Orchards Project Inspires Clyde Valley Primary School Pupils
Primary schools in the Landscape Partnership area participated in a Schools Orchard project
Between September 2011 and June 2013 five primary schools in the Landscape Partnership area participated in a Schools Orchard project that aimed to inspire and support children and communities to learn about, enjoy and make practical steps to conserve the diversity and distinctiveness of their local fruit-growing heritage. The project was delivered by the national school grounds charity, Grounds for Learning, and as well as supporting the schools in the Clyde valley to plant and look after their own orchards within the school grounds, it also included schools from across Scotland in projects designed to ‘learn through landscapes’.

Each of the schools planted their own orchard (it only takes five trees ) using old Scottish varieties that used to be grown in the Clyde valley. In the autumn they picked their first apples and pressed them to make juice. It was a great experience for the children. You can’t beat planting your own fruit trees, picking the apples and then drinking the juice!
At the end of the project short case studies were prepared by each school at Kirkfieldbank, Highmill, Kirkton, Law and Underbank. These are attached and give a flavour of the activities in each school and the interest and enthusiasm that the project created.