Pupils at Carr Head Primary in Poulton held on to their hats for a special treat as a Royal Navy helicopter touched down in their school field.

The lucky youngsters were given the opportunity to have a guided tour of the helicopter as well as asking the crew questions about their job.

The school were fortunate enough to enjoy the visit because the supervising pilot, Lieutenant Commander Steve Bolton has a 10 year old niece, Hollie, at the school.

Pupils were expecting the Lynx helicopter at 1pm and arranged a surprise for the crew as they landed.

They waited in the playground and arranged themselves to spell out a giant Hello as an early greeting.

Eventually the helicopter appeared in the sky and the youngsters waved excitedly as the aircraft circled down to the ground.

Abigal Neale, five, said: "I loved seeing the helicopter land – it's enormous!

"It was fun spelling out the word Hello.

"I've never seen a helicopter in real life before and really want to be a pilot when I grow up now."

Headteacher Trish McCarthy said: "The children have been so excited.

Opportunity

"They've been studying transport so it seemed too good an opportunity to miss.

"It just shows what can be achieved if you are prepared to work hard."

The helicopter came from its base in Yeovil, Somerset on a training exercise supervised by Lt Com Bolton.

The pilot said: "Being able to visit schools on training exercises like these is one of the nicest parts of my job and we got a particularly warm welcome at Carr Head.

"We have seen all the children in the school and one little girl said she definitely wants to be a pilot when she grows up.

"My family and I all went to school in this area so it is really nice to be able to encourage children to pursue careers in the Navy."

n Study Zone – Page 31