REWILDING SMALL SPACES
Rewilding Learning Day
Join SCOTLAND: The Big Picture's ecologist and keen gardener, Aidan Maccormick, to discover how rewilding can happen on your own doorstep – from window boxes and gardens to shared green spaces and allotments.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Rewilding is often thought of as something that happens at scale – across large estates or remote landscapes. But nature recovery isn’t only the work of big landholdings. It can also happen in small, everyday spaces, shaped by the collective actions of people across cities, towns and villages.
This Learning Day will explore how gardens and small green spaces can play a meaningful role in restoring nature – creating and reconnecting habitats, supporting pollinators and helping natural processes recover. Drawing on ecological principles and practical experience, Aidan will show how thoughtful, low-intervention approaches can deliver real benefits for nature, climate and people. Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to deepen your understanding, we’ll help you see your space – however small – as part of a much bigger picture.
The Learning Day will cover:
- rewilding principles and how they apply to small spaces,
- how to rewild everything, from window boxes to larger gardens,
- choosing native plants to suit your space and conditions,
- creating bee- and butterfly-friendly habitats,
- soil health and subterranean life,
- wildflowers and natural regeneration,
- garden ponds, wildlife hedges and micro-habitats,
- nest boxes, bug hotels and shelter for wildlife,
- small-scale tree planting and natural processes in action.
This Learning Day is for you if:
- you are interested in learning how to rewild your small space,
- you are a student or graduate considering a future in gardening or rewilding,
- you are a professional or hobby gardener interested in adopting nature-positive methods,
- you want to make a meaningful contribution to nature recovery wherever you live.
DATES
| DATES | GUIDE | STATUS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DATES: 22 Jun 2026 | GUIDES: Aidan Maccormick | STATUS: Open | BOOK NOW |
PRICE
£95
PRICE INCLUDES
- Tea/coffee/biscuits on arrival
- All presentations and take-home resources
- Certification for course attendance
PRICE EXCLUDES
- Travel to/from the course
- Lunch (please bring a packed lunch)
- Personal expenses
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Timings
Arrival from 9.30am for tea/coffee/biscuits, for a 10am start. The day will wrap up around 3.30pm.
How do I get there?
The venue is Leith Community Croft.
4A John's Pl, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 7EL
The venue is accessible by bus and tram from central Edinburgh. It is a 30 minute walk or 10 minute cycle from Edinburgh Waverley Train Station.
What size are your groups?
Our Learning Days are for groups of up to 15 participants.
Is the course suitable for me?
Some of the morning will be spent indoors before heading outdoors. After lunch, the afternoon will be spent outdoors (approximately 2 hours), heading out to the gardens/allotments and Leith Links Park. Please wear appropriate clothing and sturdy boots. We will be walking less than two kilometres, not always on paths and at a slow pace.
Read our FAQ's for more info
Venue
The Learning Day will be run from Leith Community Croft in Edinburgh, the base of local charity, Earth in Common. Once a small neglected area of common good land at the northern extremity of Leith Links, members of the community saw its potential as an urban croft; a place to make healthy food and nature accessible to locals.
It is now a thriving urban croft growing food, generating community solidarity and wellbeing, strengthening the local economy and contributing to community wealth-building and skills-training.
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Suggest a Learning Day
Interested in joining one of our Learning Days, but haven't found the right topic to excite and inspire you yet? We're always on the look out for new ideas. If you have any rewilding themed suggestions, please contact our Rewilding Training Lead.
