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Education and publicity Our new Government’s three stated priorities are education, education and education - a very popular idea with the general public, but what do The Wildlife Trusts think?Our national education conference back in autumn gave a chance for conservationists and educationalists within the Trusts to work out how they could best co-operate to deliver The Wildlife Trusts’ Conservation Plan. (We are, of course, all conservationists, whether or not we are directly involved in protecting and managing habitats, but everyone needs a label.) The result was very positive and left no doubt that we need each other’s knowledge and skills if we are to succeed. Looking at our Trust’s staff list, you could be forgiven for thinking that education is not a high priority in Cornwall - the word education appears in the title of only one person out of 26. The situation isn’t as bad as it looks, as most of them do contribute to education (whether they realise it or not); our education section is there for guidance whenever requested. There is also a major volunteer input, not leastly through the programmes of events organised by Trust branches and groups.
Drawing Attention The Trust’s TV coverage in autumn included seals, Prideaux Wood, frogs and toads, the Rag and Bone 2000 initiative, St Erth Pits and the heathland garden at Roche School, while radio stations and newspapers covered many more of our activities. Make sure you let us know if you have anything we can publicise. Innovation and imagination in the redevelopment of school grounds always draws media attention, as at Roche Primary. The parents and community of Bude Infants’ School have come up with a winner in the form of their "Rail Trail" themed area. We helped them to add a Local Projects Fund grant to the money they had raised themselves, and we will report further in the next issue. There’s also been good news for Bishop Cornish Primary School in Saltash, for whose grounds the Trust has secured a grant of over £10,000 through the Landfill Tax. Meanwhile, applications have been submitted to various funding sources to cover the cost of larger-scale support for Cornish schools and another member of staff for education - fingers crossed.
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