Astronaut surprise video leaves pupils starstruck

Primary school children have been left amazed after receiving a personal video message from British astronaut Tim Peake.

Pupils at Thornbury Primary School in Plymouth, Devon, were sent the message after teacher Emily Trevarthen's father met Peake while working on a cruise ship over the summer.

Trevarthen explained that her father and the astronaut got chatting and her father mentioned she was a teacher. "We didn't expect to get what we got really," she said.

Peake told pupils: "I hear you've been studying all about space, a subject very close to my heart, something I love, so I'm very pleased that you enjoy it too. Stay curious. Keep looking up at the stars."

Trevarthen said that some children had previously assumed all astronauts were American, but learning about a British astronaut had helped them see that such ambitions were possible.

The video was kept secret until World Space Week, when staff revealed it during a celebration assembly.

Trevarthen said the children were "so excited" when they saw the video, with some initially wondered whether the message had been created using artificial intelligence before realising it was genuine.

She said: "The children absolutely loved it. The standout moment was learning that Tim Peake had run a marathon on the International Space Station. They couldn't believe it."

Teacher Joanna Stelmaszczyk said there was "so much excitement" when the video was shown and recalled similar enthusiasm when pupils watched Peake's historic arrival at the International Space Station in 2015.

"I remember it like it was yesterday," she said. "I was teaching Year 1 at the time, and the buzz and excitement in the classroom was something I will never forget."

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