PRIMARY schools and early years centres across Ayrshire are set to receive travel subsidies when visiting Irvine Harbourside.

The Scottish Maritime Museum announced they’ll be providing the £300 funding to help with financial assistance for transport.

The museum welcomed 60 per cent more schools last year and has also launched a new Ocean Taskforce Workshop.

Claire Munro, learning and access manager at the Scottish Maritime Museum, said: “Our travel subsidy programme is always very popular so we’re urging interested schools to get in touch soon and book their trip to our vast Museum and educational resource on Irvine Harbourside.

“School visits were up 60 per cent last year. We’re thrilled that more and more schools are visiting and seeing how much there is to do and learn through our fun, curriculum-linked and interactive sessions.

“As well as seeing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) principles and discoveries in action, pupils can handle real historical objects and take part in a variety of fascinating and topical workshops.

"These now include our new Ocean Taskforce workshop which addresses one of the important issues of our time. 

“Schoolchildren can also explore the vast Linthouse, a Grade A listed 19th century former shipyard building, tour the 1920s Shipyard Worker’s Tenement Flat and pop into the Museum’s Fitting Shed to learn about the Industrial Revolution.”

The workshop’s sessions will offer schoolchildren the opportunity to investigate the challenges and impact of litter in our oceans.

The popular Pirate Workshops for early/first level and second level pupils have also been updated for the new academic year.