Education and publicity
We're in this together
Which section of the Trust's workforce do you think is most important? That's a trick question, of course, as each is equally vital to our success and each depends on support from the others. Our work in developing nature in school grounds gives a good example of the Trust pulling together for the common good - volunteers, staff educationalists, conservationists, reserves people, fund-raisers, administrators and plant-growers, to name but afew.
It's little wonder that school grounds work has become a key activity for us, as it meets so many of the Trust's objectives:
increasing the amount and "connectedness" of wildlife habitat; improving the quality of people's daily environment; bringing people into contact with nature; teaching existing and future generations to appreciate and conserve the living world.
A demonstration project has recently been set up at Richard
Lander School in Truro to show what can be achieved even in
a small space. Designed as a miniature version of the Trust's
nearby Halbullock Moor Nature Reserve, the study area - just
20 metres square - took shape in less than a week, thanks to
Prince's Trust volunteers, pupils and our own Lorna Crewes
and Stewart Clark.
Lorna and Stewart are now collecting and growing for a larger-scale development at Rosemellin Primary School in Camborne (partly funded by Whitbread). We hope both projects will inspire other schools and generate further demand for our advisory and plant-growing services.
Anything, anywhere, anytime
As well as providing advisory visits, guidance and training sessions on school grounds, we are doing the same for churchyards, local wildlife areas, caravan parks, village ponds or any other site with potential for nature and education. We've been able to help a number of local groups to obtain Rural Action grants for community projects, so do let us know if you have an idea for one.
The Trust' s full range of educational services is too extensive to list here - anything, anywhere, any time just about sums it up - so just ask if you're interested. We also cater for over a thousand junior - Fox Club and Wildlife Watch - members of the Trust. See the diary for our many and varied events.
Publicity work often has to take a back seat due to the demands of educational and conservation duties, but the media continue to see us as an excellent source of stories. The Swanpool terrapins and the Kemick and Ottery meadows saga are two issues which have drawn national attention in the last few months, and our television coverage has also included pond conservation, the humpback whale, the Habitat Appeal, Richard Lander' 5 school grounds and Esso National Tree Week.
Various wetland habitats feature in the new ecological study area at Richard
Lander School. Pictured left to right are Trust Education Officer Mark
Nicholson, teacher Mike O'Hare and Prince's Trust volunteers Ellen Burrows,
Verity Curnow and Sharon Grant. Photo: Stuart Hutchings.
Frizzell Competition
By Emily Cade - taken at Tredis
By James Betty - taken at Gull Rock, Kiberick Cove
The Cornwall winners of the South West Junior Photographic Competition - sponsored by Frizzell - were as follows: 7-10 years - 1st Emily Cade of Sheviock, 2nd Chloe Rickard of Truro, 3rd Eleanor Walsh of Truro; 11-14 years - 1st and 3rd James Betty of Veryan, 2nd Laura Jones of Davidstow. Each received a cash prize, and the two first-prize winners each received an additional £200 award for their schools (which we hope will be spent on their groundsl) - St Nicolas Primary in Downderry and The Roseland Community School in Tregony.
Mark Nicholson
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