Local project celebrates another year of taking outdoor learning back to its roots

Amid widespread concerns that a generation of young people are losing touch with the natural world, a unique collaboration between a National Park charity and a local energy firm is bucking the trend with an education project aimed at strengthening connections through practical experiences in the great outdoors.

The Gwreiddiau/Roots initiative, run by Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust with the financial support of South Hook LNG Terminal, was set up in 2020 to boost children’s knowledge of natural produce and the food networks that exist in their own community. Since then, the project has developed into a beacon of environmental education in the Milford Haven cluster of schools, and further afield. Over 5000 local students have been involved with 16 outdoor school areas having been enhanced, not to mention over 800 trees having been planted.

Highlights of the previous year’s programme included midsummer overnight camping experiences, coastal mapping workshops, biodiversity workshops, river trips and participation in Blossom and Apple Day events at St Brides Orchard. Learning experiences were also enhanced through the involvement of partner organisations, such as Pembrokeshire Outdoor Schools (PODS), Springboard, Roots to Recovery, Welsh National Opera (WNO), and Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation (PMSAC).

A total of nine schools took part in Gwreiddiau/Roots activities in 2023. These were: Johnston Community Primary School, Neyland Community School, St. Francis Catholic School, Coastlands CP School, Milford Haven Comprehensive School, Gelliswick VC Primary School, Hook Community Primary School, St Mark’s Church in Wales VA Primary School and Milford Primary School.

Director of the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust, Katie Macro, said: “We are immensely proud of the progress made by Gwreiddiau Roots in 2023 and are excited to build upon this success in the year ahead. By continuing to work with schools and organisations, we aim to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards and foster a deeper appreciation for our local heritage and natural resources.”

South Hook LNG’s General Manager, Hamad Al Samra, added: “Our partnership with Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust is incredibly special. Through the Roots project, children are experiencing the wonders of our local environment, and at south Hook, we are proud to be a part of these memorable learning experiences.”

Looking to the future, the Gwreiddiau/Roots project hopes to build on the good work done so far and pivot towards the River Cleddau, with its rich variety of habitats, biodiversity and heritage, as a focal point for curriculum and community engagement.

To learn more about outdoor learning programmes available to schools, go to www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/for-schools-and-educators.

Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust is a registered charity, set up to help care for and protect the National Park. Further information about the work it supports can be found at www.pembrokeshirecoasttrust.wales.