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The Waterways Trust Scotland’s environmental improvement programme at Auchinstarry Basin in Croy

School children help kick off start of work on sensory trail

three of 40 children from schools in the Kilsyth area joined Provost Tom Curly and guests to kick off the second phase of The Waterways Trust Scotland’s environmental improvement programme at Auchinstarry Basin in Croy on Tuesday 8th June 2010.

40 children from schools in the Kilsyth area joined Provost Tom Curly and guests to kick off the second phase of The Waterways Trust Scotland’s environmental improvement programme at Auchinstarry Basin in Croy on Tuesday 8th June 2010.

The new sensory trail, which is funded by funded by North Lanarkshire Council, CEMEX Community Fund, HBOS Foundation, Kelvin Valley Leader, WREN and the Forestry Commission Scotland, will feature artwork created by the primary school children and they were delighted to be guests of honour at the launch event.

Karen Moore, Development Director, explained: “We are really pleased to be embarking on the second phase of our environmental improvement project, Scents & Sensitivities, at Auchinstarry Basin. The garden and trails are a community resource and we want as many people as possible to be part of their creation and care.

“We now have a thriving Friends of Auchinstarry group on board, who are working hard to ensure the garden and trails are looked after and cared for. Through our new employability project, we have taken on three young trainees to help them to develop gardening and landscaping skills which will hopefully help them to secure permanent work in the future. And our interpretation and orientation art project with local schools was a fabulous way of raising awareness of the new garden, helping the children to develop new skills whilst teaching them about the canal, its history and flora and fauna.”

Under the guidance of professional artist Julia Smith, 83 primary school-aged children have created a range of artefacts which will help interpret the new trail and existing garden.

Pupils from Banton Primary school have produced moulds of animal tracks to be used in stepping stones in the garden. Chapelgreen school pupils have made birdhouses and children at Holy Cross Primary school have made tiles showing different types of boat that used the canal. Pupils from Kilsyth Primary school have made tiles representing industrial artefacts. The birdhouses and tiles will be featured on a unique ‘Timeline Totem’ which will take pride of place in the garden once it is complete.

Work on creating the new sensory trail and garden will get underway in July this year.