding from The National Lottery to improve the woodland further. This will enable new signage to be installed, drainage to be improved and sections of the paths to be upgraded, making Gallow Hill more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
These improvements are just the beginning. Over the coming months and years, we will be developing a programme of community engagement events that encourage healthy living, provide opportunities for peace and tranquillity, and help people connect with the natural environment. At the same time, we will continue to care for and enhance the woodland, supporting a healthy and biodiverse habitat for wildlife to flourish alongside the community that enjoys it.
Work on these projects will begin over the coming months, and we look forward to sharing our progress with you. To keep up to date with the latest news, volunteer opportunities and project updates, please follow us on Facebook or visit our website:
Contact Us
We welcome feedback, questions, and partnership opportunities. Reach out to us via email.
Discover Moffat Woodlands
Our Mission
At Moffat Community Woodland, our mission is to promote sustainable practices while enhancing community engagement. We believe in creating a space that fosters education, relaxation, and healthy living for everyone.
Our Story
Gallow Hill was once a commercial forest, planted and harvested for around a century. When it was clear-felled in 2014, it marked not an end, but a new beginning.
The land was offered to the local community, and a small group of residents came together with an ambitious idea: to buy the hill and restore it as a native woodland for everyone to enjoy.
🌳 A community comes together
In 2015, a series of well-attended public meetings brought people together to share ideas and shape a vision for the site. There was strong support for creating a community woodland—one that balanced access, biodiversity, and long-term sustainability.
A community group was formed to take the project forward. After carrying out a feasibility study and wider consultation, no major obstacles were identified. The group went on to become a SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation), and with support from the Scottish Land Fund, successfully purchased Gallow Hill in 2016.
🌱 Planting the woodland
The transformation truly began in April 2017. Following an intense period of planning—including agreements with Forestry & Land Scotland and the ordering of thousands of trees—planting started in early May.
Around 80 volunteers came together to plant the first trees, marking a major milestone for the project. Contractors then continued the work, planting a diverse mix of native species, with sessile oak as the most common.
Establishing the woodland required ongoing care. Volunteers and contractors worked together to maintain the young trees—checking stakes, securing guards, and ensuring healthy growth
🌍 Challenges and resilience
Early progress was supported by grant funding, but partway through the project, funding became more difficult to secure and work slowed.
In 2020, momentum returned through tree donations and a partnership with a carbon offset broker. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, small groups of volunteers were able to continue planting when restrictions allowed, while contractors resumed work after initial delays.
🌼Shaped by the community
Community input has always been at the heart of the project. From the beginning, people made it clear they wanted a woodland first and foremost, with only modest, nature-friendly facilities.
Since then, we have added picnic benches, play features, a shelter and meeting space, and a welcoming ornamental gate in the beechwood. These have been carefully designed to sit naturally within the landscape.
Some ambitions remain, mainly due to funding, but the vision continues to guide future improvements.
🌳 Where we are today
The final trees were planted in 2023, and the woodland is now thriving. As part of ongoing maintenance, we have begun removing plastic tree guards where they are no longer needed.
What began as a small community initiative has grown into a flourishing woodland—created, cared for, and enjoyed by the people of Moffat.
Our Woodland in pictures
