David shares his tales of animal close encounters
PUPILS at an East End primary school were given an up-close account of grizzly tales by a renowned photographer.
David Yarrow returned home to talk to kids as part of a series of masterclasses supported by the Celtic FC Foundation.
Sunnyside Primary, i n Craigend, welcomed photographer and conservationist David to the school yesterday to give a presentation on his new book, Encounter.
Glasgow-born David’s work with the students as part of the programme followed an earlier project with the school.
As well as giving a presentation of his close encounters with sharks, grizzly bears and lions, the photographer held a Q&A session where one lucky pupil was given a free copy of the book after correctly answering animal trivia.
Scottish artist Gerald Burns also attended the presentation before helping classes with their drawing skills and showing a piece of his work.
David explained: “I’m very lucky for where I’ve got to and if I can give back with something that I know about and am passionate about then that’s fantastic.
“I work with schools in England as well, but Glasgow is really close to my heart because it is my home.
“Most children are probably not going to be able to see a grizzly bear or polar bear in the wild, so doing this builds a sense of awareness.
“It’s important for them to take an interest in the big outdoor world because conservation is very important. It’s good if they can see that animals really exist in the wild.
“When I was their age, I took inspiration from people who would come to my school.”
The former banker, whose family are members of the Yarrow shipbuilding dynasty, donates 10 per cent of the sales from his work to Tusk, an organisation dedicated to funding conservation in Africa.
Sunnyside Primary has followed suit by donating proceeds from their fundraising to the organisation and learning about endangered species.
David and the pupils previously took a day trip to Prestwick beach to take photographs for a wildlife calendar, which raised more than £1,000 for Tusk.
David added: “I’ll do everything I can to help out. Life can’t all be about presenting to people in New York. It’s nice to do something a bit more grounded.”
Primary six and seven pupils have been specialising in environment and wildlife topics and update social media regularly on their work.
Their Twitter account is followed by the likes of comedian Kevin Bridges, top British journalists and animal rights activists.