PUPILS at Golden Grove School in Pembrokeshire are diving into the world of renewable energy and marine conservation through the immersive Minecraft Education world Offshore Wind Power Challenge—a collaboration between The Crown Estate and Microsoft UK.

Available in both Welsh and English, the virtual world enables students to design and build their own offshore wind farms to power a coastal village. Along the way, they gain insights into climate change, environmental protection, and careers in sustainability, engineering and conservation.

The initiative has now been expanded with new classroom resources tailored for younger learners and aligned to the Welsh curriculum. Lesson plans for teachers are also being provided to support the integration of the material into everyday teaching.

As part of their focus on developing green skills in schools across Wales, The Crown Estate partnered with education specialists Dosbarth to create the new learning content. The organisation is currently delivering taster sessions across the country, including to Year 5 and 6 pupils at Golden Grove.

Wales is emerging as a leader in renewable energy, with new floating offshore wind farms set to be developed in the Celtic Sea under The Crown Estate’s latest seabed leasing round. These projects have the potential to generate up to 4.5GW of electricity—enough to power more than four million homes. Independent research estimates the economic value of these developments could reach £1.4bn, supporting up to 5,300 jobs.*

Rebecca Williams, Director of Devolved Nations at The Crown Estate, said: “This is an exciting collaboration that brings new educational content to schools through the best-selling game of all time. This Minecraft Education world provides students and teachers with a fun way to explore the opportunities and challenges of our energy transition while protecting the natural environment, through the languages that matter most to them.

“The Crown Estate is committed to creating partnerships that have a positive impact. We hope this initiative will inspire young people to develop their skills and discover the green careers of the future.”

Karen Jones, Managing Director of Dosbarth, added: “By creating new materials for younger audiences that align with the Welsh curriculum—and providing accessible lesson plans for busy teachers—we believe these resources will inspire even more pupils across Wales to become the next generation of environmental leaders and problem-solvers.”

STAFF, volunteers and visiting pupils at Lower Treginnis Farm were delighted to welcome a very special guest on Wednesday (April 2), as Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited the site in support of the charity Farms for City Children.

The Princess Royal, who has served as Patron of the charity since 1991, spent the afternoon touring the farm, which lies just outside St Davids and is the most westerly farm in Wales. It was her fourth visit to the site since first attending in 2010.

Farms for City Children was founded by author and former Children’s Laureate Sir Michael Morpurgo and Lady Clare Morpurgo. The charity provides immersive week-long farming experiences for urban children, helping them connect with nature, food production and rural life.

During the visit, The Princess Royal met children from Pembroke Dock Community School as they took part in hands-on farm activities including grooming donkeys, feeding rare-breed piglets, and planting vegetables in the market garden.

She also joined the children for a coastal workshop led by Câr y Môr, Wales’ first regenerative seaweed and shellfish farm, which operates just off the nearby shoreline.

Her Royal Highness was accompanied on her tour by Gethin Jones, Farm School Manager, and later met members of The Friends of Treginnis—a local fundraising group that has supported the charity since 1991. Over the past three years, the group has raised more than £30,000 to help schools from across Pembrokeshire, including Pembroke Dock Community School, take part in the farm’s week-long programmes.

Before departing, The Princess Royal was introduced to members of the charity’s staff and to Aled Davies, the farm’s local partner farmer. She was then presented with a gift of fresh farm produce by two pupils, Erin Hubbard and Jack Kinnard.

Tim Rose, Head of Operations for Farms for City Children, said: “We were delighted to welcome The Princess Royal to Lower Treginnis and to share the experience of being ‘farmers for a week’ with her. Her visit was greatly enjoyed by everyone at the farm and it was our pleasure to be able to show her how the work of the charity interacts with so many different aspects of the Pembrokeshire community.

“We are hugely appreciative of Her Royal Highness’s continued support and enthusiasm for the work that we do.”

Quarter of UK training squad from Welsh colleges

STUDENTS and apprentices from colleges across Wales are competing for a place on Team UK at the WorldSkills competition in Shanghai next year – often referred to as the ‘skills Olympics’.

Of the 80 young people selected by WorldSkills UK and Pearson to take part in the 18-month training programme, 20 are from Wales – making up around a quarter of the team.

WorldSkills is considered the ultimate global test of vocational and technical excellence, and the 2026 event in Shanghai will be the first time China has hosted the prestigious contest. Over 1,500 competitors from more than 80 countries are expected to take part, showcasing skills in disciplines ranging from engineering and digital technologies to hospitality and the creative industries. The event will be watched by more than 250,000 spectators.

The UK will compete in over 30 disciplines, including 3D Digital Game Art, Robot Systems Integration, and Renewable Energy.

One of those selected for the UK’s training squad is Madeleine Warburton, 19, a student at Coleg Llandrillo’s Rhyl Campus. Madeleine won silver in Renewable Energy at the UK national finals in 2024.

She said: “I wanted to expand my knowledge within the renewable sector outside of college and work – to help improve my skills for when I go on site, learn more about solar, and meet like-minded people.

“I would definitely encourage anyone to compete. No matter how far you get in the process, it’s a huge benefit. I’ve learnt so much and developed transferable skills. My confidence has grown massively, and I’ve made friends for life.”

Minister for Skills, Jack Sargeant, said: “We have so much to look forward to in skills competitions in Wales. Between hosting the WorldSkills UK Finals in November and seeing this strong cohort working towards Shanghai, our economic future is in good hands.

“With 20 Welsh competitors in the mix, Wales is showing once again that a small nation can make a big impact. This is a long process – but I wish ‘pob lwc’ to everyone aiming for final selection.”