Young people urged to put focus on park
A new photography competition, Park Focus, has been launched by Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority for young people aged eight to 26.
To celebrate the Year of Young People, the National Park Authority wants to find out how young people experience the area and is asking them to share their photographs of the national park on social media or by email with a short description that explains the story behind the picture and what it means to them.
This could be experiences of visiting, living, working or learning in the national park or a connection with the area. There are three age categories: eight-12, 13-17 and 18-26.
There are prizes on offer within each age category - first prize: GoPro Action Camera and Columbia outdoor jacket; second prize: an adventure day at Forest Holidays Strathyre; and third prize: a family pass for four to Sealife Loch Lomond Aquarium (eight-12 and 13-17 years) and a shark feeding experience for two at Sealife Loch Lomond Aquarium (18-26).
Gordon Watson, chief executive of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, said: ‘We see this photo competition as a great opportunity to celebrate our young people and for them to show what the national park means to them.
‘We look forward to receiving their entries and hearing about the experiences young people have had of this unique and beautiful place.’
To enter the competition, share a photograph of the national park and what it means to you on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and include the hashtags #ParkFocus and your age category (#age8to12, #age13to17 or #age18to26) and tag the National Park Authority (@lomondtrossachs).
For those too young to have a social media account, a parent or guardian can post the image on their behalf or entries can be emailed to digital@lochlomond-trossachs.org.
Entries must be posted on social media or received by email by 11.59pm on December 31 and the winning images from each age category will be announced by January 31 2019 via the National Park Authority’s social media channels and featured on the competition webpage and at Balmaha Visitor Centre.
Winners will be chosen for each age category by Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority’s youth committee and a national park representative. The youth committee is made up of 14 young people who live in or near the national park.
Further information about the competition and full terms and conditions can be found at https://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/ parkfocus/