CHILDREN from the Tiny Tots Nursery in Ilfracombe came face-to-face, or rather hand-to-claw with some of the inhabitants of rockpools on the nearby coast, thanks to a visit from Ilfracombe Aquarium.

Lawrence Raybone, who owns and runs the harbourside aquarium recreated a rockpool in the nursery, without any of the children knowing.

“The children were invited in little groups to come and see and were all subject to a half hour sensory session, learning about the wonderful creatures found on our shores.”

And there was a personal reason for the visit too. Lawrence explained that the visit was a way of thanking owner Tracey McCormick and her team for looking after his children.

“Both my wife and I have been very grateful and impressed at the level of care both our children have received and we wanted to do something special as a way of thanking them.

“It was also a lovely excuse to do something I feel passionate about, which is to share some of our wonderful aquatic creatures with children who may never have seen them before.

“I always hope a sensory encounter with nature at such an early age may trigger an interest that will stay with them all their lives.

“This has to be a positive thing, especially as these children will be future guardians of our precious environment and wildlife.”

Tracey McCormick, owner of Tiny Tots said: “It was lovely for the kids to experience something out of the ordinary.

“Lawrence was great at pitching his talk at the children’s level and engaging with them. To see their faces and reactions to touching the starfish or coming face to face with a giant spider crab was fantastic!

“I’m sure despite their young age they won’t forget their fascinating experience in a hurry. My thanks goes to Lawrence for doing this for us.

“We would recommend his services to others.”

In 2011, Ilfracombe Aquarium will be offering outreach work to local schools, nurseries, clubs and birthday parties.

So anyone who wants to get up close and personal with some of our local rockpool residents can either visit the aquarium over the holidays or call: 01271 864533 to find out more.