Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) has started a new partnership with Shambellie House to improve the creative centre’s grounds and make it accessible to more people.
Shambellie House, in New Abbey, Dumfries & Galloway, runs day, evening and weekend workshops in visual art, photography and film, writing and storytelling, textiles and quilting, and applied crafts.
It is supported by partners Cloverglen Adult Support Services who help with the catering, housekeeping and grounds.
The centre is open to people of all ages and backgrounds who are invited to make the most of the heritage building, surrounded by five acres of grounds and woodland.
As part of the partnership with SRUC, Wildlife and Conservation students from the Barony campus near Dumfries, have been invited to use Shambellie House as a base for project and course work, including practical learning sessions and delivering countryside activities to local primary school children.
In return, the Shambellie House Trust will benefit from SRUC’s expertise, research knowledge and skills to deliver its land management strategy, improving the grounds and delivering an ongoing programme of maintenance and planting.
As part of the partnership, children from New Abbey Primary School recently spent a morning with HNC students learning about den building, nature frame making, bug surveys and cooking on a fire, and later this month, HND students will start their individual graded units looking at biodiversity and visitor management.
Cath Seeds, Programme Leader of Wildlife & Conservation Management at SRUC Barony, said: “We are delighted to work in partnership with Shambellie House. It is a fantastic location and project which will enable our students to engage in biodiversity conservation and managing people in outdoor settings. We are also keen to support a local project which is doing such great work in our local community.”
Jo Kemp, Trustee from Shambellie House Trust, said: “We are so pleased to have SRUC on board to supplement our existing partnership with Cloverglen. It is a fantastic opportunity to enable young people to learn and understand how to manage a community resource for all, while protecting the biodiversity of the special natural environment we have here at Shambellie House and Grounds.”
