Fernhurst pupils get to see Mars in a ‘dark skies’ event in their village

Pupils and parents at Fernhurst Primary School, near Haslemere, part of the University of Chichester Academy Trust, were treated to a “dark skies” event on Monday evening.

A total of 48 pupils and their families booked to attend the evening run by a team from the South Downs National Park, as part of their Dark Skies Festival next month.

The aim of the evening was to let the children and their parents get a close look at the stars and planets and find out more about the wildlife that inhabits the local area.

The team brought a powerful telescope with them which meant the Fernhurst Primary families got a fantastic, close-up look at the night sky.

They were lucky with the weather and were able to see Mars with the naked eye.

Commenting on the evening in Fernhurst, one parent said: “What a wonderful opportunity we had to see the planets and stars in our beautiful local area.”

Jennifer Thornton, head teacher of Fernhurst Primary School, part of the University of Chichester Academy Trust, said: “We had a fantastic evening looking up at the skies and learning about the planets and stars.

“The evening built on our school ethos, Nurture-Explore-Achieve, with the children encouraged to explore and take an interest in the skies above us and develop inquisitive minds.

“The school community would like to thank the team from South Downs National Park who made the evening so memorable.”

The South Downs National Park is running its Dark Skies Festival from Thursday 13th to Sunday 23rd of February and this year’s theme is Glimmers.

The festival will see many events run locally to celebrate the light of the stars, planets, meteors and moon, as well as nocturnal wildlife and the bioluminescence of glow worms and biofluorescence of other life.