A TEAM of students from Warrington visited the Royal Armouries in Leeds – and it was certainly no sightseeing trip.
The group from Priestley College were invited to take part in a Project ReDesign workshop organised and hosted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
More than 150 students from 24 schools and colleges were challenged to come up with a range of ideas concerned with the “Circular Economy”, where waste products are better managed leading to a world with less pollutants.
The students specifically looked at the problem of waste management in the UK, at a time when the world only has finite resources and as energy costs spiral. They were helped along the way by representatives from a number of Blue Chip companies including B&Q, BT, CISCO and the National Grid.
Ellen MacArthur, who is most famous for her sailing career, after breaking the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe, has now retired from the sport and is concentrating on a range of initiatives through her own charitable foundation, which she set up last year.
She said: “The team at the Foundation was extremely excited to have such an enthusiastic and engaging group of young people attend.
“The challenge set was not easy, nor was working out how to put forward ideas around the task itself, but the outcome was exactly what we were hoping for. The students were amazing, showing how skilled they are at thinking outside the box.”
Priestley student Daria Szambelan, a former pupil at Birchwood High School, said: “It was excellent to attend this workshop that had a focus on the environment and green issues. It certainly got us all thinking about the small things we can do in our own lives to minimise waste.
“It was also a great experience to meet someone like Ellen, who has gone from being a leading sportswoman to a very vocal champion of environmental issues.”
Picture: Students working with Dame Ellen MacArthur.
