Travel and tourism students from West Nottinghamshire College are taking their studies to a cosmic level for a project at Sherwood Observatory Planetarium and Science Centre.

The £6.8m facility, which opened its doors to the public in November, welcomed learners for a tour of the facilities, led by planetarium project manager Dr Steve Wallace and volunteer Jan Woodjetts.

As well as seeing the original Sherwood Observatory, which opened in 1986, the groups toured the new science discovery centre, meeting rooms, classrooms, and café before seeing an underground exhibition space that is set in a former 1880s Victorian reservoir.

Students were then treated to a spectacular presentation on the 59-seat dome’s immersive 10m diameter screen. They saw moon landing clips, the Great Solar System Adventure, and a planet show, set to background classical music by Gustav Holst.

Following their visit, the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Travel and Tourism learners tasked with creating real-world market research for the planetarium, and using that to develop a targeted marketing campaign, based on a detailed customer brief provided by the observatory.

Programme area leader for travel and tourism Hannah Locke said: “Students will have the opportunity to present their findings and innovative marketing strategies to Steve and Jan later this year, when they’ll demonstrate their skills and creativity in supporting the observatory’s goals and objectives.

“Their research will be conducted both in the UK and internationally on a residential trip to Estonia. We’re very excited to be able to suggest new ideas for products and services for the observatory, and help with identifying the potential for the centre to bring in more visitors.”

Dr Wallace said: “From the outset, the team at Sherwood Observatory has strived to make our new centre a place that inspires and supports education in our local community.

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“This is a great example of putting that into practice through collaborative working that gives students real-world experience to the benefit of everyone involved.”