Designed to teach youngsters about Britain’s geological history, the Box Rocks Circus looks set to last for an age to come, after it secured a long-term maintenance grant.

The outdoor classroom, which features a circle of sculptures and rocks was given a Watermark conservation award from Wessex Water last week, along with a £200 grant.

Maintenance manager Keith Dispain made the presentation to the monument’s creator Elizabeth Devon on Thursday, along with a class from Box Primary School.

She said: “This is amazing, we’re all very grateful for the award.

“Hopefully now it will last quite a long time. We will have to put some sort of algae control on so the rocks don’t turn green, but it shouldn’t need too need much maintenance.”

The circus was built to teach children about the development of the Earth’s geology, and features a large dinosaur fossil and a different types of rock.

Ms Devon said: “Because children are so interested in rocks ands fossils, and there is often not much done in schools I just wanted to make it mroe accessible for them. I think children learn better when things are hands-on, and with the circus they can touch and climb all over it.”