Webinar
Seeing the Wood for the Trees: how do you know your community woodland group is making a difference?
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026. 4-5pm. Online. Free.
Community woodland groups create lasting benefits for people, places and nature. But how do you capture those benefits and tell the story of the difference your woodland makes?
Join us on Tuesday 22nd September, 4-5 pm, for an informal conversation with Gary Walsh from Evaluation Support Scotland as we explore practical approaches to recording, understanding and communicating impact. This discussion will focus on how community woodland groups can gather meaningful evidence of their work, demonstrate outcomes to funders and stakeholders, and use evaluation as a tool for learning and improvement rather than simply a reporting requirement.
Together, we'll discuss common challenges faced by volunteer-led organisations, simple ways to collect useful information, and how many groups may already be evaluating their impact without recognising it as such. We'll also consider how demonstrating impact can strengthen funding applications, support decision-making, and help communities better understand the value of their woodlands.
This is not a formal training session or presentation. Instead, it will be a relaxed, participatory discussion with opportunities to share experiences, reflect on current practice, and learn from others working across community woodlands and the wider third sector.
Should you have any questions that you would like to send through in advance, then please email them to sharon@communitywoods.org
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Gary’s background is in education and project management of third sector programmes for children and young people. He completed his PhD at University of Glasgow. His research interests relate to social justice, citizenship, philosophy of education and trauma-informed practice. He initially trained and worked as a professional musician.
At ESS, Gary provides evaluation support to third sector organisations, including tailored support and more complex pieces of work, while also working on Business Development for ESS. He leads the Third Sector Research Forum and he works with colleagues at Scottish Government to improve funding relationships with the third sector.
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Trustees, volunteers, staff, and anyone involved in community woodland management who wants to better understand, demonstrate and communicate the impact of their work.