YOUNGSTERS at a city primary school came face to face with a host of creatures from the deep - including an 8m-long minke whale and a leatherback sea turtle.
Children at The Bemrose School, in Rowditch Avenue, were visited by a pod of incredible life-size inflatable sea creatures to help them learn about the marine environment, its wildlife and the challenges it faces.
All the life-size and life-like models were based on creatures found off the coast of the UK and included dolphins, a porpoise, seals and a basking shark.
The children learned about the impact of plastic pollution and climate change and took part in some fun activities, including a litter picking contest and a sonar navigation challenge.
Pupil Isabella Dunworth, 11, said: “I thought the litter picking was a brilliant idea and when I go to the beach I will definitely think about doing it with my family.”
Nine-year-old Elena Dominikowska said: “The creatures were much bigger than I was expecting and I was amazed by some of the things we learned.
“I was especially pleased to hear that there was a bigger chance of being killed by a falling coconut than there is of being eaten by a shark.”
The Whale Workshop visited landlocked Derbyshire thanks to GoDive, in Spondon, which used a grant from EU-funded organisation Sea Changes to pay for the visit.
Alison James, from GoDive, said: “Even though we are based in the middle of the country we are all divers and passionate about protecting our marine wildlife.
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“The children have been hugely receptive and even though some of them have never even been to the seaside they understood that we all have a role to play in protecting our environment.”
Executive head teacher Neil Wilkinson said: “We are very grateful to GoDive for bringing the roadshow to our primary phase – you couldn’t help but be impressed by the size of the sea creatures and the important message being delivered was brought to life by the sheer scale of the models.
“The workshop led directly into National Science Week and has opened up the opportunity for lots of work around oceans, marine biology and the environment.”
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