Celebrating the beauty of nature and culture through drama
A beautiful space celebrating nature and culture has become part of a drama project thanks to an £800 grant from the EDF Burnfoot Hill Wind Farm Community Fund in Clackmannanshire.
The EDF Burnfoot Hill Wind Farm Community Fund in Clackmannanshire serves the community council areas of Alva, Dollar, Menstrie, Muckhart and Tillicoultry, Coalsnaughton & Devonside – collectively known as the Hillfoots villages.
The fund provides grants to community organisations providing activities that enhance the quality of life for local residents, contribute to vibrant and sustainable communities and promote community spirit and encourage community activity.
This is certainly true of the activities taking place at the Japanese Garden at Cowden Castle. 
The garden was originally created in 1908 by pioneering Scottish Victorian-Edwardian explorer Miss Ella Christie and female Japanese garden designer Taki Handa. This seven-acre site sits in the grounds of Cowden Castle, located between Dollar and Muckhart in Clackmannanshire.
The Garden was open to the public until 1955, after which it fell into decline and suffered significant vandalism in the early 1960s. In 2014, a new charity was formed to restore the site, which successfully reopened to the public in 2017.
This beautiful space serves as a cultural bridge between Scotland and Japan. Originally named "Sha Raku En" (meaning 'a place of pleasure and delight'), the Garden showcases unique plants and structures of Japanese cultural significance.
In 2022, the Garden team received an £800 grant from the EDF Burnfoot Hill Wind Farm Community Fund (Clackmannanshire) to collaborate with Muckhart Primary School on an innovative drama project titled "Junior Tour Guides – A Summer to Remember." Additional funding came from the Hugh Fraser Foundation and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Working with arts and heritage education specialist Illuminate UK, the Garden Team and Muckhart Primary pupils created a live theatre production telling the story of Ella Christie and the Garden's history. The grant covered costs for costumes, props, staging, lighting and pupil transport.
The production involved 42 children – almost the entire school – many of whom had never participated in live theatre before.
Teachers observed that the project not only helped pupils develop new skills and self-confidence but also strengthened relationships between age groups, with older children supporting younger ones in learning their lines.
The project also strengthened community connections, attracting many first-time visitors to the Garden to enjoy it’s beauty and heritage.
As Nicola Dilby, Education and Outreach Officer, explains:
As a new visitor attraction and charity, it has been a real delight to deliver this unique opportunity for young people in our local community. While it felt ambitious at first, the confidence shown by our funders helped make it happen and enabled us to involve as many children as possible, to the highest standard. We hope both participants and audience members will treasure these memories and experiences for years to come.