Ossett Academy pupils 'delighted' after receiving a handwritten letter from Sir David Attenborough

Students at Ossett Academy were delighted after they received a reply from Sir Attenborough, just two weeks after they sent their initial letters to the 97-year-old nature broadcaster.

Charlie Townsend, Daisy Harris, Jack Skilbeck, and Flynn Goodlad’s letters were chosen to send to Sir Attenborough after they learnt about different forms of communication in their English class headed by Miss Jay Stanley and Mrs Katie Warby.

In their class they also learned about the importance of being environmentally responsible after watching Blue Planet II.

Charlie said: “We created the letters after watching one of his documentaries."

"We sent letters that talked about how inspirational he is to us,” Daisy added.

“He is inspirational in the way that he wants to save the planet, and how he wants others to also get involved.”

The letter, which was handwritten, thanked Miss Stanley and Mrs Warby for educating the children on the importance of climate change.

The pupil were shocked to receive the letter and were ‘over the moon’ that Sir Attenborough took time out of his day to reply.

Flynn said: “It feels unreal. I really didn’t think he would write back. My grandma was really jealous because she loves him, and I brag about it all the time when I see her.”

Jack added: “I was shocked when we received the letter. Out of all the people in the world, he replied to us at a teeny-tiny school in Ossett, it doesn’t make sense!”

Miss Stanley said: “The letter is definitely a moment to remember and to reflect on.

Mrs Warby and I didn’t think Sir Attenborough would write back, but we wanted to encourage the children to write, as in this modern age it is very rare that you get the opportunity to write a letter.

"The children drafted and redrafted their letters, we didn’t change anything but focused on their spelling and grammar.

"We wish we could have sent everyone’s but we chose the letters that stood out. The letters may or may not have been written perfectly, but we chose the letters that were passionate and inspired, all four of the letters felt genuine.”