The second stage of the Scents & Sensitivities Project, is enhancing the environment and visitor experience at Auchinstarry Basin through a Sensory Trail which links the Sensory Garden, incorporating interpretive artworks with an input from local school pupils

The project is funded by 8 funders at a total cost of £323k, and managed by 9 partners, chaired by The Waterways Trust Scotland. Unsuccessful bids to other funders mean that three elements of the Project have been postponed until a future phase (canal interpretation, high schools project and the dry stane wall)

There are two main, interlinked strands to the project: Development of the Sensory Garden and Trail, and the Environmental Employability Programme which is training 3 local young people in Amenity Horticulture. Both of these elements are funded by LEADER

Feedback from the Schools Arts Projects show that they were highly successful in engaging pupils, teaching them a new art technique, and producing contributory elements for the interpretive artworks, two schools are pursuing their projects further

The Environmental Employability Programme progressed ahead of schedule, and now has a supervisor and three trainees in post, with two studying SVQ2 in Amenity Horticulture, and the third due to start college in October. They have started to upgrade the Phase 1 garden with help from the Friends of Auchinstarry, and experienced a range of practical work and trainings through the activities of the Twechar Environmental Project, including upgrading the local environment and tackling anti social behavior

The first phase of the Scents & Sensitivities Project established a sensory garden, sculptures, seats and a nature trail in the Auchinstarry Basin, adjacent to the Forth and Clyde Canal, near Kilsyth.

Key achievements of Scents & Sensitivities Phase I were: £123,000 raised for environmental improvements, from 9

funders 2,882 shrubs and trees planted 204 children and adults involved in creating the garden 245 metres of footpath improved 90,000 visitors since the opening of the basin

There are two, interlinked, components to phase 2 –

Development of the sensory garden and trail including: Initial community consultation Hard and soft landscaping, boardwalk & fibredec path system Tree flower & shrub planting (with volunteer planting events) Willow tunnels & sculptures Artistic interpretation panels developed by Julia Smith (with

inputs from local school pupils) Resting posts and interactive totem poles

Using funding from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust and Kelvin Valley LEADER, the supervisor was appointed in April 2009, and three trainees were appointed during May/June 2009, of which one left in December 2009 and was replaced in January 2010

Guided and trained by the supervisor, the trainees have undertaken a range of practical work including: upgrading the Phase I garden, and other landscape and community work in the area. Working within a landscape contractor business has been a distinct benefit, as they could join in with other work when the ground was frozen during the winter

They have also received training in Working at Heights and Life Jacket Training from other providers

Each trainee has a comprehensive file including: Training plan, Personal and Social Development Plan, SVQ details, H&S requirements, and an ongoing log of practical work matched to SVQ elements – providing a clear link with college work

Trainees capabilities were reviewed quarterly, by trainees themselves, and latterly by the supervisor too

College study and Paperwork were added to the list of capabilities in February

The Schools Arts Projects were highly successful in engaging primary pupils with various aspects of Auchinstarry, teaching them new arts skills, and equipping the artist with contributions to the interpretive sculptures she will develop for the garden and trail.

Pupils, teachers and subject experts gave very positive feedback, thoroughly enjoyed the project, and would like more of the same! Two schools are following up the project with further work, in one case with the Forestry Commission

The best things about the project included: learning new arts techniques, the local context, scope to plan further arts projects based on this one, involving several age groups, and that pupils got to take their bird houses home

The Interpretative Artworks at Auchinstarry

Five interpretative elements have been designed to be sited within the Sensory Garden, Scents and Sensitivities, at Auchinstarry. The workshops at Chapelgreen Primary School related to one of those elements; ‘Timeline Totem’

The Timeline Totem will be a 3 metre tall ceramic pillar sited at the top of the sensory garden. It will attract people to the site and will inform visitors about the history of the area, in particular, the Forth & Clyde Canal

At the very top of the totem will be a ceramic birdhouse, designed by a pupil from Chapelgreen Primary through this series of recent workshops

Five interpretative elements have been designed to be sited within the Sensory Garden, Scents and Sensitivities, at Auchinstarry

The workshops at Banton Primary School related to one of those elements; ‘animal track stepping stones’

The stepping stones will have information on them about the

animals that live at Auchinstarry and the marks they leave behind. The stepping stones will be sited within a hidden dell which is accessed through a willow tunnel and are designed especially for curious children