A group of Year 9 students at West Hatch High School, Chigwell, visited the University of Essex in Colchester for The Big Bang Fair.

The event was aimed at raising students’ awareness of S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects and the impact they have on our planet.

The event featured various sessions including a visit to the Marketplace where organisations highlighted how S.T.E.M. impacts and influences the work they do; a workshop examining how paragliders stay in the air - which tested students’ piloting skills - a session where the students got involved with animal forensics and gained an understanding of the illegal animal trade, and ‘The Ugly Animal Roadshow’ delivered by Simon Watt, of The Ugly Animal Preservation Society which looked into the conservation of animals not necessarily the cutest in the world.

Geoffrey Towsey, the school's Careers Co-ordinator who organised the visit, said: "It was a really enjoyable day and really got our students thinking about how S.T.E.M. subjects link into certain careers and how they have an impact on the world around us.

"I know some of our students are interested in animal conservation so these sessions were especially relevant for them.”