We haven’t had much seasonal weather but nonetheless Christmas is A-comin’ - as the song goes - and it’s time to think about trees.

Our Christmas tree event this year will be on Sunday, December 11th, from 11.30am - 2.30pm, in Portmoak Moss and will feature home-baking, hot drinks and - yes - trees.

There’s a slight change to the normal process but you still come to the main Scotlandwell entrance to the Moss, where you will be greeted and directed along the path to ‘Shep’s bench’. Then you will have a choice between finding a conifer that you like and asking a member of Portmoak Community Woodland Group to cut it down -  or selecting a freshly cut tree.

Regulars will know that we are gradually removing trees from the raised peat dome, as part of the restoration programme. Trees dry out the peat so we don’t want too many growing there.

This means that the tree line is now further away from the main path and to save people having to traipse across the bog we’re going to cut more down just before the event, with a smaller selection of standing trees not far from the bench.

There will be plenty of volunteers to keep you right and serve up refreshments. Many people combine the event with getting the kids and dogs out and we love seeing everyone getting into the Christmas spirit and arguing over the choice of tree.

There’s no price ticket on the trees but we invite donations towards woodland group funds, for spending on other events and on equipment, to help with our work in the Moss. Please bring cash, as we are not digital out in the wood, and remember that you’ll need to take your own tree away. 

After all the Christmas cheer, January can be a bleak prospect. But fear not. We’re bringing back the popular Burns’ Ceilidh when we’ll let our hair down to one of Scotland’s top dance bands, Ceilidh Minogue.

It’ll be in Portmoak Village Hall at 7.30pm, on January 21st, and there’ll be haggis, neeps and tatties, as well as some of your favourite Burns’ poems and songs. Please keep an eye on our Portmoak Community Woodland Facebook page for ticket details. 

We hope you’ll be looking forward to these events as much as we are and it’ll be great to celebrate our community woodlands once again.