Wetherby Whaler is helping youngsters from York to learn about the importance of enjoying fish as part of a balanced diet after paying a visit to Poppleton Road Primary School.

Mark Savage and Amanda McDonagh from Wetherby Whaler visited the school’s Year 3 pupils to talk about the benefits of enjoying fish on the final day of Seafood Week. They brought along an assortment of fish and other seafood for the children to look at and taste, as well as telling the children a mixture of fish facts.

Seafood Week is an annual campaign, which is aimed at getting people to eat more fish, more often. Throughout the week, Wetherby Whaler, which has a restaurant in York, offered customers the chance to try produce not usually offered on its menu in addition to visiting the school.

The visit also tied in with the school’s curriculum. The pupils are currently learning more about food, where it comes from, the cultures associated with different meals, and the importance of enjoying a balanced diet.

Next week, the children will prepare and eat their own meals, which they have designed to provide a balance of all the important food groups.

Mark Savage, a senior manager and head frier at Wetherby Whaler, said: "Coming to the school to speak to the kids about the role of fish in a balanced diet is the perfect way to end Seafood Week.

"They were really interested to see the different fish, and to learn about where they come from and how they end up on the dinner table. Hopefully it will inspire some of them to eat more seafood, which we know is good for the development of growing bodies.”

Katy Haxby, Year 3 teacher at Poppleton Road Primary School: "It was great of Wetherby Whaler to loan us Mark and Amanda for the morning. Having visitors in the classroom always helps get the children to engage with a topic, and hopefully they will take some of their fish facts home to tell their parents.”