Wild about Scotland on Arran

Pupils at Kilmory, Brodick and Shiskine Primary schools on Arran were able to experience a series of interactive Scottish wildlife sessions last week thanks to a specially designed doubledecker education bus touring Scotland.

The customised doubledecker has been transformed from a Stagecoach passenger bus into a fully functional and interactive mobile classroom with a capacity to accommodate up to 26 children at once.

The Wild about Scotland bus was visiting schools in North Ayrshire as part of a wider campaign being brought to all of Scotland’s 32 local councils.

Now in its second year, the programme has been developed by the Royal Zoological Society for Scotland (RZSS) and has been made possible through a partnership between Clydesdale Bank and RZSS to support the charity in its conservation goals across Scotland.

The pupils from the primary schools were able to take part in a variety of interactive and fun sessions which focused on Scottish native species, their habitats and environments with sessions being delivered by a dedicated education team from RZSS.

Chris West, chief executive officer of the RZSS, said: ‘Conservation through education is one of the founding principles behind the society and remains one of our key goals to this day.

‘Our mobile education bus has had a huge impact across the length and breadth of Scotland, carrying out a number of pit stops in North Ayrshire.

‘It is vital that we reach out to teach young people about conservation work and the species on their own doorsteps. This outreach project makes up a significant part of RZSS’s work and we hope to continue with this, and other similar projects, for the foreseeable future.’

Wild about Scotland aims to engage a younger generation of children with Scotland’s wildlife and has been experienced by more than 11,000 people, including 141 from North Ayrshire.

To find out which schools and venues the bus is visiting or to book a visit to your local primary school for the next term, please visit: ww.cbonline.co.uk/ wild about scotland

02_b41wild02 Above: Education officers, Lindsay Selmes, and Jamie Ormiston, with Brodick primary pupils who wait excitedly to enter the bus

02_b41wild01 Right: A beaver and a wildcat display greets the children on the bus