Student’s fantasy fish sculpture wins a Waterfest showing
Blake Shearer’s multicoloured, mixed media fish sculpture has won the Fantasy Fish competition held by WWT Arundel Wetland Centre.
The fish will be displayed in the visitor centre during Waterfest Weekend of Sept 17-18.
The year 2 student from Downview Primary School in Felpham was also awarded a Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust goody bag and family tickets to visit the Arundel attraction and nature reserve.
Blake’s prize includes a visit to his school from the Arundel Wetland Centre’s learning team, who will bring the wetlands into his classroom for an educational outreach session next term.
Blake’s year 2 teacher Mrs Howarth said the Fantasy Fish project wasn’t compulsory for her class but that “Blake had to give up his break time to work on his fish.” she said, “He really wanted to enter the contest.”
The school competition is part of the Waterfest Weekend at Arundel Wetland Centre in September. The exhibits and activities at this two-day family festival celebrate water for work, play and life and encourage water conservation for wildlife.
Festival highlights include water musician Professor H2O performing 2 shows on Saturday and Lady Lydia sailing through the crowds on Sunday. The Sussex Mills Society will demonstrate water mills and children can have a go on the grinding stones.
Visitors will enjoy watching the boats of the Southwater Dabblers Model Boat Society sail by on Swan Lake. The Wey and Arun Canal Trust will welcome visitors aboard their cutaway canal boat and families can ride the mini-steam train from the Chichester and District Society of Model Engineers.
Families can also meet the divers from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue and visit the Pagham Harbour marine life touch table to see life from the sea. Win a water bottle with Southern Water and learn about the national water-metering scheme.
WaterAid will have an information booth in the visitor centre. Roaming WWT Mud Buskers will entertain and make conservation science simple. Visitors can glide through the wetlands on a boat safari but watch out for pirates this weekend!
