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oakwoods, there was a lot <strong>of</strong> chat about childhood experiences in the outdoors,<br />
and many questions about other places to visit and how to get there. <strong>The</strong> group<br />
left with a commitment to plan and run another visit with the Bridges programme<br />
staff.<br />
Community Introductions is a partnership between SNH, Backbone and<br />
the Forum for Environmental Volunteering Activity. Backbone is a training and<br />
personal development organisation that promotes ‘celebrating diversity through<br />
adventure’, primarily for women and black and minority ethnic communities.<br />
By bringing together Backbone’s contacts in black and minority ethnic<br />
communities around <strong>Scotland</strong> with our knowledge <strong>of</strong> <strong>Scotland</strong>’s outdoors, the<br />
Community Introductions project has organised a series <strong>of</strong> 12 visits to some<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Scotland</strong>’s ‘special places for nature’ between March and July this year. <strong>The</strong><br />
response from both the natural heritage sector and community groups has been<br />
fantastic. No site manager has turned down the opportunity to take part and<br />
<strong>of</strong>fer a welcome to visiting groups, and more community groups want to visit the<br />
outdoors than we’ve been able to accommodate.<br />
<strong>The</strong> programme <strong>of</strong> visits has taken in national nature reserves at Tentsmuir,<br />
Loch Leven and the Isle <strong>of</strong> May, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and Cairngorms<br />
National Parks, as well as Clyde Muirshiel and Pentland Hills Regional Parks.<br />
For each visit, Backbone and the host organisation work together to plan<br />
activities tailored to the visiting group, aimed at giving participants a taste <strong>of</strong> what<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong>’s outdoors has to <strong>of</strong>fer – whether it’s fun, amazing wildlife, or just a<br />
chance to relax in beautiful surroundings. SNH are now working with Backbone<br />
to secure further funding to extend the programme.<br />
After each visit we ask both participating groups and the host organisation to<br />
tell us what the visit meant to them. And the feedback shows just how important<br />
an organised ‘introduction’ can be for groups with limited access to knowledge<br />
that many Scots take for granted.<br />
3<br />
<strong>The</strong> group all had a go<br />
at exploring the woods<br />
while blindfolded,<br />
including Scott<br />
Ferguson from SNH.<br />
4<br />
Ec<strong>of</strong>usion was a lively<br />
and colourful day out.<br />
3<br />
30<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nature</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Scotland</strong>