A place to go.
A place to grow.
A place to breathe.
About
Knowetop is a community horticulture and conservation project in Dumbarton, Scotland.
Our Vision
Knowetop is a place to go, a place to grow and a place to breathe, a good place for people and a good place for nature.
Our Mission
Knowetop becomes a valued, well used and safe community space, where people of all ages have the opportunity to engage with nature, improve their mental and physical wellbeing, and grow food for themselves and the wider community.
Our Values
Integrity • Trust • Honesty • Openness • Transparency • Professionalism • Inclusion • Accessibility • Equality • Equity • Respect • Passion
- We were set up in 2021 as a project by Alternatives Community-based Recovery
- We became a charity in our own right, Knowetop SCIO, in October 2023
- Our 15 acre site is in Castlehill, Dumbarton, some of the site was formerly a community farm
- We are a place for people to engage with nature and improve their mental and physical wellbeing
- We grow fruit and vegetables to share with the local community
- We offer individual growing spaces for people to grow fruit and veg for their own use
- Our activities are freeÂ
- We run holiday activities for primary school aged children, practical volunteering sessions, well-being in nature sessions, and a variety of public events.Â
- We work with a range of different partners and local organisationsÂ
- Nearly all of our site is open to the public all year round
Donate
We are a charity and welcome any kind donations. If you feel you would like to donate, please click the button below.
Get involved
If you like the sound of what we do there are a number of different ways you can be part of our work. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for the details.
- Practical volunteering – carry out tasks that help with food growing or biodiversity work around the site.
- Events – help on the day, or with preparation.
- Children’s activities – be part of the team involved in making outdoors fun
- Other volunteer opportunities – from time to time there will be other ways to get involved that might need a specific set of skills.
- Join the Board – be part of the oversight of our work and drive our strategic development.
Our location
Knowetop is at the very end of Castlehill Road. Our postcode is G82 5AT.
The 206 bus comes up Castlehill Road and then it’s an 8 to 10 minute walk.
The nearest station is Dalreoch, then a 15 to 20 minute walk.
There is limited parking on site.
Contact us
Email: KnowetopProject@gmail.com
Facebook: @KnowetopProject
Post: 1/3 Quay Street, Dumbarton, G82 1LG
Our team
Claire
The manager, a former countryside ranger and community gardener, wears all the hats needed to keep things going.
Mark
Leads our weekly Wellbeing in Nature session, has a background in nature based mental health work, managing community woodlands and craft workshops.
Brodie
A ranger, woodsman, market gardener, leads our education delivery and children’s holiday activities.
Our board
Responsible for the strategic direction of the SCIO our Board meet quarterly, and all except the chair are West Dunbartonshire residents. Members include;
- A seasoned management consultant in the chair, with a background in built and natural heritage
- An unpaid work team supervisor, former greenspace charity worker with a career as a credit controller as treasurer;
- A school teacher who has led on setting up outdoor learning experiences and spaces
- A wellbeing consultant who has worked with charities in the recovery sector
- A local resident and site user, and
- A former chair of an allotment society and farmer, now working in construction.
Stories
In 2021/2022 Anne Pitcher, storyteller, worked in Dumbarton West gathering stories from the community and running a series of workshops creating new ones and encouraging local storytelling.
The community farm that was on part of the site we now use was a popular topic. Some of the many stories Anne collected from people who remember it, or from local newspapers, are here for you to enjoy. The farm closed in 2011 and the site left to nature until the current project started in 2021.Â
We’re keen to continue to collect and share stories and pictures from the community farm. If you have some that you’re willing to share please get in touch, we’d love to have them.
The Beginnings
Knowetop Beginnings 1981-82
Knowetop Genesis - 1982 idea comes to life
1982 - plans for Knowetop - Miles Walsh's story
Away Days
1991 James Burrows - trip to Lanark
Mark Nicol Let's all go to the Royal Highland Show
Animal Tails
Gigot the ram 1987
Chucky - chequered Garter Snake 15 Sept 2004
Farm People
1999 'My name is Ghislaine'
Rose Harvie about 'The Organic Garden'
Angus MacDonnell
The Wildlife Pond by Euan
Jack McKeown 'Landscapes of a Farm'
Gallery
