All this week we are celebrating the amazing milestone of 25,000 children in Scotland starting their own wild adventure in just two years through our partnership with Aldi. Here Kevin Beck, a Schools’ Outreach Volunteer in Glasgow, tells us why he volunteers for the project and what makes it so important.

Connecting children to nature in Glasgow

A Connection to Nature session taking place

I started working on the Aldi project as an Outreach Worker in October 2017. I was immediately aware of the importance of the project and with support from Sandra Aird, the Project Officer, I quickly gained the necessary experience. As a kid I was lucky enough to grow up in a small town surrounded by beautiful countryside and iconic wildlife. This is where I spent most of my free time, it was the time when the foundations of my passion for nature and conservation were built. It is well documented that there is a decline in the time our children these days spend outdoors in natural places, and ultimately that special connection with the natural world is often lost at an early stage.

The Aldi project helps to bridge this gap. The attitude and commitment from the children during the sessions has been overwhelming. The children genuinely want to find out more, they want to explore and in doing so they have a great time. I firmly believe that building these bridges creates an understanding and an appreciation for nature and the wild spaces on their door steps. The sessions also help to encourage communication amongst the children, therefore improving their overall confidence.

Kevin Beck, Schools' Outreach Volunteer

You can find out more about this incredible milestone here, while more information on the project is online: www.rspb.org.uk/aldi