A Thousand Huts

A couple of pieces appearing over the past week have underlined the notion that this hutting campaign could be very big – it could be a social revolution.

First, is Peter McColl’s blog post at Bright Green which outlines why huts represent something quite fundamental in terms of society’s relationship with nature and the political forces that have shaped that over the centuries.

Then, there is an amusing take on the topic by Scotland’s best loved political sketch writer, Rab McNeil in Holyrood Magazine. I won’t say any more – just read it!

We had a fantastic conference on 15 June with over 150 people turning up. Detailed planning is underway on how to take the campaign forward. Meanwhile, contact us if you have any questions.

Please also join in the 250 and more people talking about huts on our Facebook page.

A motion has been tabled today (23 June 2011) in the Scottish Parliament supporting the thousandhuts campaign by Alison Johnstone MSP. Please contact your MSP and encourage them to sign it.

S4M-00380 Alison Johnstone: Thousand Huts Campaign—That the Parliament welcomes the Thousand Huts campaign launched by Reforesting Scotland on 15 June 2011; supports the campaign’s aims – to celebrate, expand, protect and enjoy the use of huts in Scotland for living, working and relaxing in; celebrates the cultural heritage of hutting communities such as that at Carbeth; considers that having access to a hut brings many benefits in terms of physical and mental health as well as spiritual and emotional wellbeing; notes also the recreational and play benefits that the experience of using huts brings, particularly for people on low incomes; supports calls for changes to the planning system to support hut building; endorses the campaign’s call for better security of tenure for existing hutters; deplores the eviction of hutters such as those at Barry Downs, Carnoustie, and calls on the Scottish Government to support the aims of the campaign and to explore ways in which land owned by it can be used to expand hutting.

Welcome to the heart of Reforesting Scotland’s new campaign on Scottish hutting.

15 June Conference – flyer and conference programme and Press Release

At Reforesting Scotland’s 2010 annual gathering, it was proposed to start a campaign to promote and expand hutting culture that will promote hutting as a valuable and acceptable way of woodland living, working and learning.

Hutting in Scotland has its roots in working class culture and has provided an affordable means for people from towns and cities to enjoy the countryside. With little money, hutters took out a small stake in marginal land to create a powerful symbol of freedom, enterprise and independence – building simple homes and shaping their own place, culture and community. The Carbeth hutters are best known and grew to prominence at the height of land reform in Scotland in the 1990s when their landlord sought to carry out a twentieth century clearance.

A further expansion of hutting could promote sustainable living, social benefits to disadvantaged groups, recreational opportunities, and a practical, sustainable and affordable form of housing, educational and adventure opportunities utilising practical woodland management and woodworking skills.

We are aiming to progress hutting on three fronts:

1.Raising awareness of the simple beauty and value of huts.
2.Promoting sustainable hut building from local timber.
3.Developing a campaign for huts, heart and planning changes.

The aims of the campaign are likely to be to: identify ways of overcoming key barriers to hutting (awareness, planning system and access to land); and to undertake political and practical campaigning to expand hutting culture. We hope that the end result will be heightened awareness and revitalised action on hutting and new opportunities for folk who could not otherwise enjoy a hut.