Last Updated on: 21st November 2023, 08:48 pm
Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, an independent conservation and heritage charity, have been working with youth groups across West Dunbartonshire to encourage young people to explore the natural environment.
Thanks to a grant from West Dunbartonshire Council’s Year of Young People Legacy Fund, 156 young people aged between nine and 17 from Tullochan, Y-Sort-It and Ben View have been able to take part in residential stays, day trips and half-day trips.
Activities included learning bushcraft skills, weaselling, canoeing, paddleboarding, climbing, archery and hill-walking, whilst positive practical action such as litter-picking was also incorporated into some of the events.
Ryan Waddell, youth worker from Tullochan, said of a trip to Blairvadach Outdoor Education Centre at Loch Lomond: “The group all had a great time, we got to do great activities as well as learn about the Loch and some of its islands.”
Jennifer Plunkett, Project Support Officer with the Friends, said: “It has been so worthwhile and rewarding to work with local youth groups and to know that so many young people have benefitted from getting out and about in the National Park to learn about nature whilst also trying out new activities and having fun at the same time. This has only been possible with the funding received from West Dunbartonshire Council. I would like to thank everyone involved in making these trips and activities a reality.”
The grant from West Dunbartonshire Council’s Year of Young People Legacy Fund has enabled the Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs to provide outdoor activities for 156 young people, introducing them to the natural environment whilst providing them with the opportunity to try out new activities.
