The Denburn is flooding, don’t panic!

A new music and sound project with Primary 6 pupils is raising awareness of flood preparation in Ben Burn Valley in Aberdeen. Performances by the pupils have been produced into two music videos.

The project was a partnership between Creative Carbon Scotland, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) with support from Aberdeen City Council.

Musician, Simon Gall, designed and facilitated a number of workshops on flooding and flood risk management in the local community on behalf of SEPA.

Workshops were held with Fernielea Primary School’s P6 Class (ages 9-10) to explore how the Council is managing flooding of their local burn and how to prepare for flooding, using music and sound to reinforce the key messages.

On working with the Primary 6 class, Simon Gall said: "It's been heartening to see the children engaging so enthusiastically with the Denburn and flooding issues more generally. I think our hands-on, creative learning approach to the topic is key. The children use their creative skills to process and convert fairly pedestrian information - gathered first-hand - into something unique and memorable. I hope the experience leaves a lasting impression on them while also leaving some lovely creative work for others to use and enjoy."

This type of approach has the potential to be used by Scotland’s other flood authorities , businesses or multi-stakeholder projects looking for more meaningful and exciting ways to engage communities in important issues, like flooding and climate action.

To learn more about this approach and its benefits, visit SEPA’s Floodline Scotland website to access the project report, videos and podcast.