‘When outside I feel so peaceful, I can’t focus at school, when I’m outside I can focus and it has helped me with my work.” Teenage participant, 2019

Annual Review 2019

wildthings.org.uk ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IS FOR EVERYONE!

2019 has been another exciting year for Wild Things. Our plans for growth and development continued to bear fruit as we embarked upon a year-long development phase for our new Silver Saplings project. We made leaps and strides in our habitat restoration of River and took our accredited training all over the UK, delivering as far north as Sutherland and as far south as London!

It was an amazing final year for our -based Wild Connections programme, which engaged groups of all ages and abilities. Our activities included biological recording, wild women weekends, fungi forays, woodland and coastal classrooms, supporting local youth at the endangered species parade, tackling invasive non-native species and much more. We worked with local groups, schools and families on everything from health & wellbeing to local conservation.

Our Habitat Restoration project on the Findhorn River had a hugely successful year too. We worked closely with partners and well over 30 local volunteers to control and prevent the spread of giant hogweed, Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed. Of these, giant hogweed presents a significant challenge to native flora and fauna whilst its toxic leaves remain a growing public health concern that we are keen to tackle.

2019 was also the most ambitious and successful year for our accredited training ever! Not only did we deliver more training courses from our Findhorn base, but we took our training across the country, from London to Lochinver, the isle of Gigha to Aviemore and beyond.

Perhaps most importantly of all, Wild Things embarked upon a year of intensive development for our new, nature-based health and wellbeing project, Silver Saplings. This unique, intergenerational programme engages whole communities whilst placing older people at the heart of our work. For the first time, we delivered our activities to the residents of care homes across , giving isolated older people the chance to re-discover the natural world in the good company of younger volunteers and our knowledgeable outdoor instructors.

At Wild things, we believe the natural world is for everyone, no matter what age you are. We’re incredibly excited to scale up our projects in 2020 and would like to warmly thank all our funders, supporters and volunteers for everything they have done to make our important work possible.

We hope to see you in the great outdoors soon!

Chief Executive Officer WOODLAND AND COASTAL CLASSROOMS

This year our work with primary and secondary schools was focused around improving physical and mental wellbeing through meaningful interaction with each other and the natural world. Students learned to look after their own wellbeing whilst also looking after the wellbeing of local habitats.

We worked with 403 children across 13 schools and early years centers: Primary, Drumduan School, Primary, Portessie Primary, Knockando Primary School, Primary, East End Primary, Beechbrae Education Centre, High 403 CHILDREN 13 SCHOOLS School, Pilmuir Primary, Anderson’s Primary School, Craigellachie Pre-School Nursery.

SILVER SAPLINGS DEVELOPMENT

Our Silver Saplings project was tried and tested extensively throughout 2019 and enabled us to work with whole communities across Moray. We developed exciting, intergenerational health and wellbeing programmes for all ages, ranging from 5 to 95 years old!

These included: · Care home programmes in Andersons and Meadowlark care homes · Supported nature-daytrips for mobile older people · Youth leadership and wellbeing programmes for vulnerable teenagers · Mental health and wellbeing sessions for adults with mental health challenges · Little Saplings health and wellbeing woodland classrooms for primary age children

BEFORE HABITAT RESTORATION Wild things! has continued to work with our partners, Findhorn, Nairn & Lossie Fisheries Trust to control the proliferation of Giant Hogweed, Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam, on the lower Findhorn river. AFTER

NTEERS LU O A total of 36 local volunteers contributed 60 days to our Habitat V 6 3

Restoration Project which covers 125 acres of acutely infested native,

riparian woodland on the banks of Findhorn River. This habitat is host to

S many protected and enigmatic species, including osprey, E R 1 2 5 A C otter and Atlantic salmon.

ACCREDITED TRAINING

This year we issued 131 Outdoor Leadership qualifications in coastal and woodland environments. That’s almost twice as many as in previous years! Our leader training courses remain an essential strand of our work, enabling us to equip others with the skills and expertise needed to lead exciting environmental education activities outdoors.

Our surveys show that, on average, our graduates go on to share their newly gained skills and knowledge with over 400 people each:

1 NEW TRAINER REACHES 86 ADULTS 114 YOUNG PEOPLE 226 CHILDREN THANK YOU

Our work is only possible thanks to the generosity of Others: Altyre & Logie Estate; Castle/ our funders and supporters. We would like to say a huge Estate; Cullerne Garderns group; Culloden Rainbows; thanks for making our important work happen. Dr Grays Hospital; Findhorn Church of Scotland; Findhorn, Nairn and Lossiemouth Fisheries Trust; Our Funders in 2019 Findhorn Village Centre; Forestry Commission; Forres The Gordon and Ena Baxter Foundation; Highlands and Action Community Trust; Forres Community Woodland Islands Enterprise; Big Lottery Community Fund; Trust; Forres Outreach; Forres Boys Brigade; Hillcrest EB Scotland - Scottish Landfill Communities Fund; House; Hinterland Trust; Innes Estate; John Muir The Heritage Lottery Fund; Beatrice Partnership Fund; Awards; Kilravock Estate; Moray Way Association; The Robertson Trust. New Findhorn Association; Quarriers; Scapafest; Scripture Union; Spey Fisheries; Trees for Life; WDC Our other Supporters and Partners in 2019 Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

Primary Schools – Avoch, Culbokie, East End, Glass, Hopeman, Kinloss, Knockando, Merkinch, Munlochy, Portessie, Tore

Secondary Schools – High, Culloden Academy Keith Grammar

Further Education – Moray College UHI

‘Thank you so much to the leaders for providing me with this life changing knowledge and education. I enjoyed every minute even the homework!” Jill, primary school teacher

Findhorn Village Centre Church Place Findhorn, Forres Moray IV36 3YR Tel: 01309 690450 Email: [email protected] www.wild-things.org.uk

Scottish charity no: SC034873 Company no: SC251691