Workforce for the Future project creates new trail at Brodick

Following a month of immersive activities at Brodick Castle, Garden & Country Park, the P6/7 class from Brodick Primary School embarked on a unique learning journey. One half of the class learned how to lead an engaging and informative tour called Magical Brodick Castle, focusing on its outstanding collections and stories from its past; while the other half delved into creating The Big 5 Trail, an outdoor trail exploring Scotland and Arran’s iconic wildlife species. The one-off indoor tour was created for family and friends of the pupils taking part on the launch day only, but the Big 5 Trail can be enjoyed by everyone visiting Brodick Country Park.

These initiatives are part of the Workforce for the Future project, designed to connect museums with young people and funded by the Art Fund. Our Brodick team joined Museum Galleries Scotland to deliver the project, which aims to develop young people’s employability skills, increase their confidence, and help them learn about careers in the heritage sector.

The team overseeing the project at Brodick Castle and Country Park included ranger Ellie Oakley and Sue Mills, Visitor Services Supervisor. Ellie commented: ‘It was a joy to host the pupils and introduce them to the many roles carried out by staff at Brodick, including tour guides, gardeners, Collections Care team and rangers. In a series of visits and workshops throughout May and June, we showed them the skills and tasks involved in doing these jobs and worked with them to develop an interpretive tour of the castle and create a natural heritage trail for the country park. I’m excited to see visitors on the trail this summer, who will be blown away by the work the children have created.’

Sue added: ‘It certainly wasn’t just a case of our team teaching them about our heritage; their energy, ideas and imagination gave us some great new perspectives on this amazing place that we care for and protect for the benefit of everyone in Scotland. It was great fun having them with us, and I hope that we have inspired them to think about careers in the heritage sector in the future.‘

John Campbell, Museums Galleries Scotland Senior Skills Development Manager, said: ’We’re thrilled to have supported the Workforce for the Future project at Brodick Castle, Garden & Country Park. The pupils at Brodick Primary have been very engaged throughout the project, which has resulted in them creating a fantastic tour and a trail for visitors to enjoy. The enthusiasm for the project by the staff at Brodick Castle created an incredible experience for the young people, and it has helped them learn about work in the heritage sector.’

Morag Donaldson, Brodick Primary School class teacher, said: ‘The pupils have really enjoyed this project. It has allowed some of our pupils who know the country park well to see inside the castle for the first time and to work with collections and objects the public doesn’t usually get to see. Being involved in creating an outdoor trail engaged them physically and mentally, and having to balance their creative ideas with real-life budgets and timescales brought the world of work to life. They can be so proud of their tour and trail and are delighted that other children and families can take part in their trail in the future.’

Projects like Workforce for the Future at Brodick Castle, Garden & Country Park support our vision to care for, share and protect Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage, as outlined in our strategy launched in 2022. They also contribute to our engagement objectives to provide access and enjoyment for everyone and be a learning organisation.