Pupils’ chance to get back to nature
adventure and environmental challenges on offer at Alladale
Published:
YOUNG people from six schools in Sutherland and Ross-shire are being offered the opportunity to get back to nature on a Highland estate.
About 140 pupils from Dingwall Academy, Tain Royal Academy, Alness Academy, Dornoch Academy, Invergordon Academy and Golspie High School will each spend six days at Alladale Wilderness Lodge and Reserve, near Ardgay, in Sutherland, taking part in an adventure and environmental challenge.
And they will spend the nights camping out in remote parts of the reserve.
The courses are being run by the Challenger Trust charity, which aims to help young people reach their potential through challenging outdoor education courses.
Half of the programme will be dedicated to activities, such as climbing, abseiling and trekking, which are aimed at improving the young people’s teamwork, problem solving and communication skills, as well as building their confidence and self-esteem.
The rest of the time they will be given the opportunity to work alongside rangers and get involved in the day-to-day running of the reserve.
The project, for which a pilot programme was held last year, has received funding from the Big Lottery Fund and millionaire Paul Lister, who owns the estate.
The first group of pupils to take part in the challenge this year are from Dingwall Academy.
They arrived on the estate on Monday and enjoyed their first day of activities on Tuesday, including tree planting and abseiling.
Challenger Trust trustee Jerry Witcher said: “We are delighted that our relationship with Alladale and the Big Lottery Fund has enabled us to offer this opportunity to so many young people across the Highlands. Despite it being on their doorstep, many of the young people taking part in the residential course will not have experienced rural Scotland before – it will be a huge learning experience.”
Mr Lister, who bought the 23,000-acre estate in 2003 for £3.2million, intends to restore the landscape to the way it would have been 2,000 years ago, including the animals that lived there at that time, such as wolves, lynx and bears. European elk and wild boar have already been introduced.
And he is hosting and helping to fund the Alladale Challenge project as part of his commitment to educating local people about the history and environment of the Highlands.
