Guest blog from Katy Saulite, one of our two Community Engagement Officers for the Hen Harrier LIFE Project.
Hello everyone. I feel like it is long overdue that I introduce myself as one of two community engagement officers working as part of the Hen Harrier LIFE Project. As part of this introduction I would like to include a delightfully kind drawing I received from a pupil of Muirkirk Primary School in May, during my first outreach session to a school as part of the project.
My name’s Katy and I'm working predominantly in Scotland, delivering exciting community engagement work through the LIFE project across our target project Special Protection Areas (SPAs). As I am now getting stuck into my role I hope to give regular updates of my work with schools, agricultural colleges, community groups and the wider public.
I am happy to report that this summer saw me getting out and about to five different primary schools, in and around the Forest of Clunie and Muirkirk and North Lowther Uplands SPAs. These visits included assemblies, active workshops and, in one case, a very blustery trip onto the moorland around Muirkirk. Feedback in the form of poetry, drawing, rap and interpretive dance has certainly been entertaining but more importantly extremely encouraging and heartening that these children have been inspired by the story of the hen harrier, and have shown concern for its future. I am very much looking forward to my future work with the Hen Harrier LIFE Project but for now will leave you with a lovely little poem from a pupil in the P6/7 class of Kirkmichael Primary. Enjoy!
Kirkmichael Primary 6/7 class posing with their hen harrier poems.
The hen harrier swoops so gracefully.
To find a girl, he needs to twirl!
Dips and dives through the skies,
To find the mate to be his date!
Kirkmichael Primary pupil May 2016