Safari Park staff benefit from performance skills training In a bid to enhance their acting and presentation skills in time for the busy summer season, 12 Discovery Zone staff at West Midlands Safari Park have benefited from a bespoke training package delivered by the Business Unit at Kidderminster College.

The course, led by Acting tutor Naomi Coleman, ran over 6 weeks and taught staff from various sections of the Discovery Zone including the sea lion trainers and reptile keepers, how to perform in front of large groups of visitors, deliver talks and adlib when things don't go according to plan- a very important skill when working with animals!

Edward Dalley, 20, who has been working with the Safari Park's sea lions both voluntarily and as a trainer over the past four years said: "This year we've developed a new Peter Pan themed sea lion show and we really wanted some help in perfecting our acting skills so we could make the show as fun and professional as possible.

"Our tutor, Naomi, was brilliant; not only did she teach us how to present to the audience but also how to act whilst integrating the sea lions into the show - something the whole department has found difficult to do. Since doing the course, we have been able to tweak the show and really work on our skills of delivering the best performance time after time.

"My favourite part of the training was the section on adlibbing, more often than not Moocha or one of the other seals misbehaves which makes it hard to keep the show on track, so being able to adlib well is a real bonus for me."

Stella Hammond, Business Development Manager at Kidderminster College said: "Kidderminster College has built a reputation as a leading establishment for workplace training - however diverse a company's requirements, as was the case here! We are delighted that West Midlands Safari Park chose us to help their staff brush up on their presenting skills and from what I hear, the Peter Pan show is not to be missed!"

The Adventures of Peter Pan is performed at the Sea Lion Theatre, within West Midlands Safari Park, 3 times a day at weekends and throughout the school holidays: "The show is great fun," concludes Edward, "thanks to my performance training I am able to play a really evil Captain Hook. Peter Pan, one of our other sea lion trainers and his sea lion friends Wendy and Mr Smee eventually save Tinkerbell and I end up in the water!