The Skene Group has forged close links with Bankier Primary School, which is situated in the village of Banknock near our Cowdenhill Quarry.

Each year at the start of the new school term a quarry employee delivers a school assembly complete with videos to all pupils informing them of all aspects of quarrying but paying particular attention to health and safety issues and environmental benefits created by quarry. This talk is particularly useful in emphasising the dangers of children entering a quarry unauthorised to play as each year we always hear of tragedies involving children and various construction sites.

To further allay the school children’s curiosities as to what goes on in a quarry a site visit is arranged for all the primary seven pupils and staff. This much anticipated annual event takes the form of a supervised quarry tour explaining how the rock is stripped, drilled, blasted, crushed and screened into its final sizes. The tour culminates with the children getting a chance to sit, and be photographed, in a loading shovel and excavator prior to receiving an information pack and goody bag.

In additional to the above Cowdenhill Quarry has also assisted Bankier Primary School with some landscaping improvements within the school grounds, which resulted in the school achieving its Green Flag Eco School status for a second time, this being the highest such environmental award attainable.

This partnership is continually developing and it is now intended to design workshops within the quarry to provide pupils with more of an insight and information on this industry with a view to it leading to a possible career path for some of the particularly enthusiastic pupils.