A new 'Jurassic Lab' has received thousands of pounds in funding to tell the story of our coastline.

Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre has won funding of £8,361 to highlight the chemistry in the story of our coastline and its fossils.

The project called ‘Jurassic Lab’ will use children’s enthusiasm for fossils to engage them with basic ideas in chemistry. The funding comes from the Royal Society of Chemistry.

It will be part of the centre’s outreach schools programme across the region for the coming year.

Education and outreach manager Anna Holbrook said: "We are delighted to have the backing of the Royal Society of Chemistry for our ‘Jurassic Lab’. 

"Like me, our staff are all trained scientists so we can use our expertise to connect our fossils to the chemistry curriculum."

"This funding will enable us to develop the new workshops and deliver them to schools at a much-reduced price. We know our schools are struggling to make ends meet, and this is a way we can support them at this difficult time." 

Some chemistry knowledge is useful in many local industries and careers, including food, farming, and healthcare. and is crucial for understanding many important environmental challenges, such as recycling, water pollution and reducing our carbon footprint.

Anna hopes the workshops will encourage children to recognise the potential impact of their learning for later life.

Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, an educational charity, is on the beach at Charmouth and is free to visit.

It has welcomed nearly 1000 visitors a day over the summer with a total of 83,000 visits so far this year. It hosts a busy outreach programme both out on the beach and more widely.

More information can be found on its website https://charmouth. org/CHCC/about