George Munro's favourite Loch Thom and Lunderston pictures

One of Inverclyde's greatest assets must surely be the Greenock Cut Visitor Centre, plus the coastal Lunderston Bay, where children and adults alike can enjoy both countryside and seashore.

The team based at the centre help schoolchildren understand the natural world on our doorsteps, with outdoor natural history workshops, pond-dipping, insect safaris and an all-important awareness in nature conservation.

Pic1: These young Moorfoot Primary School pupils didn't let the rain get in the way of a day of discovery at the Greenock Cut Visitor Centre. The kids donned waterproofs and enjoyed a morning of pond-dipping back in 2016.

Pic2: Lunderston Bay benefitted from the creative skills of these kids who took part in a 'Re-use Regatta' back in 1999. The youngsters gathered rubbish left by careless visitors on the highways and byways of the beautiful bay.

Pic3: With nets, bug identification chart and collecting trays in hand, these budding naturalists set about studying dragonflies, moths and insects to be found around Loch Thom. Ranger Mike Holcombe gave the kids expert tuition on the ecological importance of these creatures before releasing them back to the wild.

Pic4: Meanwhile on the coast, we see ranger John McLean take kids on a sea-life safari, where they discovered the rich and diverse species living under rocks and in the sands of Lunderston Bay. The study days were laid on to keep young minds busy over school summer holidays.

Pic5: Council officials gathered for this picture taken in celebration of the completion of the new Greenock Cut Visitor Centre in 2010.

Interactive models and a detailed history of The Cut are permanently on display, showing Greenock industry was a leader in utilising hydro power long before environmental issues were of major concern.