SAUCHIE school pupils stepped inside the rainforest after winning an all-expenses paid trip recently.

Children at Craigbank PS had the chance to get up close to exotic creatures during an animal handling session and were treated to an educational talk.

Amazonia, Scotland’s only indoor tropical rainforest, invited youngsters from across the country to draw their favourite rainforest animal to win a trip for their entire class, plus £500 for their school and paid transport.

The P7 class netted the prize after Kaitlyn Singleton submitted an eye-catching sketch of a frog.

Sam Haworth, education officer at Amazonia, said: “Kaitlyn’s colourful drawing really stood out and was a firm favourite with staff.

“We’d like to thank everyone who entered our competition; we received so many fabulous designs, and it was fantastic to see what rainforest animals pupils in Scotland love the most.

“We were delighted to welcome the P7 pupils from Craigbank Primary School to our rainforest.”

Siobhan Haldane, headteacher at Craigbank, added: “Amazonia’s competition offered a fantastic prize and was a great opportunity for our pupils to learn about the rainforest.”

The team at Amazonia revamped its education programme this year in line with the Curriculum for Excellence, which comprises a range of topics for different levels from early years all the way to S4-6.

Staff welcome thousands of pupils every year through its education programme and children can learn more about the exotic animals found within the rainforest and the habitats in which they live – dedicated topics include the rainforest, minibeasts, and life cycles.

Visitors also have the chance to get close to a variety of creatures includes snakes, tarantulas, monkeys, butterflies and exotic breeds of ducks, helping to bring the topic to life.

Amazonia is open 10am-6pm, seven days a week and is situated within M&D’s Theme Park.

Further information can be found by visiting discoveramazonia.co.uk