Edinburgh Zoo and TalkTalk announce school trip initiative to connect children with nature

This innovative project aims to reduce the financial strain on parents and schools while highlighting the benefits of nature

TalkTalk has launched a new school trip initiative with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland at Edinburgh Zoo. The new initiative with the wildlife conservation charity will support schools in the central belt of Scotland

The project aims to promote the health benefits of being connected with nature, and help parents and schools to overcome financial barriers to visiting the zoo and experiencing the health and wellbeing benefits of being close to nature.

Helen McHugh, Head of North West Engagement and CSR at TalkTalk, said: “Making a difference to the local communities where we’re rolling out Full Fibre is a real passion of ours here at TalkTalk. We’re delighted to help provide more children with a chance to visit the iconic Edinburgh Zoo to support their learning - especially those who may not have been able to attend otherwise.”

The partnership comes as TalkTalk continues to roll out its Full Fibre packages across Edinburgh, using the fastest, most reliable broadband technology. With speeds right up to 944Mb/s, it’s 24x faster than standard fibre - meaning it can handle everyone in the home streaming and video-calling across different devices at the same time, and most importantly, connects families across Scotland.

Beccy Angus, Head of Discovery and Learning at RZSS, said: “We are thrilled to have support from TalkTalk to help school groups overcome barriers to experiencing nature and hope to inspire and engage even more children to help protect threatened species in Scotland and around the world.

“Our charity has pledged to empower more than 100 communities to better protect nature by 2030 and being able to connect to wildlife is a critical first step in encouraging people to protect, value and love the world around them.”

How to get involved

RZSS will be reaching out to 170 eligible schools in the central belt with information about how to apply for funding from the pilot project.