Winnie the Pig Arrives to Help Seal the Pond

We’ve welcomed a new (and very important) arrival to Gamrie Gardens — Winnie the pig.

Winnie is here for a short working stay, helping us with a traditional land-based technique known as gleying, which is used to naturally seal ponds. Through her rooting and gentle disturbance of the soil, she’ll help compact and mix the layers in a way that reduces water loss — doing naturally what might otherwise take weeks of manual work. We expect this process to take up to a couple of months, with the added joy of Winnie’s company.

This project has been made possible with support from NESCAN, who have funded the work and will be following the process as part of a case study on low-impact, nature-based solutions.

We’re also incredibly grateful to Waulkmill Menagerie, who have loaned Winnie to us and are sharing their knowledge and experience throughout the project.

It’s a slightly unusual collaboration - but one that feels very aligned with how we like to do things here: working with natural processes, learning as we go, and finding low-tech, regenerative ways to care for the land.

If all goes well, this will leave us with a more resilient, self-sealing pond that can better support wildlife, water retention, and the wider ecosystem we’re building around it.

And in the meantime, Winnie is settling in beautifully — she’s very friendly and always happy to meet visitors.