Royalty has returned to Cumbrae to learn how an environmental education charity is inspiring the next generation of marine scientists.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal was given a tour of the island’s first-class marine research and outdoor education facilities at Millport by the Field Studies Council during a closed visit on Thursday (April 23).
It was The Princess Royal’s first trip to the centre since becoming Patron of the charity last year.
The Field Studies Council operates a network of field study centres across the UK and welcomes more than 100,000 young people to its sites each year.
Millport is the charity’s most northerly and only Scottish site. Originally a marine research station, it’s now a hive of activity for school, college and university groups to learn about the island’s rich coastal environment.
During the tour, The Princess Royal met with local pupils from Cumbrae Primary School, which has a longstanding partnership with the outdoor education charity, talked to students from the Lady of the Mission Primary School who were visiting the centre on a residential trip from East Renfrewshire, and learned about a research project being undertaken by University of Salford students.
She met with centre staff, the charity’s senior leadership team, trustees and civic dignitaries and was shown the centre’s aquarium, laboratories and research vessel.
She was also briefed on the charity’s future plans for Millport and its involvement in the multi-million pound International Marine Science and Environmental Centre (IMSE) Project – a proposed Centre of Excellence and Innovation aimed at establishing the Firth of Clyde as a global leader in marine sustainability as part of the wider Ayrshire Growth Deal to drive private investment and jobs across the region.
Chief Executive Mark Castle said: “It was absolutely fantastic to welcome our Patron, The Princess Royal, to our centre in Millport and to showcase the role we are playing in nurturing the next generation of marine scientists and talk about significant plans for the future.
“Our first-class facilities enable school groups, university students and visitors to experience first-hand some of the richest coastal environments we have to offer in the UK. Her Royal Highness with her own interest in environmental education was extremely interested to find out from students on site what projects they were busy working on and we hope she had a wonderful morning with us.
“We know that The Princess Royal takes a genuine interest in our work and her support means a lot to us. Each year we welcome thousands of young people to our centres and as a Scot myself, I’m particularly pleased that our learners here at Millport have been given the chance to share their enthusiasm with royalty.”
Centre Manager Dr Elke Scheibler added: “We spent months planning this visit and we are all so excited that The Princess Royal had a wonderful time meeting and speaking to our visitors.
“The centre was a hive of activity with learners busy with practical hands-on science and fieldwork activities. There was so much for her to see and we are really pleased that she was able to witness first-hand all the fantastic work we are doing to engage young people in outdoor learning and marine science.”
The visit to Millport follows-on from a tour of the charity’s Preston Montford headquarters in Shropshire last July.
The Field Studies Council has an 80-year history in providing environmental education and works hard to ensure some of the UK’s most deprived young people have opportunities to experience outdoor learning and access to nature through its residential and day trips.