Schoolboy receives letter from Sir David Attenborough

Seven-year-old Cadell Hayes was left stunned when he received a letter penned by the national treasure.

The Antrobus St Mark's pupil wrote to Sir David after watching the first episode of the latest series of Planet Earth.

Cadell’s mother, Bethan, admits she never expected anything to come of it.

“I was trying to manage his expectations, I kept telling Cadell he’s a very busy person and he probably gets a lot of letters,” she said.

“We went away the following weekend and when we returned there was a letter addressed to Cadell.

“I didn’t even think about it, it looked like someone I knows handwriting, so I just handed it to him.

“Then he came back into the room, he was gobsmacked.”

Cadell took the letter into school to show his classmates (Image: Supplied)

In his letter to Sir David, Cadell explains how he wants to follow in his footsteps by becoming a conservationist.

“This is the first step towards that dream,” Bethan said.

“He has always been quite passionate about a few specific creatures, mainly gorillas and sharks, who he thinks get a raw deal.

 “What was really lovely about this whole experience was it was all his own work.

“He sat and wrote the letter all on his own, apart from when he had to ask how to spell conservationist!

“I just loved seeing that self-motivated side of him.”

Next up for Cadell is an interview with his school newspaper, produced by members of the journalism club who meet every Monday.

Headteacher Rhian Perry said: “It’s not something that happens everyday.

“I am just so proud that he is so aware of what is going on around the world and the impact that humans are having.

“He brought in the letter to show everyone, all his classmates were amazed and had lots of questions.

“I think he has inspired others.”

On helping Cadell fulfil his dreams of becoming a conservationist, she added: “We want all of our pupils to reach their goals, whatever that may be.

“We know what he wants to do and what his aims and aspirations are, so our job now is to help him on his way.”