Despite a cold wet start to the day a great turn out of 26 willing volunteers assembled at the Ben Nevis Highland Visitor Centre for this years Friends of Nevis Autumn Litter Pick and Curling Ponds Clear Up. 
With the large turn out the lower Glen was comprehensively covered including the Ben Nevis Mountain Path up to the top of Heart Attack and also paths and car parks in the upper glen.
A welcome lunch of hot soup and sandwiches was provided at the midday meet up at Braveheart.
The event was a great success with several bags of rubbish being removed from the environment. The rubbish varied from remains of an abandoned tent to the usual collection of wipes, nappies, wrappers etc. It wasn't all rubbish that was being spotted however and it was a privilege to watch an otter hunting in the shallows of the river Nevis from the vantage point of the Youth Hostel bridge. One positive observation was that the efforts of this years Seasonal Nevis Ranger Team could be seen in terms of a reduction in quantity of rubbish being encountered. 
A huge thankyou to all the volunteers who turned out, to Kirstie, Fiona, Claire and Hughie who did a brilliant job of organising and to the Highland Council, The Ben Nevis Highland Centre and Nevis Landscape Partnership for supporting the event.

Trustee Kirsty Ross presenting long serving Friends of Nevis Chair Joy Biggin with gifts and flowers on her retirement from the Trustees

Friends of Nevis returned to the Glen Nevis Restaurant to hold their 2022 AGM, the first one to be held in person after the previous two years of lockdown. With a turn out of almost 50 the night was a true social occasion enabling new friends and old to meet and socialize. The original guest speaker was sadly unable to attend however after the formal AGM business was concluded Participation Officer Rory Stewart gave a talk about what Nevis meant to him and Friends of Nevis member Noel Williams gave an excellent illustrated talk on some of the historic crossing points in the Steall Gorge area. He has recently been exploring the gorge, finding remnants of some of the long forgotten crossing points and took some of the Nevis rangers out on an exciting exploration of the south side of the gorge earlier in the summer. 
The main event of the evening however was the huge show of affection and gratitude from the Friends of Nevis to Joy Biggin and her husband Paul, who have stepped down from their roles as Chair of the Trustees and Membership Secretary respectively. Joy and Paul have been involved in the Friends since their formation in 2008 and Joy has spent much of that time as an active member, Trustee and for many years Chair. She also served on the board of NLP from 2014-2019 as an advisory director representing the Friends of Nevis. Both Joy and Paul have generously given a huge amount of their time and commitment to the Friends of Nevis and we all wish them all the very best. Joy will continue to serve as a Director on the board of NLP and both will no doubt be seen at many volunteer events. 
During the meeting two new Trustees, Alison Stewart and Heather Thomson were proposed and seconded to the board and Trustee Claire McLeod will be taking on the role of Chair of the Trustees.

The popular drop in bird ringing events at the Contemplation Woodland by the Ben Nevis Visitor Centre are set to continue, weather permitting,  run by BTO licensed Bird Ringers Kirsty Ross and John Owen
No need to book, just drop in any time between 9am and 3pm on the day
Dates, weather permitting:
Saturday 19th November
Saturday 10th December

Volunteers Ellie, Jenny, Gavin and Calum on the Allt a Mhuilinn Path

Despite a poor forecast of wind and rain 7 hardy volunteers braved the weather to join a volunteer work party on Saturday 5th November. 
The group split into two with volunteers Steve and Helen heading into Glen Nevis to tackle vegetation along the Lower Falls to Paddies Bridge path and the rest heading up with NLP Participation Officer Rory to tackle cross drains along the Allt a Mhuilinn path to the CIC hut below the north face of Ben Nevis.
It was great to have two of the ex 2022 Nevis Rangers, Charlotte and Ellie,  returning to help as well as regular volunteers Jenny, Gavin and Calum. 
Both teams met their objectives and the Allt a Mhuilinn team cleared up within a couple of hundred metres from the CIC hut, meaning the path has had its final clear before the winter season. A huge thanks to all the volunteers for their efforts in this vital work.

NLP and JMT Ranger Team at Ben Nevis Summit Cairn during Summit Litter Clear

The NLP base at An Drochaid has been strangely quiet for the last few days...sadly our 2022 Seasonal Rangers finished at the end of October, however the legacy of the results of the work they did over the summer months lives on. They played a vital role in caring for the Glen and the Ben and were a key presence at the tourist hotspots during the busy season, mitigating impacts and engaging with visitors. They also helped on many of the Friends of Nevis Volunteer Work Parties throughout the summer. Without their efforts the Glen and the Ben would look very different this autumn in terms of litter, waste, path condition and general visitor impacts. Friends of Nevis would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the three ranger teams for their hard work and great company: Michaela & Angus from Jahama Highland Estates; Steph from John Muir Trust; Ellie, Evie, Charlotte and Julia from the Nevis Landscape Partnership.