St Jude's Pupils' Hovercraft Creations Celebrated by Hovertravel During Portsmouth 100

Hovertravel has celebrated the creativity and imagination of pupils from St Jude's Church of England Primary School in Portsmouth after Year 1 children created a fleet of impressive model hovercraft as part of the city's Portsmouth 100 celebrations.

To mark Portsmouth becoming a city 100 years ago, every year group at St Jude's produced a unique piece of artwork showcasing a different aspect of the city using a variety of artistic techniques and materials. Year 1 chose one of Portsmouth's most recognisable icons – the Hovertravel hovercraft – creating colourful three-dimensional models using cardboard, balloons and paint.

Katie Yeomans, art lead, at St Jude's Church of England Primary School, said:

"Seeing the classroom buzz with excitement has been incredible. For our 'Portsmouth 100' art exhibition, every year group brought a different piece of local history to life—from the Spinnaker Tower to the Naval Memorial. Our two Year 1 classes took on Portsmouth's iconic hovercraft, spending a week planning, designing, and building their own models out of old laptop boxes and modelling balloons. We are incredibly grateful to the dedicated parent who spent an entire month hand-assembling the individual kits for us. Seeing the children proudly show off their creations to parents and governors at the exhibition was the perfect way to celebrate our city's heritage."

The finished hovercraft models impressed the team at Hovertravel, who invited the Year 1 pupils to Southsea Hoverport to meet one of the company's pilots and pose for a commemorative photograph with their creations and a real hovercraft in the background. Hovertravel will proudly display the special photograph in its community display area, either as a framed photograph or on the terminal's digital screens, ensuring the pupils' creativity can be enjoyed by thousands of passengers throughout the year.

As one of Portsmouth's most recognisable landmarks and an enduring symbol of the city, Hovertravel has been carrying passengers across the Solent since 1965. Today it remains the world's only year-round scheduled passenger hovercraft service outside Japan, attracting visitors from across the UK and around the globe who come to experience this unique form of transport.

Loretta Lale, Head of Marketing at Hovertravel, said:

"We were absolutely delighted to see the wonderful hovercraft models created by the Year 1 pupils at St Jude's. Their imagination, creativity and attention to detail were outstanding, and it was clear how much thought and enthusiasm had gone into every single model.

"As an iconic part of Portsmouth's skyline and heritage, it is incredibly special to see young people celebrating Hovertravel as part of Portsmouth 100. We were honoured to welcome the children to Southsea Hoverport, introduce them to one of our pilots and help create a lasting memory with a photograph that we will proudly display in our community area. We hope it inspires our passengers just as much as it inspired us."

The Portsmouth 100 celebrations have brought together communities, schools and organisations from across the city to reflect on Portsmouth's rich history, distinctive identity and exciting future. The artwork created by St Jude's pupils highlights the city's diverse landmarks, industries and attractions, with Hovertravel proudly representing one of Portsmouth's most distinctive and internationally recognised experiences.