Pembrokeshire school children visit London to share their love of the Celtic Sea 

11 children from Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi, Cleddau Reach VC School, Portfield School and Saundersfoot CP School visited the Houses of Parliament having won a competition organised by Floventis Energy in partnership with the Darwin Centre. Floventis Energy is the company behind the Llŷr 1 and Llŷr 2 projects, comprising of two separate 100MW floating offshore wind farms in the Celtic Sea.

The competition was part of a bespoke programme being run by Floventis and the Darwin Centre that includes a series of workshops on floating offshore wind for key stage 2 pupils throughout Pembrokeshire. These consist of an overview of climate change, fossil fuels and the benefits of renewable energy with a focus on mitigating climate change and future job opportunities. Schools have the option to choose between two different workshops – one that focuses on platform design and construction and the other focussing on climate change and wind turbine design. Educational resources are provided to the participating schools.

Stephen Crabb MP said: “Brilliant to see industry engaging with local schools highlighting the green energy shift and the unique opportunity that Floating Offshore Wind will bring to Pembrokeshire. I was delighted to welcome competition winners, along with several parents and schoolteachers to Parliament today for a tour and the chance to show me their drawings of the Celtic Sea. Big well done to all those that participated in the competition.”

Elana James, Head of Development Phase, Ysgol Penrhy Dewi said: “Working with the Darwin Centre and Floventis has been a brilliant opportunity to get our pupils engaged with climate change and the opportunity that we have in Pembrokeshire to be at the forefront of the new floating offshore wind industry. They have also loved their visit to London!”

Tess Blazey is Director of Policy and External Affairs for Floventis. She said: “We have been working with the Darwin Centre and primary schools in the area to inspire the next generation of STEM superstars in Pembrokeshire.

“This competition has given children the opportunity to showcase what the sea means to their communities – the potential it has, and why it’s so important to the region. Children were invited to submit their artwork which demonstrated their depiction of the Celtic Sea, and scoring was judged on identity, colour and creativity and a link to renewable energy and sense of place. It has been great fun and very rewarding to see how engaged the children are with renewable energy and their local environment.”

The Darwin Centre for Biology and Medicine was founded by Biochemist, Professor Tony Campbell CBE in 1993 and registered as a charity in 1994.  Based in Pembrokeshire, the Darwin Centre aims to engage and enthuse young people and communities in STEM subjects through hands on field trips and workshops, from rock pooling to theoretical nuclear physics.  The charity raises aspirations through opening up access to experts within the STEM industry and highlights potential careers available to the young people of Pembrokeshire.

The competition was judged by Arwyn Williams at Pembrokeshire College, and Rob Hillier from Pembrokeshire Council.