WEYMOUTH pupils faced the plight of oceans in the build up to the Games.


Members of London-based charity Global Ocean paid a visit to Southill Primary School to raise awareness of marine environments.


It comes as the eyes of the world turn to Dorset ahead of the coming sailing events held in Weymouth and Portland.


The charity held an Olympic-themed workshop to make schoolchildren aware of local marine life through ‘learning and playing’.


Children from years two, three and four put their creative talent to the test during the day by producing work for an art display.


Fatemah Abidi, of Global Ocean, said: “Global Ocean is a London-based charity whose objective is to raise awareness about the plight of the oceans.


“We produce eco-arts workshops with educational content, to creatively highlight the impacts of plastic pollution on the marine environment.  We aim to generate an affinity to the marine world and encourage children to positively contribute to marine stewardship."


Local sailor Steve White was also on hand to help the children understand the impact of litter in the ocean.


He explained to children how to judge how far away the coastline is by the amount of rubbish in the ocean.


Ms Abidi added: “The children seemed to really enjoy themselves.


“The children were all very aware of the littering on beaches and the impacts of plastic on marine life.”


They used plastic they had collected from home to make different types of boats, allowing them to explore the meaning of recycling.


Teacher Jane Brown said: “We had three visitors who spoke to the children about pollution in the seas. It was an opportunity for them to understand marine issues especially with the Olympics coming up. They were all asked to bring in plastic from home which they recycled by making art-work out of it. We are hoping to organise an exhibition of the art soon. It was a really good experience for them.”