SCHOOLCHILDREN from the Salisbury area spent a day finding out more about climate change.

More than 1,830 children and 70 staff from schools across the region were invited to an event organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Institute of Engineering Technology (IET).

The event featured presentations on climate change by physicist Professor John Shepherd and teams of scientists and engineers.

Children from schools including Bishop Wordsworth’s, Sarum Academy, South Wilts, Alderbury and West Grimstead, Wyvern, Chafyn Grove, Broad Chalke, Chilmark and Fonthill Bishop, St Joseph’s and St Osmund’s, discovered what is causing the world to heat up and what scientists and engineers are doing to try to solve the problem.

A further 150 professional engineers and their guests were at the evening lecture given by Professor Shepherd at Salisbury Arts Centre.

Nick Schulkins, chairman of the Wessex Region of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: “With a forecast shortage of science and engineering graduates, it is essential that we give schoolchildren early exposure to the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects, and nothing could be more important to their future than climate change.

“Professor Shepherd and his team did an outstanding job, and we are very grateful to everyone involved, particularly the schools for hosting the presentations.”