Published: Thursday, 5th November, 2009 6:00am

Explorer Gavin achieves great John Muir award

Comments (0) | Print | Email

Gavin Buglass receives his certificate from Sue Green of Capability Scotland, and Jo Moulin, manager of the John Muir's Birthplace museum in Dunbar

A HADDINGTON man with a passion for the great outdoors earned a top award inspired by the work of world-famous Dunbar-born conservationist John Muir.

Gavin Buglass, who has a learning disability, was supported by Haddington local area co-ordination service, run by Capability Scotland and East Lothian Council, to achieve his second John Muir Award, after receiving a Discovery Level 1 award last year.

The awards programme was created in memory of Muir, renowned as the pioneer of the modern conservation movement.

To achieve his Explorer Level 2, Gavin, 41, chose two wild places, the John Muir Way from Musselburgh to Dunglass and an area around Amisfield in Haddington, and tackled the four John Muir challenges - to discover the wild place, explore its wildness, conserve the area and share his experiences.

These findings were then shown in a photography exhibition held by Gavin in Haddington Library in September.

He said: "I really enjoyed doing the Explorer level of the John Muir Award this year as I got to places in East Lothian I had never been to before, such as walking the whole of the John Muir Way.

"Achieving the award makes me feel that I am doing something different with my life and I am looking forward to doing the third level of the award next year."

Haddington's LAC service is a free service for disabled children and adults and their families in the greater Haddington area.