Have we got canoes for you – Moray pupils helped craft these vessels

It’s been smooth sailing for three friends who have just paddled 80 miles in canoes that were built with the help of pupils from Moray.

Jacob Main, Smiley Baldwin and Phoenix Lester crafted their canoes at Drumduan School in Forres.

The three university friends came up with the project in order to educate the students about caring for the natural world and to encourage them to connect with their local surroundings.

Rebecca Mitchell, the co-ordinator at Drumduan upper-school, said: “It was very inspiring for our students. Lots of them had the opportunity to take part in making the canoes.

“They were also given a fantastic education session about nature which really brought river ecology alive.”

Jacob was offered the use of Drumduan’s workshop during a stay at the Findhorn ecovillage earlier this year.

This allowed the three friends to employ a device to bend the wood for their canoes as well as keep them waterproof with varnished canvas.

Their 80-mile journey down the River Tay finished in Perth today and saw them visit several primary schools along the way.

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