Flanders Moss NNR Case Study

Flanders Moss - seeing the bog with new eyes

A recent project on Flanders Moss gave children from a nearby school the opportunity to explore part of a peat bog with artists. Through drawings and digital photographs made on the peatland, the children created a range of visual and musical ways of sharing their enthusiasm for the bog with the wider community.

The LEADER   + funded project involved two artists, Janie Nicoll and Andrew Mackenzie, who took children from Thornhilll Primary School on an autumn trip to Flanders Moss, where all the children were given digital cameras to take pictures. Later these photographs and sketches were used to develop visual ideas, including photo-montage and collage.

The older children made landscape-style drawings at first, followed by more detailed drawings of plants. The younger children were encouraged to explore and make use of all the different colours they encountered. The children also composed and performed their own peatland song. To capture and communicate the children's enthusiasm for the peatland to the wider community a DVD was also made.

The project was managed by SNH's David Pickett, site manger of Flanders Moss NNR.

A new project - Peat, People & Poetry, also funded by LEADER+ aims to build links between the surrounding villages and Flanders Moss through community groups (including local primary and nursery schools) producing poetry about the Moss, with the help of poets in residence, and sharing this work with others.

Flanders Moss has a car park, boardwalk and path that allow visitors to enjoy the reserve and offers a good opportunity to discover the fascinating world of bog wildlife and explore the cultural history of this area.

Further information

The National Nature Reserve web-site has more information on Flanders Moss NNR  .

Forth Environment Link  can support schools visiting the moss with education packs & staff.