Kind staff from Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) campus have been helping to revamp a local football ground.
Over the last six months, employees have been involved in a regeneration scheme at Stoneyburn Football Ground.
The project has involved around 80 local kids and has inspired and educated them on landscaping practices, giving them the chance to have an impact on a real-life project.
Delivered in conjunction with the West Lothian Drug and Alcohol Service, the kids have also had an opportunity to become aware of the dangers of alcohol abuse and the effects it can have on themselves and those around them.
As a very current issue effecting those in the area, this was at the forefront of the Stoneyburn and Bents Future Vision Group, the local charity spearheading all fundraising activities.
Support and funding was also chiefly sourced by Margaret Pow, the main fundraiser, but also numerous councillors, the director of education for West Lothian Council as well as head teachers from local schools.
The changes that have taken place at the ground are dramatic, with new slabs replacing the older, worn down ones, new gravel instead of mud and even a new dugout, all made by the students themselves.
And at the end of October, those that made the scheme happen including local councillors, fundraisers and SRUC staff attended a gathering at Stoneyburn to celebrate the progress that has been made.
Brian Miller, of SRUC, said: “This scheme has been invaluable to the local youths, they’ve had a rare opportunity to work on what has been, a full-scale project, with real-word materials at their disposal”.
Brian hopes that the project’s legacy will live on and inspire other areas of the region to pursue similar schemes.
For any information on the landscaping courses or any other offered at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), please visit www.sruc.ac.uk.
