More than 2413 children and adults joined educational sessions provided by Scotland’s Regional Moorland Groups this year.

Acting as a showcase of the work on Scottish estates, the ‘Estates that Educate’ project includes topics such as upland sheep farming, habitat conservation, peatland restoration, wading birds, birds of prey identification, deer management, and grouse shooting. Other areas demonstrated were muirburn, vehicle maintenance, the Outdoor Access Code, moorland ecology, and fishing and game cookery.

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) donated £15,000 in legacy funding to the project, which enabled the programme to be expanded and continue to offer a free experience to schools in several regions.

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National engagement manager for Scotland’s Regional Moorland Groups, Mark Ewart, said: “This has been an amazing year and the estates have stepped up again to show exactly what they do and why they do it. These open events are beneficial, not just for the estates themselves, but also for society as a whole and the next generation.

“If we want to protect nature, we need to understand and safeguard what we already have. For children watching a buzzard soaring high in the sky or identifying the distinctive tail of a red kite, that is invaluable.”

In the Grampian region, 220 pupils visited Edinglassie Estate for two days of moorland skills demonstrations as part of the initiative. In Tayside, 300 school children visited Abercairny and Findynate Esates, with separate events for Bertha Park High School and Breadalbane Academy.

There were also ‘Pluck and Prepare’ and ‘Hill to Grill’ workshops for adults as an introduction to game cookery.

Angus Glens Moorland Group hosted more than 300 children at Glenogil Estate, where pupils were able to experience working life on a sporting estate. There was also a wader safari for adults in Glen Esk.

One of the schoolteachers who attended the Glenogil event said: “The experience pupils gained is so valuable to their learning and their life experiences.

“Some pupils commented that they wish to pursue careers in the industry.”

Engagement manager for BASC Scotland, Lianne MacLennan, pointed out: “Education is an important part of our ethos and to work collaboratively with the moorland groups on such a fantastic initiative has been a pleasure.

With schools seeing cuts across the board, our funding played a pivotal role in getting the volume of youngsters to the estates to take part in this free educational experience that the moorland groups offer.”