West Norfolk children head under the sea

​Young children from a West Norfolk school were able to get up close and personal with sea creatures during a special visit.

The pupils at Walpole Cross Keys Primary School, a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, made the journey to Hunstanton for the chance to meet seals, starfish and penguins at Sealife.

The Early Years Foundation group saw the centre’s Common Seals - it has six residents, Sally, Amber, Callie, Lora, Macey and Pippa. It also operates a seal rehabilitation centre where it treats injuries or raises pups which need human intervention. Once they reach their target weight they are reintroduced to the wild.

They also saw a colony of Humboldt Penguins which live at the centre, and the young visitors also saw the black tipped reef sharks which are found in the wild on tropical coral reefs of both the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

“They all had a great time at Sealife and were delighted to see the seals and penguins up close. It was a good chance for them to get an understanding of the wildlife that shares our seas, and understand some of the difficulties facing some species,” said Assistant Headteacher Billy Overton.