Formby pupil bags Big Bang prize for engineering effort

9th May 2017

Ben Pott of Formby High School got more than just a fun day out when he attended the national Big Bang Fair at Birmingham’s NEC recently. Having tried his hand at civil engineering activities, Ben has been awarded a prize by a top national institution.

During assembly at Formby High School last week, Ben was presented with a pair of coveted Beats headphones as well as a certificate of merit from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), one of the world’s oldest professional bodies.

After presenting the award Darrell Matthews, North West Regional Director of the Institution of Civil Engineers, said:

“Ben and 3,000 other young people got the chance to show their creativity and ingenuity in tackling a range of activities on the civil engineering stand, and Ben was one of just awarded a prize from the Institution of Civil Engineers.

“Those fun challenges were a taster of what Ben and his fellow pupils at Formby High School could be doing in a few years’ time if they choose a career in civil engineering. It could be a career designing tunnels, bridges, flood defences, or coming up with new ways of handling waste or modernising our energy supply. And with a growing population, a changing climate and new technologies emerging – we need civil engineers more than ever.”

Ben Pott, aged 13, said: “I really enjoyed my experience at the Big Bang Fair and am looking forward to using my new Beats headphones!”

The Big Bang Fair helps foster interest in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths). Miss Atherton, who led Formby High School’s trip to the fair, said: “I was thrilled to hear that Ben had won a competition he entered whilst on the Big Bang trip. It is great to see that students are inspired about STEM-related career opportunities and that there are lots of avenues for them to take.”

Mr Mackenzie, headteacher at Formby High School, said: “We are delighted to see Ben rewarded for his creativity and ingenuity at the recent Big Bang Fair in Birmingham. The school places particular importance on STEM, recognising the importance these educational paths have on future innovation and development in Britain and beyond. We would like to congratulate Ben on his accomplishment and living up to the school motto ‘Determined to Achieve’.

The Big Bang Fair is the UK’s largest event to celebrate science and engineering with young people, and this year’s event at Birmingham NEC attracted over 80,000 visitors.

The Institution of Civil Engineers’ stand at this year’s fair was run with support from major industry sponsors BAM Nuttall, Black & Veatch, Costain, Kier, MACE and Morgan Sindall, and the Institution of Structural Engineers.