CHILDREN at a school near Stockbridge celebrated the arrival of a pre-historic guest at a special assembly.

Broughton Primary School welcomed Marwell Wildlife’s Velma the Velociraptor, as part of the zoo’s Design-a-Saurus competition.

The students drew their favourite dinosaur and described its features and habitat as well as how it moved and what it ate.

Alexander drew the winning ‘Forestsaurus’ – a herbivore with camouflaged skin which changed colour with the seasons to hide from predators.

He was presented with a Marwell Education Outreach Session for himself and his class, an individual animal adoption as well as tickets to the zoo.

Alexander’s teacher, Miss Lake, said: “What a fantastic afternoon we had when Marwell came to visit. The brilliant education team came armed with a multitude of props and delivered a really engaging series of mini lessons on adaptation and conservation.

“Then came the highlight, when Velma the Velociraptor joined us for our school assembly. Happy, smiling faces all round!”

Sharon Bartholomew, education co-ordinator at Marwell Wildlife, said: “This session was a fun way to compare the adaptations of dinosaurs to some animals we have today. Using real animal artefacts to learn about the animals and meeting Velma the Velociraptor helped make the learning experience one to remember.”

Velma features in the Rise of the Dinosaurs event at Marwell Zoo which is on until September 2.