Award recipients fundraise for wild places

Seven John Muir Award participants from the Scottish Borders go above and beyond to fundraise £1,400 for the Trust.

After completing their John Muir Award at school, seven Priorsford Primary School pupils decided they wanted to do more to help conserve wild places. With a family bake sale at the school’s Outdoor Learning Open Morning, Calvin, James, Euan, Matthew, Fin, Hugo and Caleb, raised the first two hundred pounds.

But this was just the beginning.

Inspired by learning about John Muir during their Award, they embarked on a 15-mile walk along the John Muir Way, from North Berwick to Dunbar. One of Scotland’s Great Trails, the John Muir Way is a coast-to-coast path that traverses 134 miles through central Scotland, a symbolic legacy of the wildness for which Muir so strongly advocated. The John Muir Birthplace (pictured above) signals the beginning or end of the route, where the boys celebrated their achievement and fundraising success.

The boys organised the bake sale themselves and got such positive feedback that they then organised this walk, again all by themselves. They care deeply about the environment and, by fundraising for the John Muir Trust, are making a difference to others now and for the future.

Sandra Macgregor, Head Teacher, Priorsford Primary School

Thanks to their efforts and the support of their family and friends, the money they raised will help restore peatlands, manage deer populations, and help protect the UK’s wild places for future generations.