At McLaughlin & Harvey’s nearby Broughty Ferry Flood Prevention Scheme site, pupils took part in a litter clean-up event. After being crowned litter champions and receiving certificates, they were treated to an exclusive first read of Stanley the Water Vole.

The story was written by author Jenny Bailey and published by Tales from Mother Earth as the third in a series – following on from Phoebe the Bee and Spike the Hedgehog.

Jenny Bailey said: “Today, it gives us great pleasure to jointly launch our third children’s audio/picture storybook in the Tales from the Countryside series - Stanley the Water Vole! A huge thank you to our wonderful friends at McLaughlin and Harvey for supporting our work. Stanley’s story looks at the problem of plastic in our waterways and how incredibly harmful the misuse of plastic can be to our natural environment. Our books teach children a fictional tale about a very real fact and threads a conservation message through the story detailing how valuable our wildlife is and what we can do to help it in the most positive of ways.

“By engaging in our books, collectively, we are delighted to support a child’s understanding of the natural world and enhance their connection with nature, by giving them a realistic and powerful message, one that empowers them to help, take action for the protection of our wildlife and thus feel better about their future. Through this wonderful collaboration, we believe we can empower children to become litter champions, knowing that their actions really do count in our fight to conserve and protect the natural world.”

McLaughlin & Harvey’s group environmental & sustainability manager, Sean Woods, added: “Sponsoring the work of Tales from Mother Earth forms part of Mclaughlin & Harvey’s Net Zero by 2030 action plan, by engaging with schools and educating children about the construction sector and the climate and nature emergencies. Our Net Zero by 2030 action plan outlines our aspirations and balanced strategy to achieve landmark milestones throughout the next decade to ensure that we are helping to protect and restore our planet.”

Going forward, McLaughlin & Harvey will introduce the new audio/ picture story book to the children in its project communities throughout the UK and Ireland.