Around 60 Otterburn Primary School pupils got involved in the intricacies of wind farm designing, thanks to a visit from renewable energy developers Vattenfall.

On March 12, students from reception to year 6 participated in a series of workshops centred on renewable energy.

They enjoyed hands-on experiences, including using hand-held anemometers to ‘hunt’ the best wind speeds and even constructing their own wind turbines with craft materials.

The school visit also included discussions about the various careers in the onshore wind industry, showcasing roles at its Ray Wind Farm, its Hexham office, and its multiple renewable energy projects in the UK and Europe.

Matthew Bacon, project manager for Vattenfall, said: "Thank you to Mrs Woodcock and all of the children at Otterburn Primary School for welcoming us to their school.

"Vattenfall’s Ray Wind Farm is around six miles from the village, so many of the children were already familiar with the wind farm from a distance.

"This was a great opportunity to bring to life some of the amazing jobs and careers that are associated with this and our other wind energy projects here in the North East and across the UK.

"With 400,000 jobs estimated in the Net Zero Workforce by 2050 we hope we have met some of the next generation of renewable energy engineers, designers and technicians."

Alison Woodcock, headteacher at Otterburn Primary School, was equally grateful for the experience.

She said: "We thoroughly enjoyed Matthew and Kathryn's visit to Otterburn.

"Staff and pupils had the opportunity to learn about the work of Vattenfall and take part in a variety of engaging STEM workshops.

"As a school, we are looking forward to learning more about their work.

"We are hugely supported by Ray Wind Funds and hope to arrange a visit to the Ray Wind Farm in the near future.

"An enormous thank you to Matthew and Kathryn, their enthusiasm, knowledge and expertise, created an exciting morning in school.”

In addition to visiting the school, the Vattenfall team joined around 30 employers and approximately 400 students at a Careers Fair hosted by the Discovery Museum in Newcastle on Monday, March 11.