“Timber!”
Beecraigs Country Park is home to an earth-shakingly exciting outdoor classroom event this week thanks to the Woodland Trust Scotland – where children will get to create a special wooden bench for their schools.
Primary schools from across West Lothian will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of a working forest, develop their woodworking skills and learn about how their local woodlands are managed.
The event has been designed so that the school children can witness the whole process behind creating a wooden product. They will experience the awe of seeing a tree being felled before watching the ‘wood–mizer’ prepare and saw the logs into different sized planks. After that the children will all help to build a two-seater bench out of the wood for their own school grounds!
The event is part of the Trust’s Branching Out West Lothian (BOWL) project which aims to improve the biodiversity value of the woods, encourage more people to get out and into their local woods and enable schools to use their local woods as a classroom, providing inspiration for learning across the curriculum.
Kate Walters. Learning Project Officer for the Trust. said, “Events like this are an excellent way to bring learning to life. We hope that through this event, children will gain a better understanding of why it is important to care for and manage woodland whilst providing a sense of connection to their local surroundings.”
The project has received funding from Heritage Lottery Fund, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Executive, Forward Scotland through the Community Environmental Renewal Scheme and West Lothian Council.
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Notes to editors
Participating Schools: Blackridge Primary School, Broxburn Academy, Springfield Primary School, Dedridge Primary School, Linlithgow Bridge Primary School, Stoneyburn Primary School, St Joseph’s Primary School, Polkemmet Primary School, Meldrum Primary School, St Thomas Primary School, Broxburn Academy.
For media enquiries contact: Jacqui Morris on 01355 578777 or mobile 07979706675 or The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121, e-mail media@woodlandtrust.org.uk
The Woodland Trust: The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters. The Trust has four key aims: i) No further loss of ancient woodland; ii) Restoring and improving the biodiversity of woods; iii) Increasing new native woodland; iv) Increasing people’s understanding and enjoyment of woodland.
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres).
In 1984, the Trust acquired its first wood in Scotland. Today the Trust owns 80 sites across Scotland covering 8,500 hectares. Further news can be accessed via www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
