New Lanark is world class education centre

When Scottish Government Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop came to the World Heritage village she wasn't just paying a courtesy call.

She was there to unveil changes to the school trip subsidy scheme which should mean a major boost to New Lanark's vital visitor figures.

The announcement that the village is now to be included in a once exclusive list of places where special government subsidy is available for school trips has received an all-round welcome.

It means that the village now officially ranks alongside Bannockburn and Culloden as the most important locations in the history of Scotland.

The culture secretary brought along with her a party of pupils from Livingston's Knightsridge Primary School, the first to use the new expanded travel subsidy scheme.

The kids got into the spirit of the event, some even dressing up in Victorian garb.

During the visit, Ms Hyslop formally launched the new, expanded subsidy, stating that 128,000 had been committed in 2010/11 in support of the scheme which allows schools to apply for 75 per cent of transportation costs, up to 200.

She said: "New Lanark is a world class heritage education facility. As we approach the anniversary of the birth of Robert Owen, I'm delighted we can support a legacy for learning through visits to sites of historic cultural, social and economic importance."

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