The Marble Arch Caves' Education Team has launched brand-new outreach programmes, designed to educate primary school children in a fun and interactive way using the knowledge and expertise of the guides at the caves.

The new programmes include 'Crazy About Caves' which gives children the opportunity to learn about caves and underground worlds of passages and chambers decorated with fantastic formations, grown over thousands of years; 'Mysterious Minibeasts', which helps children discover what lives in the miniature worlds of habitats as we take a closer look at the weird and wonderful minibeasts that live in the world around us; and 'Habitats at Home', which shows the patchwork of landscapes stretching across the island of Ireland which offers a range of interesting and unique habitats, hosting fascinating wildlife and shelters.

Lisbellaw Primary School recently took part in the Outreach Programme. Teacher, Miss McKeon, said: "The children and staff really enjoyed the programme.

"The guides all did a great job – they had a lovely, friendly and informal manner with the children and were certainly very knowledgeable, and patient.

"The resources all added to the experience and definitely made it more relatable – the Virtual Reality headsets were a real hit.

"I would certainly recommend this to any school, and the Crazy About Caves programme would be really beneficial for any school before or after they visit the caves."