Bathgate pupils have their eyes on countryside

Oct 9 2008 by Marjorie Kerr, West Lothian Courier

PUPILS from a West Lothian school left the classroom to explore other young people’s views on the countryside.

The Bathgate Academy students took part in a project to identify young people’s views on the area’s woods as part of the Woodland Trust’s Branching Out West Lothian scheme.

Funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund Young Roots initiative, will enable the Trust to work with five West Lothian secondary schools, encourage the pupils to think about their local woodland and develop a film which will focus on the positive aspects of their natural heritage.

Those involved with the Young Roots initiative will work together to prepare their own script, star in and produce the films, which portray the natural environment in a positive light.

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.

Kate Walters, woodland learning project officer, said: “This is a really exciting development which we hope will have a lasting impact on those young people involved.”