PUPILS from St Mary's Primary School were treated to an action-packed day at HM Naval Base Clyde last week.

Thirty pupils from Saint Mary’s Primary School in Alexandria visited HM Naval Base Clyde as part of their primary five class project and as an opening to career discussions.

While in the Base the children enjoyed a display by Ministry of Defence (MOD) Police sniffer dogs, a visit to the Fire Station where they met with the Defence Fire and Rescue Service Team and were given a guided tour of the facilities, the kit used by the Fire fighters and a quick call out in a fire engine.

The next port of call was to the Royal Marines of 43 Commando who cooked up some rations for the kids and showed them how to camouflage themselves.

There was also a demonstration from the marines on how to get in and out of a Zodiac inflatable boat as if they had just landed on a beach to conduct a mission.

Brian Scullion, Superintendent Royal Naval Armaments Depot, Coulport, said: ”This visit was a great opportunity for Naval Base personnel to engage with the local community and to help the children with their projects and highlight some of the career options available to them.”

After lunch in the Staff Canteen, the pupils ended their visit with the MOD Police from the Clyde Marine Unit (CMU) hosting the kids on a boat trip. The CMU officers used two Police Launches to take all thirty children out on the water, over a number of trips, for a 20 minute sail to finish off their day in the base.

Class teacher, Paula Borzacciello, said : “I’d like to say a massive thank you to Mr Brian Scullion for organising and hosting our visit; the children had a fantastic day and will remember it for a long time to come."

Superintendent Scullion added: “I would like to thank all the departments who supported this visit, a great deal of effort was made to ensure the children had an enjoyable day.”