PRIMARY school pupils from across Hampshire listened to wildlife tales as part of an annual lecture in memory of a young naturalist.
Winchester College welcomed 450 primary school children for its Cameron Bespolka Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, November 2.
The yearly talk is named after a passionate naturalist and former Winchester College student who died at a young age. The charity, founded in Cameron’s name, aims to inspire young people to appreciate nature and make a difference to the planet.
At the event, bird expert Roger Morgan-Grenville shared his wildlife encounters from a 1000-mile walk from Lymington to Cape Wrath, the northernmost point of the Scottish mainland.
Roger spoke with Ellen Bradley from the charity Curlew Action, to tell pupils about the life of a curlew (a type of bird) from hatching to fledging and all the dangers they face from predators to environmental change.
All Saints Church of England Primary School headteacher, Jane Hall, said: "The Cameron Bespolka Memorial Lecture captured our children’s interest, and they came away enthused and inspired by the guest speaker, ornithologist Roger Morgan-Grenville.
“The children were full of the facts and information Roger had shared with them and were very keen to impart this knowledge back in school. These lectures both inspire and educate our children as the future custodians of the planet and support us in our environmental work.”
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Kings Worthy Primary School teacher, Jeremy Brewster, said: "Roger captivated our children with stories of his 1,000-mile solo walk from Lymington to Cape Wrath and his passion for birds and wildlife. It was lovely to hear how inspired our children were on our journey back to school."
After the talk, all primary school entrants to the Cameron Bespolka Wildlife Poetry Competition were treated to a celebratory afternoon tea in the College Hall. The competitors got to meet Roger in person and hear from the competition judge, Winchester College English teacher Dr James Methven, and Andrew Millham, a Young Ambassador from the Cameron Bespolka Trust.
First prize went to Liam from Winnall Primary School who won an overnight stay for his class at Cameron’s Cottage at the RSPB Franchises Lodge Nature Reserve in the New Forest.
Clara from Kings Worthy Primary School came second ahead of runners-up Charley, Connor, Lola. Second place won a day out for Clara’s class on Brownsea Island with the Dorset Wildlife Trust.
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