Budding young scientists have been looking at its evolution over the past 250 years.

Children from Distington Community School were attending an Atomic Day held at the Beacon Museum in Whitehaven.

It is part of a two-year Heritage Lottery Funded project, entitled ‘Cumbria’s Atomic Story – a Fusion of People and Place’.

The scheme is led by Prism Arts and supported by the museum, Sellafield Ltd and National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL).

Ali McCaw, Prism Arts’ lead artist, said: “This day marks the beginning of a new exciting two-year project.

“We have started by looking at the Cumbrian scientist John Dalton and then leaped through time right up to the 1950s and the arrival of the nuclear industry in west Cumbria.

“We’re very fortunate to work with two local schools, with some of the children’s parents actually working in the nuclear sector.

“It’s a very exciting project that will culminate in an atomic performance and exhibition at The Beacon Museum in two years’ time.”

Throughout the day children were introduced to a whole host of scientific facts and knowledge, through workshops run by Sellafield Ltd and NNL.

Margaret Crichton, senior teaching assistant at Distington Primary School, said: “The kids have been dying to get stuck in. Obviously since it’s a very important subject in west Cumbria.

“Some of the kids who are here today may well be employed in the nuclear industry in the future."

Derren Lynch, aged nine, of Distington Community School, said: “It was really fun. We got to make a boat out of a card and straws and we had to make sure it was protected against a tsunami.

“That was my favourite part, seeing if the boat would sink.”

Elizabeth Kwasnik, Beacon Museum Director, said: “It is a key element of our role as Copeland’s museum to help our young people learn about the scientific history of the area as well as the industrial and social history.

“We are delighted to be part of this collaborative project. It has created a great opportunity to promote the understanding of science with two of our local schools over the next two years.”

Julie Betteridge, director of customers and communities at Copeland Council, said: “We are all about collaboration between The Beacon and our local community.

“We are happy to be working alongside our partners to teach children about the importance of science and in particular its links to the local industry.

“The Beacon Museum is proud to be involved in educating young people and showcasing the importance of the subject.”