With our collective connection to nature at a worryingly low ebb, it’s more important than ever to give children meaningful opportunities to learn about the natural world. Their health and wellbeing depend on it, and so does the future of our environment. In the not-too-distant future, today’s young people will be its guardians. 

Through our Gower Landscapes Connections programme, we’re working closely with Swansea’s local communities to help shape the future of this nature-rich environment that was the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to be established in 1956. At the heart of that work are the voices and experiences of the children and young people who live in Gower and the surrounding area.  

Earlier this month, Engagement Officer, Dr Amanda Roberts, met with James Paynter, Headteacher from Knelston Primary School in the Gower National Landscape, and School Governor Dawn Thomas, who is also an outdoor learning consultant with Nature Days, Amanda learnt about how  Knelston deliver a range of onsite outdoor educational opportunities and their exciting plans for the future development of the school’s existing outdoor learning area. 

In collaboration with Christchurch Church in Wales Primary, Knelston Primary School will be piloting one of the programme’s first primary school nature-exploration projects, where they will be exploring the Gower National Landscape from both local and global perspectives. 

Amanda said: “Creating opportunities to develop, expand and enrich young people’s understanding and experience of nature, is a vital component of Gower Landscape Connections. We are working with professionals from the local education sector who are passionate about creating the best opportunities for the young people they work with. If we can help facilitate space and opportunities where nature is central to the work they do, then the future for our local natural environment looks a lot brighter.” 

Thanks to £245,000 of development funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we’ve begun laying the foundations for an ambitious programme to safeguard the Gower National Landscape. Over the next 18 months - the project’s development phase - Amanda will lead community engagement, planning and research alongside the wider Gower Landscapes Connections team. Delivered in partnership by the National Landscapes Association and the Gower Society, this phase will underpin a larger-scale nature recovery programme designed to secure the long-term future of this remarkable landscape.