Busy bees return to their hive

Lauren Eccles and Emily Bonney, both Year 7, were invited back to their former school after their ‘Truck of the Future’ design beat those from schools across Lancashire.

The all-female team of six (four of the girls have now moved on to a different high school) were crowned winners, with a model of their truck design powered by honey, unveiled at the annual Leyland festival.  Their idea came after the girls began to think about habitats which need protecting.  

The competition was set up by South Ribble Borough Council, in partnership with Leyland Trucks and Educational Consultancy STEMFirst.  It seeks to promote links between schools and businesses, encouraging engagement in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects (STEM).  

Students were asked to design either a futuristic delivery truck to transport smaller packages to multiple locations, or a long-distance bulk vehicle to carry larger or heavy loads across long distances.  Pupils were asked to consider a lot of details, including the cost, look, safety factors, emissions, noise, adaptability, maintenance and size and weight – a big ask.  The STEM Ambassador judges marked each group on teamwork, research, ideas and creativeness, and design, allowing them to show us a broad range of their skills.