Launch of Cyrenians Green Skills Centre 

This month Cyrenians launched their new Green Skills Centre welcoming the first group of young people onto their new ‘Routes to Grow’ programme. 

Based on Cyrenians Farm outside Kirknewton, the charity has launched their Green Skills Centre following major refurbishment, including renovations to the existing barn to create a bespoke workshop, purpose-built storage, bathroom fittings, outdoor learning and wellbeing spaces and upgrades to the office and kitchen areas.  

The Green Skills Centre is now a thriving hub of outdoor learning and training opportunities. Welcoming young people from across the local area, the centre offers courses connecting people with nature, fostering personal development, and improving employability opportunities.  

Seven young people joined the new Routes to Grow programme last week and will be attending the Green Skills Centre 3 days a week for 10 weeks. Throughout this time, they will participate in team building activities, green skills workshops, a construction project and a Forest and Outdoor Learning Award (FOLA). They will receive one to one support to identify appropriate routes to training, work or education after the programme.  

Sam Gardiner, Outdoor Learning Coordinator  said, ‘A lot of the young people we support at the Green Skills Centre come to us feeling quite low in confidence, having often been let down by more traditional education settings.  

‘Often they’ve not been around their peers for any length of time for quite some time, and the start of any new course can be quite an anxious period while they try to adjust to doing something new with new people.  

‘It’s amazing what bringing these folk out into the outdoors can do though. Some of them have had really challenging experiences, but being out in nature really soothes a lot of that kind of energy and we end up seeing their confidence grow as they figure out that they are actually good at something, and they do enjoy learning – just in a different way than they’re used to.’  

The Green Skills Centre offers a mix of outdoor learning opportunities and accredited training in a trauma-informed manner aimed at improving confidence, wellbeing and personal development.  

We are hugely grateful to the Robertson Trust, the Gannochy Trust and Walter Scott and Partners for their generous support of our learning programmes. And to the Wolfson Foundation, the Clothworkers’ Foundation and the Craignish Trust for their support which has enabled significant investments in the facilities at the site.  

Find out more about our Green Skills Centre here, or get in touch at greenskillscentre@cyrenians.scot