It is a new and exciting beginning for the Field Studies Council operated Marine Station on Millport which was opened to the public for the first time last Wednesday in glorious sunshine.

The exciting plans for the future of the facility were unveiled at an open day for the public, and improvements have already been carried out, including three new lounge areas for adults and students.

The FSC told the ‘News’ that they want to build in-roads to the local community, and keep them informed and abreast of information, and in turn, support the facility and the students.

By Spring 2015, the FSC hope to have the £2.9m development up and running to include 30 en-suite rooms, a lecture room for up to 150 students, another classroom and a car park built.

The FSC are hoping to invest in the current accommodation and bring that up to the standard of the new accommodation, and bringing it up to the standard of other Field Studies facilties around the country.

Speaking to the ‘News’, Head of FSC Scotland, Daniel Moncreiff, who lives at the complex, said: “We want to continue to attract university students. Over the last month, three of the groups who came here last year have already visited since we re-launched.

“And most of the groups who came last year are coming again in 2014. We have developed a primary school residential course and have focussed on the scheme or island survival and that links in to the curriculum of excellence for P5-P7 courses. We are writing courses to fit with geography and biology, and developing highers and advanced highers, and S1-S3 courses.” Speaking about the benefits of the island, Mr Moncreiff, who hails from North Wales, has been highly impressed, and said: “There is a whole range of benefits with Millport. We are very fortunate in that we have a lot of people who have affection for the island and have a real affinity for the area, and is viewed as a wonderfully pleasant and safe place to come, to bring students to, and that is attractive.

“We have a marvellous diverse range of rocky shores, and things we can do with our boats such as the research vessel which we can take 12 students on at a time, and that is all within walking distance. I think the island has lots of things primary and secondary students will want to study and visit, and there are tourism dimensions, coastal defence issues which we can also look at with students.” Asked specifically about the challenge of climate change, and how that would be handled, Mr Moncreiff said: “All the school programmes we have developed have an option of doing a climate change unit, Particularly as we are next to rocky shores which are likely to be influenced by climate change, some species are likely to decline and some are likely to increase, and that is something we can explore with students. There is going to be an increasing interest over the next 15-20 years in environmental education and ensuring that children coming through our education system are well aware of the challenges which we face.

“The FSE’s remit is environmental education so that it is important that when people leave they are more aware of environmental and conservation issues, to give them the facts and let them make their own judgement.” On site, there is currently 14 staff, and over the past two months, a total of £120,000 has been spent already on the development including new IT suites, the Ark Work Room has been completed, and a new heating system and wireless internet access has been installed throughout the whole centre. There is also recreational ‘downtime’ space for students.

The FSC run 15 residential centres around the UK providing courses from one day to two weeks, and all focus on environmental education and outdoor learning.

“We are really fortuante in having support from North Ayrshire Council, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. We are an independent charity and don’t receive any government funding, and when our trustees take over a site, they have to be mindful of significant support of groups like NAC and HIE to ensure that we can get a financially sustainable business model, and we feel their investment and support they’re putting in, and the investment from FSE, will help ensure that we have the facilities moving into the future that will attract people. You need working equipment, classrooms that look appealing, and en-suite facilities that are appealing.” This year, the FSC is aiming to attract 4000 students in total, and have plans in subsequent years, to double that figure on an annual basis.

In 2016, the FSC have earmarked £500,000 costs for updating and improving the public musuem and aquarium, and a further £500,000 towards enhancing the Millot Building. There will also be additional car parking space.

You can watch a Largs ‘News’ video interview with Daniel Moncrieff, Head of FSC Scotland on youtube by typing “Field Studies Council re-open Marine Station” in the youtube.com search engine.