Nature bus visits parks and libraries in West Dunbartonshire
Artinabus, senior citizens relaxing in the park and Cllrs Dixon and McLaren.
By Moira Rodger
A bus tour which encourages residents to get out and enjoy nature and promote accessible open spaces is visiting West Dunbartonshire.
The travelling gallery will visit a number of the area’s most-loved green spaces, including the award-winning Dalmuir Park and Levengrove Park.
As part of the event, residents will be encouraged to get up close to the features on offer in each location, including impressive biodiversity sites which were created to help the Council reduce its carbon footprint and encourages a more diverse range of birds and insects in West Dunbartonshire.
The Day of Access tour is part of a campaign by artist and poet Alec Finlay, who wants to raise awareness of wild nature and its accessibility for people with disabilities.
Finlay has visited a number of areas in Scotland as he seeks to ensure everyone has the opportunity to experience open spaces, regardless of physical limitation or disability.
The bus, which will also visit Dalmuir Library, will display drawings, sculpture, photography and poetry which all examine the effects disability has on mobility and access to nature.
Alongside Alec Finlay’s work, a selection of material from Ken Cockburn and Hannah Deverux, will also be on display.
Iain McLaren, Convener of Infrastructure, Regeneration, Economic , Development,, said: “I am pleased to welcome this bus to West Dunbartonshire and support the important message it brings that our open spaces and landscapes should be accessible to everyone regardless of your mobility. We are very proud of our parks, and welcome anything that encourages residents and visitors to use them. The message Alec Finlay is spreading is an important one being delivered in an interesting way and I would urge residents to visit the bus and to see the great pieces on display.”
Ian Dickson, Convener of Corporate Services, said: “This bus drives home a very important message on everyone’s rights on access to nature. I would like to thank the Travelling Gallery and all the artists for bringing their work to West Dunbartonshire and I’m sure it will be enjoyed by many people while it’s in our area. I’m also really pleased that we are including a library on its itinerary because it fits exactly with our ambition to offer a wide variety of activities at local branches to residents.”
The events are free and open to the public between 10am and 4pm on each day of its tour at the following locations:
- Dalmuir Park on Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 November
- Dalmuir Library on Thursday 14 November
- Levengrove Park on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 November.
Travelling Gallery was established in 1978 and continues to bring contemporary art to communities throughout Scotland. Its dual focus is to create highly engaging exhibitions and to provide a unique platform for arts education. Curated with the Travelling Gallery’s diverse audience in mind, the exhibitions display innovative artistic practices, representative of the international art scene. Travelling Gallery is a ‘not for profit’ organisation, regularly funded by Creative Scotland and supported by City of Edinburgh Council.