If you go down to the woods today . . . rural college courses

A new course set up by Scotland’s rural college will focus on what goes on in the woods.

Aimed at teaching people about the forest environment and its links to conservation, students will also learn a range of woodland-based practical skills and how to support others in participating in the forest environment.

An introductory course will be run by the Wildlife and Conservation Management (WCM) team at SRUC’s Barony campus in Dumfries and Galloway in May, followed by the full practitioner course in the new academic year.

It will teach people about the forest environment and its links to conservation and help them gain a basic understanding of working with it in sustainable ways.

The SRUC said that Forest School could help the mental wellbeing and development of children, teenagers and adults by building confidence and self-esteem through learner-inspired experiences in a woodland environment.

The course, claimed the college, would provide a valuable opportunity for existing SRUC students and external candidates to train to become Forest School and Outdoor Learning Practitioners - with WCM lecturer and forest school trainer Lucy Thornton stating:

“Qualifications in Forest School are highly respected in WCM industry areas such as ranger services and community project management, so this will be a great opportunity for our students.

“We will also be marketing these courses externally for school teachers and freelancers to upskill and take the Forest School ethos back to their settings.”

The three-day course will run from 16-18 May and costs £410.