This year was the fifth time that the Wales Rally GB has been held in North Wales. The Welsh Government, working with Flintshire, Conwy Councils and the Engineering Education Scheme for Wales (EESW) set up a STEM event in a marquee at the rally service park at the Toyota site in Deeside. As in previous years we manned an interactive stand at the event together with several companies, local colleges and other professional bodies.
| The North Wales Area committee arranged the IMechE stand this year with members volunteering for the two days, Oct 27 and 28. Visitors were able to view the Rally service stations, automotive stands, as well as coming into the “Big Bang” marquee to learn about engineering and further education opportunities. Exhibitors were encouraged to provide activities for the visitors during their visit. At the IMechE stand we had the Stirling heat engine running on a cup of hot water as well as the LEGO Mindstorm Rubik cube solver which once again proved to be very popular. The increased attendance through the “Big Bang” facility this year, saw a lot of interest in careers particularly the apprentice route. We are adjacent to the IET stand, Chemistry Rascals, 3D Printing demos and STEM trainers equipped with Yoda and droids to play with as well. This proved to be a concentrated fun area. The I Mech E stand was manned on Thursday by Mark Wakem, Steve Byrne and myself with Ciaran Eyre of the Young Members and Formula Student background joined Mark and I for the Friday. This year the first day had about 2500 people visit. The 4 x I Mech E volunteers that took part found this to be a rewarding experience once again and we thank them for their hard work. Brian Rimmer |