The Linwood school won a visit from British adventurer Mark Wood after winning a competition run by nationwide snow clearance firm GRITIT.

But the event was far from icy as youngsters sat mesmerised while Mark poured the details from some of his cold-beating expeditions and destinations.

Janet Collins, deputy head and organiser of the visit, said: “The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves and learned a lot from Mark’s visit.

“We were delighted to be chosen as one of the winners of the competition.

“Mark was great at explaining what he does to the pupils and kept them all really interested.

“They picked up a lot of facts on the day and it linked in with some of our recent learning topics such as The Snow Queen and the Cold Lands.” Intrepid Mark — who is famous for using Skype during his Everest adventure — showed youngsters some fascinating videos of his feats and explorations.

The children were amazed as he revealed to them how he made an attempt to be the first person in history to ski solo to both the South and North Poles.

He undertook the expedition to raise awareness of climate change, setting off on his trek in November 2011 from the West coast of Antarctica.

But sadly the expedition was cut short due to extra funding required by the Canadian airline company who pick explorers up from expeditions on the Arctic ocean.

However his attempt was continued to the North Geographic pole to extend the schools programme, My Life In a Freezer, which reached over 40 countries around the globe.

Youngsters entered the competition after learning about Polar regions as part of a unique learning project.

As well as being given a view of some of the specialised equipment and clothing needed to cope with the extreme cold, they were also given tips on how to stay warm in cold.

The primary school was also one of the many across the UK to receive a free grit bin and supply of salt to help safeguard their pupils and staff during winter.