The latest to receive funding from the Alpkit Foundation is Penicuik High School. They would like to send 12 pupils on a wilderness trip to the Cairngorms as part of the John Muir Award, an environmental award scheme. The Award aims to engage people with nature through conservation, land protection and education. The pupils from Penicuik have already spent the year working with the ranger service at their local Penicuik Estate, and have been on day trips to develop bushcraft and navigational skills. To complete the award, they would like to spend a week walking and camping in the Cairngorms. They must be self-supportive during the trip.
Calum, from Penicuik High School explains the importance of the project. “The pupils are using the John Muir Award as means of discovering a new place (the Cairngorms), exploring the local area (Pentland Hills), and conserving a historic landscape (the Penicuik Estate). 12 pupils from Penicuik who have never been to the Cairngorms or to a wilderness area will be able to have the incredible experience, and will hopefully be inspired to “go to nice places, do good things” on their own trips in the future.”
Penicuik would like the Alpkit Foundation to provide Alpkit’s Extreme Foods, ensuring the pupils are healthy and well fed when on the expedition. Having external support means the project can run for future years, enabling all pupils to have the opportunity to complete the John Muir Award.