07 July, 2017
Family festival will celebrate Isle of May’s seabirds
A two-day family festival on the Isle of May will offer plenty of fun activities for the kids this summer.
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is hosting two days of free activities on the island, including crafts, storytelling, games and face painting on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 July.
David Steel, SNH reserve manager said, “We’re excited to invite families to come to our family festival. We’ve got all sorts of fun activities lined up, including crafts, stories and prize-winning challenges. This year, we’re celebrating our fabulous seabirds – and if we’re lucky, our mascot Piper the Puffin will make an appearance. So bring your brood to the Isle of May!”
It’s free to come to the family days, but visitors must book tickets on a boat to reach the island. Timings for the events depend on sailing times. Sailings are on the privately-run May Princess or Osprey of Anstruther from the Anstruther Harbour; or from North Berwick through the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick.
- Anstruther - for tickets and details, see www.isleofmayferry.com (May Princess) or www.isleofmayboattrips.co.uk (RIB Osprey).
- North Berwick - For tickets and details, book online on the Scottish Seabird Centre website at www.seabird.org or call 01620 890 202.
Known locally as 'The May', this small island sits on the edge of the Firth of Forth. The island's importance for seabirds has drawn scientists to its shores for many years and The May is home to the oldest continuously-running bird observatory in the UK. The May is a regular haunt for grey seals, often seen lounging on the shoreline rocks. This island is a historical gem and it's been a place of pilgrimage for centuries with an early island monastery. The May was also the site of Scotland's very first lighthouse, built in 1636, while the current, castle-like lighthouse was designed by the engineer Robert Stevenson.
ENDS
MEDIA QUERIES Contact SNH press & PR officer, Vicki Mowat, on 0131 316 2659 or vicki.mowat@snh.gov.uk (Tuesday to Friday) or the SNH main press office on 01463 725 020 or 022 (Monday).
Contact information
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- SNH Media
- snhmedia@snh.gov.uk
Notes to editors
The Isle of May is one of about 50 NNRs in Scotland. NNRs are special places which look after some of the best of Scotland’s nature on behalf of everyone who lives in or visits Scotland – and they provide unique opportunities to visit, enjoy and learn more about Scotland’s nature. Helping more people experience and enjoy nature in this way is one of the priorities of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. For more information, see www.nnr-scotland.org.uk .
NatureScot is Scotland's nature agency. Responding to the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, we work to protect and restore nature by inspiring everyone to value our natural world. Our goal is a nature-rich, net-zero future for Scotland. For more information, visit our website at www.nature.scot
'S e buidheann nàdair na h-Alba a th’ ann an NàdarAlba. Bidh sinn a’ gleidheadh agus a’ slànachadh nàdar le bhith a’ brosnachadh a h-uile duine gu spèis a chur air an t-saoghal nàdarra againn, agus sinn a’ freagairt air an dà chùis-èiginn de chall bith-iomadachd ’s atharrachadh na gnàth-shìde. ’S e ar n-amas nàdar beairteach ’s cothromachadh carboin do dh’Alba. Airson an tuilleadh fiosrachaidh, thoiribh sùil air an làraich-lìn againn aig www.nature.scot
