Inspiring Generations Free School Visits Scheme
Hundreds of pupils from disadvantaged schools across Wales are being given the chance to visit WWT Llanelli for free, thanks to the successful Inspiring Generations fundraising appeal.
Head teachers from the hundreds of eligible* schools in the area recently received an email inviting them to book a free school visit during the 2012/13 academic year.
Free trips for over 100 local school children have already been snapped up, with more requests rolling in.
Participating pupils will get to enjoy a range of interactive wetland and wildlife-themed educational activities – covering topics such as habitats, life cycles and migration – while exploring a wetland nature reserve right on their doorstep.
A total of £60,000 has been raised since the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) launched the Inspiring Generations ‘Free School Visits’ fund last summer and sent out a rallying call to UK businesses to help end children’s disconnection with nature.
WWT was established as an education charity in 1946 and has since welcomed more than two million children on school visits to its nine wetland centres across the UK. But sadly – generation by generation – we are spending less and less time with nature.
The funds to cover free school visits for some of the 2.4 million disadvantaged school children across the UK have come in from a number of UK businesses and organisations**, plus several generous private donations from members of the public.
WWT is aiming for 2.5 million school children to have visited its nine UK centres by 2016, to mark the celebration of 70 years of connecting young people with wetlands, wildlife and the environment around us.
To help WWT meet that target, fundraising for the Inspiring Generations Free School Visits scheme continues, so for more information or to make a donation, visit www.wwt.org.uk/inspire
*eligibility is based on 20% or more of pupils entitled to free school meals, as designated by the Department of Education and equivalent departments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
**Avios, Tullow Oil, Cargill, SFIA Education Trust, Shears Foundation, Western Power Distribution, Morgan Sindall and NPower have all contributed to the Free School Visits Scheme for the 2012/13 academic year.
