Pembrokeshire schoolchildren visit London to share their love of the Celtic Sea
Eleven 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, a joint venture between Cierco and SBM Offshore, 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 that includes a series of workshops on floating offshore wind for key stage 2 pupils throughout Pembrokeshire. These comprise 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 focused on climate change and wind turbine design. Educational resources were provided to the participating schools.
Stephen Crabb MP said: “It was 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 the competition winners, along with several parents and teachers, to Parliament today for a tour and the chance to show me their drawings of the Celtic Sea. A big ‘well done’ to all those who participated in the competition.”
Elana James, Head of Development Phase, Ysgol Penrhyn 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, Director of Policy and External Affairs for Floventis, said: “We have been working with the Darwin Centre and primary schools in the area to inspire the next generation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (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 competition was judged by Arwyn Williams of Pembrokeshire College, and Rob Hillier from Pembrokeshire Council.
