Forest Project

Brannock High School Parent Council seeks your support for an exciting new project that we are undertaking to create a woodland forest school on a small area of woodland beside our school. This initiative aims to provide children with a hands-on learning experience in nature, fostering creativity, environmental stewardship, and outdoor skills.

Check back often... as we don’t hang around! If you would like to be involved drop us a mail and let us know!!

(Updates are in reverse order!)

June

Our attention moved to the flower beds at the front of the school - a few hours of hard work, thankfully in the sun, completly changed the first planter closest to the door - We would love your help to do the rest, and build on what has started!

May

The spring saw a burst of growth- The entrance area of deep briars, originally cleared back by the Countryside Rangers and volunteer team, was making a comeback. This was again cleared back with the assistance, and ultimate death, of a petrol lawnmower. A thick layer of bark was spread over some of the entrance, with some some undergrowth left for the bees, insects and other wildlife. Hopefully this will hold nature back a little in the entrance area.

The weekend after the area behind the gate was cleared. WOW! what a lot of rubbish! Each time the spade went in, the sound of another burried can or bottle.

April

Work continues on clearing paths- It is sometimes difficult to remember where we started, so a short video shows some of the progress that has been made.

March - update #2

The countryside ranger team and volunteer group made a big impact on the entrance area! That is an understatement- What an amazing difference! Brambles, briars, and so much rubbish - all gone!

The circular path is now complete, including a woodchipped clearing. Around 30 bags of rubbish have already been removed - and there’s still more to go! Take a look at the latest video!!

March End update (youtube)

Check back often... as we dont hang around! If you would like to be involved drop us mail and let us know!

March

Last week saw a lot of progress. On Friday the 7th, the Countryside Ranger team from NLC visited with a volunteer group. They did an amazing job clearing the entrance area, cutting back bushes along the external path, lifting some trees in the entrance, and trimming back the willow. Paths inside the forest area were also widened and tidied. Altogether, it was a fantastic and productive day!

On Saturday the 8th, we had arranged a school/parent litter pick. Unfortunately, it wasn’t well attended — only our music teacher and their partner came along. However, we still managed to complete the loop path and removed over 12 full bags of tins and bottles! This made a huge difference and gave some much-needed visual relief, as the rubbish had been distracting from all the amazing work completed so far.

It’s looking amazing! ( We have shared a video showing the work done before the rangers, volunteers, and litter pick took place.)

The forest school used the site for the first time this month. We're hoping that by the time they return, they'll notice an even bigger improvement!

The Begining:

After opening up the space, we gained access to the forest! (Thank you to the North Lanarkshire Countryside Rangers for cutting through the heavy undergrowth - quite a task!)

Multiple surveys were carried out to check for utilities, protected species, and invasive species. It was then up to us to begin finding ways to create pathways through the forest to allow access.

Hopefully you have enjoyed reading these updates and some of you must be wondering if you can look around, or help - Just get in touch.