Weather forecaster Matt Taylor visited Monkseaton Middle School on Thursday where he gave the year seven pupils a talk about weather presenting, as well as a talk on extreme weather around the world.

Joan McKay, of Monkseaton Middle School told the News Guardian how Matt had taken a day out of his busy schedule to visit the pupils at the school.

She said: "The pupils think it is great, and some of them recognised him from the TV.

"He has taken a lesson with all the year seven pupils as part of their geography classes and discussed things like climate change with the youngsters.

"The school are extremely grateful that he has come from London to spend the day with us."

Matt first joined the Met Office to train as a weather observer in 1998, and then went on to work at RAF Cranwell and presented live broadcasts on BBC Radio Wales before moving to the BBC Weather Centre in the mid-nineties.