Budding engineers crowned champions

Some 80 aspiring young female engineers from schools across Yorkshire took part in a challenge to design, build and race their own hovercrafts at The Mount School in York.

The event was held in association with SES Engineering Services, part of the Wates Group, and funded by the charitable programme Wates Giving, set up by the family governing owners of the Group.

The students worked together in teams alongside their own teaching staff and post-graduate students from the University of York.

Each craft was powered by a leaf blower engine in order to carry one ‘pilot’ from each team along a specially built racing track.

At the end of the workshop, the hovercrafts were judged for their design, as well as aesthetics, before taking to the track and racing their hovercraft against each other.

Brackenfield School’s Flying Saucers wowed the judges and SES Engineering Services senior planner Hadeil Miller visited the school to present the team with their trophy this week.

Hadeil commented: “The entire SES team and I are thrilled that the Hovercraft Challenge Day has inspired such amazing creativity and ingenuity among these young women.

“Congratulations once again to the winning Brackenfield School team.

“Their entry was fantastic and stood out because of their infectious enthusiasm, determination and wonderful team work.

“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to hand over the SES Hovercraft Challenge trophy to the girls today and humbled that this experience has inspired many of the talented team to aspire to a future career in engineering.

“We need more women to become engineers and exciting events like this can inspire the next generation of Yorkshire engineers, who, like the Brackenfield School pupils, already have all the right tools they need to succeed - a huge enthusiasm for creativity, science and maths.”

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