2021 Aberdeenshire Grant Awards

In response to our call for applications, we're pleased to announce that we have offered to support the following projects with £6,610 in grants in 2021 to faciltate their outdoor education plans:

• Westhill scout group, £1,352 to offer a wider range of Scouting activities by buying camping equipment for Westhill scout group which will add to their existing stock of 'base camp tents and equipment, and allow them to offer more adventurous activities and continue to provide equipment for follow-on use by the next intakes of Scouts and Explorer Scouts. The equipment includes a Coleman event shelter, Kelly Kettle, Trangia, tent etc

• Kemnay community wildlife garden, £400: a school community wildlife garden. This garden would be used to support the nurture of their children that have had adverse childhood experiences, have ADD, ADHD, or are victims of bullying. In the longer term the garden will be open to all teachers, support assistants, parents and wider community to enjoy and explore.

• Flexible Childcare Services Scotland SCO49318, £1,000 to take their groups of children with Additional Support Needs out into the communities to explore local parks and buy fire pits so the children can use them safely outside the venues they use.

• Aberdeenshire Sailing Trust, £1,150: to buy sailing equipment (wetsuits / lifejackets) for Aberdeenshire Sailing Trust so more children can go sailing more often. They want to be able to meet the unprecedented demand for sailing that there is with schools asking to bring bigger groups, more holiday programmes, more demand from the general public, and more sessions running alongside each other.

• Balmedie Primary School, £1,500 to buy a tipi and backpacks for Balmedie school to go on adventure. They have so far used this to host a talk about a husky trek and a farming talk which included live animals

• Spikin Autism and More: £360, to provide outdoor activities for those in and around the Aberdeen /shire area such as Sea Safari Trips, Sailing, Kayaking, Go Karting and Archery for those affected by an Autism Spectrum Condition, Additional Support Need or any other Condition. But not only provide these activities, we would like to ensure they are made as Inclusive as possible possible by minimising any potential barriers, and to do that we need to consider such things as cost and geographical location so that we ensure the activities we offer are affordable by those families affected by poverty and accessible to those in the most rural of locations.

• Burnhaven Primary School: £849 to enhance our outside learning experiences, we would like to have some chickens to encourage our children to be independent, responsible and nurturing. This grant will pay for a coop for the school to keep hens in after previous success in hatching chicks. They think having their own small flock will be a more sustainable experience for our children, encouraging them to be responsible in our outdoor setting.