A little magic to start the season

Cumbernauld Living Landscape is bringing a little bit of magic into our lives just in time for the festive season. Earlier this year they worked with award-winning Scottish film-maker Felipe Bustos Sierra to create an enchanting new short film featuring children from three local primary schools, Abronhill, Kildrum and Carbrain.

The children went on an adventure through their local woods, meeting tree sprites, fairies and wizards on the way. Watching the excitement and joy on their faces is a perfect way to get into the holiday spirit. You’ll be surprised to hear that the characters they met weren’t really magical creatures, but forest circus performers from Rowanbank Environmental Arts, commissioned by Cumbernauld Living Landscape to help launch the new Green Route that was recently created through the project to run between the town centre and Abronhill.

As part of the project paths were widened, new areas of wildflower meadows planted, natural play areas created, and seating provided to allow people to enjoy the new wildlife areas, and watch their children as they explore and clamber on the boulders and tree trunks.

As Jenn McNulty, Cumbernauld Living Landscape’s project manager, explains in the film: ‘It’s easy to forget that not all children have had access to nature growing up. Cumbernauld Living Landscape commissioned Rowanbank to come in and instil that sense of wonder in the local children, so that they can go out in their local area …with a sense of joy and ownership.’

We hope that everyone who uses the Green Route enjoys the experience, but by encouraging our young people to love and value their local greenspaces we hope that they will be protected and cared for long into the future.