Schools planning excursions to the Bermuda National Gallery will be able to transport pupils to the gallery for free over the next two months.

The Hamilton Princess hotel has loaned a minibus to the gallery at City Hall in Hamilton that will be used to deliver children for visits.

Tours, which are also free to schools, are led by BNG education officer Rehana Packwood and are open to students of all ages. They can be linked with the classroom curriculum to support class studies and projects.

Jennifer Phillips, the executive director of the gallery, said: “BNG has a strong focus on educational outreach, offering free student tours for all of our exhibitions.

“We are delighted that the Hamilton Princess has once again partnered with us on this transportation initiative to facilitate access to the gallery for schools island-wide.”

It is the third time that the hotel, which has its own world-class art collection, has lent its bus to the gallery.

Last year, more than 1,200 students and 100 teachers made use of the free transportation to visit the BNG exhibition Simplicity of Form: Unfolding Abstraction, which brought together a selection of artworks from the private collection of the hotel’s owners, the Green family.

Tim Morrison, the hotel’s general manager, said: “We are pleased to partner with the Bermuda National Gallery for this, our third year, to provide transport for their school art tours.

“Transportation is an integral part of moving our island’s children from their classrooms for school outings, and safely returned.

“We hope that the use of our hotel jitneys will allow more students to visit the gallery.”

Transport and tours are offered twice a day Monday to Friday between now and April 5.

Pupils will have the opportunity to interact with and respond to the art and will be provided with an activity pack to use in the gallery and take home.

Tours are available of all four of the BNG's current exhibitions: A Sense of Belonging: Community & Connection in Bermuda Art, Bermuda Wonderland by Elizabeth Mulderig, A Bermuda Interlude: Paintings by Owen Merton; and Threads Unravelling by Gherdai Hassell.

They can be booked at bng.bm/school-tours. Ms Packwood can be contacted by e-mail at education@bng.bm or on 295-9428.