Enchanted Birthday Party and Play for Clearburn’s First Birthday

Clearburn is celebrating its first birthday with an enchanted play party and recognising the enjoyment that the play area has brought in the last 12 months to the local community and visitors to New Lanark World Heritage Site.

The Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership are inviting children and their families to join them at the award winning Clearburn Natural Play and picnic area at New Lanark World Heritage Site to take part in a free enchanted birthday and play party to celebrate the play area’s first birthday.  There will be lots of fun and games including the chance to make fairy and elf potions with the Scottish Wildlife Trust, a fairy door hunt, arts and crafts and, of course, balloons and birthday cake.

Clearburn is a Big Lottery and Clyde and Avon Valley funded project which has resulted in the creation of a beautiful natural play space right in the heart of New Lanark. The local community and schools were involved in all stages of the project, from the initial consultations right through to implementation. 60 members of the local community and local schools took part in workshops to create the more sensory elements of the project such as the willow tunnel, storytelling dome, bog garden, sensory path and wildflower meadow.

Children from New Lanark Primary School, Robert Owen Memorial Primary School and Lanark Primary School played a key role in the development of the play area with their ideas and drawings being incorporated into it. All of the school children who were involved with the project had their names carved into a bench so that their contributions will be recognised for years to come.

Now, one year on, Clearburn is celebrating its first birthday with an enchanted play party and recognising the enjoyment that the play area has brought in the last 12 months to the local community and visitors to New Lanark World Heritage Site.

Karen Dobbins, Development Officer at CAVLP, said: “We are delighted to be involved in this project with our partners the New Lanark Trust. Creating opportunities for natural play is a key CAVLP aim and Clearburn is a fantastic asset to the area. Surrounded by woodland and with the Clear burn itself flowing through the play area, it allows safe access for children to ‘play wild’ and explore the natural environment. It really is something to celebrate”. 

The Clearburn first birthday party is a free, family drop in event on Saturday 12th September, 1pm until 3pm.  The birthday cake will be cut at 1pm.