News

MCAS Launch

1 Apr 2026

On 25 March, we hosted a fantastic event at the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Headquarters to mark the formal launch of our project. We were delighted to be joined by our partners, Changeworks and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority, alongside our Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) members, funders, and CEMVO colleagues.

We kicked off the day with a Stakeholder Advisory Group meeting, where we discussed the National Park’s previous equality and diversity work, reflecting on successful projects delivered with ethnic minority community groups. The MCAS team then presented research examining similar projects delivered over the past five years. This led to a valuable discussion with the SAG on key learning that could be carried forward, as well as gaps in provision that MCAS is well placed to address. Finally, the SAG provided feedback on the team’s weekly knowledge-boost posts, assessing their accessibility for different target audiences and offering suggestions on how we might increase our reach. The insight and lived experience of our SAG are vital in ensuring the project is grounded in the real lives of the ethnic minority communities we aim to serve.

We concluded the meeting with a nature-connection walk led by our Nature Officer, Camilo. The group enjoyed exploring the beautiful surroundings of Balloch and even tried a spot of tree climbing.

Following a delicious lunch, we reconvened for speeches and presentations. Colin Lee, Chief Executive of CEMVO Scotland, opened the session by reflecting on CEMVO’s strong history of partnership working with Changeworks and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority, including projects such as Energy Saving for All. Colin highlighted CEMVO’s extensive portfolio of environmental and climate justice projects and shared how MCAS will continue this impressive legacy.

MCAS

Josiah Lockhart, Chief Executive of Changeworks, spoke about the importance of collaboration in achieving a greener and fairer Scotland for everyone. He shared learning from Changeworks’ work with CEMVO’s Race Equality Environmental Project and outlined what they hope to achieve through their partnership with MCAS.

Finally, Gordon Watson of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority delivered a speech outlining the National Park’s ongoing commitment to ensuring the park remains a space of outstanding natural beauty and rich biodiversity that can be accessed and enjoyed by all.

Members of the MCAS team then presented an overview of milestones achieved during the project’s early design phase, along with plans for delivery as we move into the next stage. Emma Lindsay, Changeworks’ Evaluation Consultant, gave a detailed presentation on how the Stakeholder Advisory Group worked together to develop theories of change for both the nature-connection and energy strands of the project. These theories of change will guide how we measure success over the four-year delivery period, providing a clear roadmap while also highlighting areas of opportunity and potential challenge.

Photographs from the day were captured by our very talented SAG member, Sadia Sikander, who is also an artist and photographer. You can view more of Sadia’s work via her Instagram portfolio.
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our Stakeholder Advisory Group for their generosity and enthusiasm in sharing their insight and lived experience. Their contribution is essential in helping us meaningfully impact the lives of ethnic minority community groups across Scotland’s central belt.

We are also extremely grateful to our partners for their continued support in launching this project and for sharing their expertise, networks, and resources. Our partnership demonstrates the true value of collaboration and what can be achieved when we work together.

Finally, we would like to thank our funder, The National Lottery Community Fund, for believing in this project and for the invaluable support they have provided to the MCAS team and wider partnership.

Plant exploration with Linkes Community Project families

We have completed our latest round of Nature Connection sessions for the MCAS project, working alongside five families from the Linkes Community Project, with a peak of 22 participants across the sessions.

Over four sessions, families visited Knightswood Park and Dawsholm Park Local Nature Reserve before a joint trip to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. The Scottish weather was kind to us throughout, and with our nature packs in hand, families shared picnics outdoors, identified local species, made story sticks, and learned about local wildlife.

Running sessions for families with children of all ages brings fantastic energy, and we were supported every step of the way by Linkes staff and support workers, without whom these trips would not have been possible.

Our first outing to Knightswood Park gave families a chance to slow down and look closely at trees and plants they passed every day, through species surveys and observation games. For some, these simple activities sparked personal connections to home. As one participant reflected while looking at the trees:

"This reminds me of my mother in Afghanistan connecting one type of fruit tree onto another. She used to grow lots of fruit."

Another, who had lived nearby for ten years, told us:

"I've been in Scotland and coming to this park for 10 years and I never knew these were cherry trees."

At Dawsholm Park, families explored the woodland paths, searched for animal homes, and made story sticks from items gathered along the way. Several parents told us that despite living close by, they had never visited the reserve before, and said they planned to come back with their families. One child described Dawsholm as "not a park" at the start of the session because it had no play park. By the end she had changed her mind, and said she liked "being in the trees." Another summed the afternoon up more simply:

"It doesn't feel like we are in the city, but like we are in a jungle."

Smelling wild honeysuckle and roses growing near the park entrance led to conversations about how certain scents reminded the children of family members' perfume. Parents shared some of their own discoveries too. One told us she'd enjoyed learning about dock plants and how they can help with nettle stings, and was surprised by how wide tree roots grow.

The block finished with a trip to Balmaha at Loch Lomond. The group explored the visitor centre, walked through the Tom Weir garden to Balmaha Pier and up to the viewpoint, and gathered for activities in the woodland at the foot of Conic Hill. Children described the session as "fun" and "surprising." In the indoor classroom space at the Balmaha Visitor Centre, some parents noted how the setup recalled outdoor cooking spaces in Sudan, which led to warm conversations about gathering and cooking outside with family.

These sessions reinforce how important local, accessible greenspaces are for family wellbeing and community connection. A huge thank you to the families from Linkes and the support staff who made this block such a joy to run. We look forward to continuing the Nature Connection Programme and welcoming more community groups into Scotland's wild spaces in the months ahead.