AN AWARD-WINNING young conservationist from Pencaitland is putting her talent for art to good use to raise funds for a trip of a lifetime to the African island of Zanzibar.

Katie Monk, 16, who lives at Limekilns, will be focusing on marine conservation, researching and monitoring the populations of different species on the island, off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean.

She will also learn about the local culture, including the Seaweed Centre – a social enterprise that enables the women of Paje to harvest seaweed and then make a living by transforming it into organic soaps, scrubs and essential oils.

Katie, who was named the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Young Conservationist of the Year in February, is hoping to raise £3,000 to cover the cost of her expedition which will take place in October next year.

She is producing cards depicting wildlife she has painted herself in a bid to help reach her target.

Katie, a pupil at St George’s School in Edinburgh, said: “Art has always been a hobby of mine, although I have never decided to pursue it or take it as a subject in school.

“I first started sketching a few years ago, always of the wildlife I see or the species that interest me.

“Only since Christmas, when I received paints, have I become interested in watercolours.

“I decided to turn my sketches into more colourful watercolour drawings.

“I have just set up a Facebook page, facebook.com/watercoloursbykatie, where I hope people will be able to message me through the platform to order the cards. I am also hoping to set up an Etsy account.

“I have painted iconic wildlife of Britain, some based on photographs I have taken, as I spend a large part of my spare time enjoying wildlife photography.

“Other paintings I have done involve some more exotic, colourful wildlife like a giraffe or a flamingo.

“I am working on doing different collections of wildlife, such as a pack of cards with the most iconic species of Britain, like the kingfisher or hedgehog, or the main species of wildlife in Zanzibar, such as the bottlenose dolphin or red colobus monkey. I’m also hoping to do an African Big Five [buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino] set and an underwater set.

“I have been taking commissions from people, painting pictures of their pet dogs or cats or painting a specific animal they want.

“To paint the pictures, I first look at a selection of paintings already done to see the different styles I could paint the animal in and then look at a photograph of the animal to see a more realistic view.

“The paintings, of course, do not portray the animal in its natural habitat or show the more vibrant colours and it will be absolutely amazing to see the wildlife of Zanzibar I am painting in their full splendour.

“I am a keen ornithologist and cannot wait to see the amazing variety of birds inhabiting the trees of Zanzibar.”

While on the island, Katie and the group of 40 S4 and S4 pupils will stay in a hostel in Stonetown, which will act as a base for visits, including to Jozani Forest and the Seaweed Centre.

Katie said: “This is the first time I will have visited Zanzibar and I am very much looking forward to it.

“I have always been inspired by nature and very much hope to have a future involving a career path working in the field of conservation with different wildlife species.

“I was very honoured this year to be named Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Young Conservationist of the Year in February and I hope this trip will carry forward and fuel my passion of the natural world.”