Wildlife conservation comes to the Archerfield Walled Garden

28/07/2016 in RZSS

The Wild about Scotland bus will visit the Archerfield Walled Garden on Saturday 30 July, bringing wildlife conservation to local families. The specially adapted bus is a mobile classroom aimed at teaching children about Scotland’s endangered native species and how to protect them.

Visitors can take part in a variety of interactive and fun sessions on the bus focusing on Scottish native species, their habitats and environments. Sessions will be delivered by a dedicated education team from conservation charity, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS). In particular, the team will cover the following topics:

‘Minibeasts’ – Looking at the huge diversity of insects on earth and the variety which can be found in the local area.

‘Beavers and wildcats’ – Exploring the basic ecology of beavers and wildcats, the re-introduction of beavers into Scotland and what is being done to help save the Scottish wildcat.

‘Endangered animals’ – Focusing on the main threats to wildlife in Scotland and what personal action can be taken to help.

The award-winning Wild about Scotland campaign has been made possible thanks to a partnership between RZSS and Clydesdale Bank to help engage the next generation of conservationists, while also bringing the expertise available at RZSS to communities that might not otherwise be able to benefit from it.

During term time the ‘Wild about Scotland’ bus tours schools across Scotland, but throughout the holidays the bus makes a number of pit stops at attractions and events around the country. This summer the bus will also visit Falkland Palace on 1^st August, the Jupiter Urban Wildlife Centre on 9^th August and the Helix (home of the Kelpies) on 13^th-14^th August. 

In June, the Wild about Scotland bus celebrated a number of milestones having visited 300 schools, all 32 local Scottish authorities and engaging with more than 30,000 people in Scotland since launching in August 2014.

Elly Douglas Hamilton, Chairman of Archerfield Estates Limited, commented: “We are delighted to welcome the Wild about Scotland bus to Archerfield Walled Garden this weekend. We have an amazing range of landscapes in East Lothian, from sand dunes and cliffs to woodlands and meadows, which means that wildlife is in abundant supply on the Archerfield Estate and perfect to explore after visiting the Wild about Scotland bus.”

Barbara Smith, Interim CEO of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: “Conservation through education is one of the founding principles of the Society and it 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, and it is wonderful that we can bring wildlife education right to people’s doorsteps, inspiring the next generation of conservationists.”

Helen Page, Propositions and Marketing Director at Clydesdale Bank, said: “RZSS makes a vital contribution to the conservation of Scotland’s wildlife, both through direct preservation and its commitment to educating the public on endangered species, habitats and ecosystems.

“We’re proud to be supporting the campaign as it looks forward to its third term, particularly as the bus gives communities the chance to engage with expertise from RZSS on Scottish conservation. We hope the visit to Archerfield Walled Gardens helped inspire any budding conservationists.”

The Archerfield Walled Garden features a network of pathways and a Willow Walk to encourage visitors to walk around the Estate. Visitors are encouraged to bring wellies (dogs welcome on a lead) and get set for a nature-rich wander before heading back into Archerfield Walled Garden for a bite to eat, a refreshing drink or sample one of their very own craft ales.  The Walled Garden is also in the process of developing their Kitchen Garden, which not only aims to grow an abundance of produce, for the cafe/restaurant but is being developed to encourage wildlife, everything from bees to butterflies.

To see when the Wild about Scotland bus is visiting your local primary school or request a visit, or to access the Virtual Learning Environment, please visit: http://www.rzss.org.uk/rzss-education/wild-about-scotland

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