Local explorer David Hempleman-Adams, recently visited 240 children from five Wiltshire primary schools to help them learn more about climate change.
The children, from The Mead, The Grove, Holt Primary School, Castlemead and Rivermead, had all been following David’s recent Polar Ocean Challenge which set off from Bristol earlier this year in a boat called Northabout to circumnavigate the North Pole anticlockwise. David and the crew wanted to demonstrate that the Arctic sea ice coverage now shrinks back so far in the summer months that sea which was permanently locked up now allows passage through.
Before setting off, David created a charity called Wicked Weather Watch – an education based program which engaged with schools on the issues of climate change, notably in the Arctic area. Live link ups connected pupils with the crew, and pupils were able to track the Challenge’s progress through the Ship’s Logs.
During his day with the pupils, David spoke about the challenge, route, life on board and why it was an important voyage.