Astronaut helps schools learn about World Ocean Week

Nicole Stott was visiting Jersey for the first time for the work with Ocean Culture Life

A NASA astronaut has been helping Jersey school children learn about World Ocean Week.

Nicole Stott came to the island to talk about why protecting the planet’s waters was an important issue for young people.

It was part of work by the environmental group, Ocean Culture Life, to engage with children and schools across the island.

About 200 children from Jersey were in involved in the special workshops by St Ouen’s Bay.

Nicole Stott is a veteran NASA astronaut with two spaceflights and 104 days in space

Ms Stott was a crewmember on both the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle before she became a NASA Aquanaut, which is someone who lives underwater.

In preparation for spaceflight, she was a crewmember on an 18-day saturation dive mission at an undersea laboratory.

She said it was “fantastic” to be in Jersey and wanted to teach the children about being “crewmates - not passengers - on our planetary spaceship”.

Ms Stott added: "The children just got it and learnt about how to clean our water and how we can tell stories about our oceans".

Nicole Stott flew to the International Space Station in 2009 where she took part in a spacewalk

The 61-year-old also said: "One of the greatest things is [to] bring our kids to these events so right off the bat they're ready to do good things."

St Clement's School pupils were some of the children who came to World Ocean Week workshops.

Finlay and Lily, aged nine, said the experience was "amazing" and they couldn't believe they had met a "real-life astronaut".

St Clement's School pupils Finlay and Lily couldn't believe they had met a "real-life astronaut"

Finlay said: "We've been learning about our habitats at school and it's been great to see it here too".

Lily added she asked Ms Stott "about three or four questions and I was anxious and nervous but she was very nice".

Co-founder of Ocean Culture Life Tamsin Raine said the week was a big success

Tamsin Raine helped to bring Ms Stott to Jersey for the workshops.

She said she wanted to "inspire change" but people first had to "inspire hope" for children and allow them "safe access to the ocean".

"We really want to put Jersey on the map internationally for this environmental work because we like to think of the ocean as the heartbeat of our island," Ms Raine added.