A GROUP of families from Bellsbank Early Learning Centre in Dalmellington have successfully completed an outdoor challenge.

Staff at the centre, including Early Learning and Childcare practitioner Julie Ewan who led the team, are proud of their achievement.

They have earned the John Muir Discovery Award, which is presented after a number of activities have been undertaken.

These include outdoor projects, promoting health and wellbeing, fun and games as well as loads of learning opportunities for the children at the centre.

With much dedication and hard work, the group took a total of 28 hours to win the awards, battling through all kinds of weather before ending with a fun adventure at the beach in Maidens.

Bellsbank ELC now has a certificate acknowledging their provision of the John Muir Award Scheme.

Scottish National Heritage and the Lottery support the scheme which asks participants to complete tasks under four categories – discovery, exploring, conserve and share.

What they had to do initially was to discover a wild place which could be a school, community facility grounds, local park, beach, woods, river, mountain or national park.

Next came the exploration of the place which encouraged the team to experience, enjoy and find out more about the wild place, as well as increasing their awareness and understanding of it.

Conservation was achieved by taken practical action while the sharing involved telling others about the wild place, what they have learned about it and achieved as a result.

Congratulations to the Bellsbank Group — Jackie Downie and Jacob, Stuart Cunningham, Helen Gibson, Kaiden and Lee, Leona Wallace and Brandon.