Choo Choo! The Berry Train Has Arrived!
- hello770675
- Jul 9
- 2 min read
This project was so much fun and involved so many community groups and members as part of our Coldside Pilot Project!
From playful consultations facilitated with Coldside community members and artwork for maps and signs created by artists Cara Rooney and Suzanne Scott (Whimsical Lush), to Community Journalist Mark McGreehin filming workshops and recording footage at 10 locations, to community groups hosting events at the locations they are most passionate about. This project was all about connecting local families with the spaces available, sometimes on their doorstep, to enjoy the outdoors, meet people and experience what the area has to offer.
Dundee Changemakers Partner Manuela de los Rois was central to the whole project, and The Maxwell was an ideal space for Berry Train workshops and celebrations. But where did the name come from?
In all of the conversations that happened with local people there was a repetitive theme: stories of hopping aboard the train that went through Dundee all the way to Angus, where they could jump off at Blairgowrie for berry picking or a day out. Such precious memories of a time when people travelled together, and sometimes they foraged along the path of the railway line, up The Miley, for brambles and wild raspberries.
The Berry Train name seemed fitting!
What was produced in the end was a physical trail around 10 areas of Coldside, stretching from Fairmuir all the way down to the bottom of the Hilltown, marked by a vibrant sign.
There's also a paper map to guide you around the trail which can be picked up at The Maxwell.
To go alongside the physical trail is a page on Dundee Changemakers website with 10 videos, one for each of the stops, where you can see people having fun and enjoying the space. These videos really will make you smile!
The Berry Train is there for everyone to enjoy, in real life and online. Try it out with your friends and families and tag us in your photos!
Thank you to absolutely everyone who was involved in creating this brilliant project.
