Our story
A woodland is more than just a collection of trees. It is a complex, biodiverse ecosystem filled with life. The older a woodland is, the greater its potential for biodiversity.
Established in 1796, Kingsmeadows is a 14-acre, 230-year old riparian woodland on the banks of the iconic river Tweed. With over 750 mature trees, including 10 veteran and 81 notable trees on the ATI, these woods host a wealth of species of birds, mammals, invertebrates, ancient woodland indicator plants, fungi, lichens, mosses and ferns.
The woodland at
the heart of Peebles
This wild place sits right at the heart of the community of Peebles, giving local people access to an abundance of nature on their doorstep.
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This much-loved community woodland has been under threat from commercial development for 10 years, but the people of Peebles have worked together to halt the destruction of this precious natural asset.
Now we want to bring the woodland into community ownership, to ensure that it is protected for generations to come.
Our vision
Our vision is of a world where nature is given space to thrive, where people live in harmony with their environment and we respect all life as equal.
Our mission
​Our mission is to safeguard and enhance the wild spaces in our community, foster a deep connection between people and nature, and radically change the way we think about and treat our natural world to build a better future for all life.
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Working with local people, volunteers and community organisations, our aim is to bring natural spaces into community ownership in order to protect them from development, to enhance their biodiversity for the benefit of everyone and to provide our community and our wildlife the chance to grow and thrive. ​​
Our aims
Protect woodlands and green spaces by bringing them into community ownership.
Preserve, enhance and create local biodiversity and nature networks.
Encourage the study of local flora, fauna and fungi by experts and local people.
Provide outdoor learning experiences for young people of all ages.
Provide opportunities to participate in citizen science and nature-based projects.
Safeguard Peebles’ heritage by saving this historic designated landscape.
Meet the Kingsmeadows trustees
Catriona Hamilton
Cat is a family carer, born, brought up and living in Peebles. As a qualified Forest School assistant, Cat knows from experience how crucial nature connection is for our well-being.
She considers herself an activist and eco-socialist, campaigning for the rights of nature and community. An active committee member for Scottish Borders Greens and a self-confessed tree hugger, Cat is passionate about protecting our natural environment and increasing biodiversity, and volunteers with various local charitable projects. When she can she enjoys getting creative by upcycling and crafting using natural resources.
Dr Catriona McKay
Cat is a biologist with a 30-year career as a scientist and medical writer. One of her great loves, since early childhood, has been to study the natural world around her.
Returning to Peebles in 2015, Cat was drawn to protect her local environment through grassroots campaigning. She is passionate about biological recording, conservation and restoring biodiversity to her native Borders. As a Trustee of Kingsmeadows, Borders Meadows Trust and Planning Democracy, she believes that we all – people and nature – deserve a fair and equal chance to live, thrive and prosper.
Dr Joanne Topalian
Jo is a GP and environmental advocate who has lived in Peebles since 2012, returning to the rural lifestyle of her youth in Stirlingshire. Jo's professional background in psychology, environmental psychology and medicine reinforces her conviction that we cannot have healthy people without a healthy planet.
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Jo is a fierce proponent of nature restoration, driven by the stark reality that Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.1,2 As a scuba diver for 30 years, she has witnessed the impact of human activity on Scotland’s marine ecosystems and the extraordinary abundance of life that returns when these fragile environments are protected. Jo's friends and peers describe her as outspoken, passionate and committed. She is dedicated to protecting Scotland’s remaining wild spaces and actively driving their expansion and enhancement.
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Scotland ranks in the bottom 25% of nations globally for biodiversity intactness.
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1. State of Nature Scotland Report, 2023. Available at: State of Nature Scotland Report | NatureScot
2. Natural History Museum’s Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII). Available at: Biodiversity Intactness Index | Natural History Museum​
Dr Michael Marshall
Michael grew up in Sydney, moving to Brighton in 2006, then to his wife's home town of Peebles in 2016. With a 40-year career as technologist and strategist and an MBA (finance), he is passionate about learning, recently completing a PhD in particle physics theory at Edinburgh University.
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Michael feels a deep sense of urgency to address the climate, biodiversity and population crises our species has created and can no longer abide the lies perpetuating those emergencies. His ethos is that everyone should have the opportunity to live a meaningful life, caring for our neighbours, the environment and the creatures we share our biosphere with. He believes that a healthy society’s purpose is to ensure all life thrives – not to perpetuate the privilege of the few, currently jeopardising all life on our planet.
