VISITORS to Chester Zoo were treated to a singing spectacular, as 30 local school children arrived singing on top of a special open top bus.
Pupils from St Werburgh’s and St Columba’s school in Chester, were invited aboard the ‘Sing Up’ school trip singalong bus as part of a national singing programme to help children learn about some of the UK’s best loved heritage sites, including Chester Zoo.
Seven songs, composed for Chester Zoo by Katie Chatburn, taught pupils about some of the 7,000 animals that live there.
School pupils sang songs such as the ‘conservation rap’ and the ‘vertebrate song’.
After a stirring performance, the school children were treated to a whistle stop tour before getting back on the bus to carry on singing and recap on everything they had learnt.
Stephen McKeown, head of discovery and learning at Chester Zoo, said: “I think we all have childhood memories of sitting on a bus on the way to a school trip, singing at full volume. These new songs with lyrics written around conservation bring that activity bang up to date. Children can find great joy in singing but this project also teaches them about the wonderful world of nature and helps them understand more about the many and magnificent animal species that we share the planet with.”