School Pupils Tour the Erskine Veterans Village

Primary school pupils from North Ayrshire took a trip down Memory Lane as they toured the Erskine Veterans Village in Bishopton, Renfrewshire.

Erskine welcomed Primary 7 pupils from Dalry Primary to take part in the newly created 30-minute tour, narrated by Chief Executive Ian Cumming, as the charity look to educate the younger generation on the sacrifices made by the Veterans.

The group of 30 pupils toured the estate prompted by maps and QR codes at each location plaque. Starting outside the main Erskine Home they stopped at several buildings including The Piggery, the Erskine Reid Macewen Activities Centre and Transitional Supported Accommodation.

This was followed by a walk-through Erskine’s woodland trail, to the family cottages and the Shadow of the Brave memorial, remembering Falklands Veterans, and finally the Garden of Reflection.

Having completed the tour, there was time left for the children to hear first-hand accounts from Veterans as the generations met over lunch in the Bunker. Dovetailing perfectly with their WWII topic in school, the pupils had their questions ready to ask the residents.

There was even a visit from the Erskine mascot Arasgain who popped in to say hello.

P7 teacher, Miss Wilson, said: “The tour was very educational for the children. It was great for the children to meet the Veterans. It’s made the topic more engaging for them being able to see it in a real-life context.”

The pupils were equally full of praise, with Omar saying: “I found it really interesting meeting all the Veterans. I am really grateful they served our country, and I was honoured to meet them.”

Harris commented: “I like looking about the memorials and learning about the war and history. It was very exciting doing the walk, it’s been a nice experience to know the Veterans.”

And finally, Archie said: “I thought it was brilliant and I really enjoyed seeing everything, it was really interesting.”

Erskine Chief Executive Ian Cumming was delighted to welcome the youngsters to Erskine. He said: “At Erskine we believe that educating the younger generation about the sacrifice made by the Veterans who gave their lives for our freedom is incredibly important.  We hope the children found the tour and meeting our Veterans not only interesting but good fun, our Veterans certainly enjoyed their visit.”

If you would like to walk the Erskine Veterans Village Tour, you can pick up a map at reception or simply scan the QR codes on the signs to be taken to the tour webpage.

Veterans Village Estate Tour | Erskine Veterans Charity

To find out more about Erskine Veterans Charity’s work please visit our website at www.erskine.org.uk, follow on twitter @ErskineCharity via Facebook www.facebook.com/ErskineVeteransCharity or listen to Erskine Veterans Radio at Erskine.org.uk/radio. To donate directly to Erskine, please visit Erskine.org.uk/donate.

Erskine Veterans Charity is the trading name of Erskine Hospital | Company No. SC174103 | Registered Charity SC006609