Engineering Experience 2024

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Engineering Experience 2024

Local schoolchildren designed rockets, robots and hydrogen-powered cars at a three-day event at Culford School during autumn half term. With engineers from Thales, the aerospace and defence group, standing by to offer technical advice, the teams of year-10 and 11 pupils competed to build the fastest and most effective machines. They also created logos, marketing and mission statements for their engineering start-ups.

In the evening, guest speaker Malcolm Burgess of Tesla regaled them with anecdotes from his long career in automotive engineering, including the challenges of working for Elon Musk. The Engineering Experience is put on every two years by the Smallpiece Trust in association with the William and Ellen Vinten Trust. This year, 37 children from six schools around Bury St Edmunds took part.

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Year 6 STEM Festival March 2023

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The STEM Festival saw over 310 Year 6 students from 13 different primary schools take part in a range of STEM activities.

The aims of the festival were:

  • To provide the opportunity for year 6 students from local primary schools to enhance their interest, knowledge and learning in STEM subjects.
  • To provide the opportunity for year 6 students to try activities and experiments they would not have the opportunity to try in their primary school.
  • To create a fun environment where year 6 pupils from different schools can meet and interact with new people; increasing their confidence in new situations.
  • To provide an opportunity for the TCC student volunteers to share their learning and passion of STEM with the year 6 students in attendance, in turn enhancing their own knowledge of the subject area and increasing their confidence.

The STEM Festival consisted of 9 activity stations in the hall followed by a STEM quiz hosted by Year 12 students. Each school got the chance to take part in all the activity stations and 2 representatives from each school took part in the quiz cheered on by their classmates.

All the activities provided the opportunity for the students to enhance their interest, knowledge and learning in STEM subjects. It also provided the opportunity to try activities and use resources they do not have access to in their primary school.

A selection of the activities included:

  • Flying tea bags
  • A heat experiment
  • Finger prints
  • Popping canisters
  • Identifying objects under microscopes
  • Optical illusions

In addition to the benefits to the year 6 students who attended, the STEM festival was also supported by 30 Year 10 and 7 Year 12 from Thurston Community College. These students gained confidence and shared their enthusiasm for STEM by demonstrating and explaining the activities they were leading and writing and hosting a quiz for the guest students to take part in.

The 7th Bury St Edmunds Engineering Experience

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The 7th Bury St Edmunds Engineering Experience, for 50 local students, took place at Culford school from the 24th to the 26th October 2022.

The event was led by the Smallpeice Trust and was provided exclusively for students from the local area through the support of The William and Ellen Vinten Trust.

Bury St Edmunds Students Inspired to Imagine a Career in Engineering

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From the 21st to the 23rd October, fifty students from the following local schools benefitted from a unique hands-on learning experience hosted at Culford School.  

  • – King Edwards School
  • – St Benedicts School
  • – County Upper School
  • – Thurston Community College
  • – Stour Valley Community College
  • – Sybil Andrews Academy
  • – Culford School
  • – Ixworth Free School

 

The three-day residential programme, led by national educational charity, The Smallpeice Trust and funded by the local William and Ellen Vinten Trust, aimed to engage the students and provide them with the opportunity to learn about careers in engineering through a major project, company visit and presentations. 

Students were given a unique insight into a famous local engineering company when they visited Vitec Videocom, to see all aspects of engineering in action; in a company founded by the Vinten family.

In teams, the 13 to 15-year-old students worked on technical challenges led by engineers from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Thales.  The JLR design-and-make projects included designing, building and promoting an all-terrain motor-powered vehicle.  For Thales Derek Langley, the authority on airborne imaging systems; set up a challenging space rescue project with many difficult constraints and new technical concepts that had to be mastered; most importantly it taught the students the importance of rapid concept development, experimentation and adaptation in order to attempt the mission.  As well as working on the design, build and test elements of the projects, the students developed life skills such as team work, communication, problem solving, time management, finance and presentations.

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The social programme included a reception and Gala dinner, with guests from local companies and the teachers from the schools involved. 

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The after-dinner speech was given by Emma Devlin who attended the first Bury St Edmunds Engineering Experience in 2010 and now works for the national grid, having completed an Engineering degree at Cardiff University.

Students presented their projects to guests and families.  Prizes were awarded to the best project teams by Jaguar Land Rover and Thales.

Two outstanding students Anna Mavroghanis & Harsh Kalshrestha, were recognised and received a prize of their choice of Smallpeice residential courses.

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The experience concluded with a careers & education buffet, a careers fair supported by a wide range of local companies and education providers, allowing students and parents to talk with local companies to appreciate the work they do and careers they offer. 

David Youngman, Trustee of the Vinten Trust and lead for the event, said that he and his fellow trustees were delighted to continue to organise and fund this event for the sixth time. He added, “Our aim is to open the eyes of our local students to the amazing and abundant possibilities of a career in Engineering, this event allows us to work with other brilliant organisations to deliver a focused and fun insight that can play a major part to inspire students to consider a career in engineering.  It is brilliant to work with the Smallpeice Trust, who share our local goals at a national level.  Without them and the significant active involvement and support from the teams from Thales, Jaguar Land Rover and Vitec Video Com we would not be able to deliver such a unique event to the students of Bury St Edmunds who we hope to enlighten.”

Jessica Lee, Education Officer from The Smallpeice Trust commented, “It has been a pleasure to work with these students for the past 3 days. They are an incredibly hard working group of students who continually surprised us with their commitment and motivation to the projects they were working on. The course allowed the students to work with a number of role model engineers who shared their knowledge and experience with the students. I hope the course encouraged the students to see the wealth of opportunities available to them as they move on from education and into their careers. This course was funded by the William and Ellen Vinten Trust and we are indebted to them for this contribution.”

 

About the Smallpeice Trust

 

For over 50 years The Smallpeice Trust has given young people everything that they need to explore their passion for engineering, making big ideas a reality through its hands on engineering experience courses and STEM days that challenge young people to imagine the engineering feats of the future.

The Smallpeice Trust is all about inspiring young people who are daring enough to think big and imagine. It gives 11-18 year olds everything that they need to explore their passion for engineering through in-school STEM Days and engineering experience courses – all with the help of universities, charities and corporate sponsors.

For more information on Smallpeice and its work visit http://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk  

For more information, please contact Clare Gerrard on clare.gerrard@smallpeicetrust.org.uk  or  01926 333200

 www.facebook.com/TheSmallpeiceTrust 

www.twitter.com/SmallpeiceTrust 

About the William and Ellen Vinten Trust

Established in 1982, the principal aim of the William and Ellen Vinten Trust is to pursue initiatives which increase the interest of school and college students in the Bury St Edmunds area in science and technology subjects. The goal is to increase the numbers of students who might consider careers in the engineering disciplines and to improve their levels of attainment

For more information please check out the following website.

https://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk/

 

STUDENT INTERVIEW

 

What have you enjoyed most about the course?

I think what I have enjoyed the most about the course was that we were constantly split into groups with people from different schools who did not know each other which meant we all were able to meet new people who normally I would never have spoken too. 

For me the most enjoyable part of the course was the different amounts of teamwork that was involved and the activities that we undertook throughout the course. The fact that we were put in groups with people that we didn’t know meant that we talked to others and made new friends.

What have you learnt on the course?

I have learnt a lot about time management and also the importance of coming together as a team in order to successfully complete a project. The various projects we had to complete within a restrained amount of time meant we were able to understand more about time management and how important teamwork is when trying to complete a project. Both of these I would consider as very important skills which I have no doubt will be useful later on in life.

The project has taught me about team work and how to work properly in a team. I also learnt more about time management and how to refine and correctly test a model/prototype, in my opinion it also reinforces the important and key skills required anywhere in a job.

Has the course made you think about what you might want to do in the future?

This course has definitely helped me decided on what I want to do in the future as it has encouraged me to pursue a career in STEM and has increased my interest in engineering after learning about the large range of different careers that make up field of engineering.

The course has definitely encouraged me to follow a career path in STEM, specially it has made my passion for chemistry even further and develop my interest and understanding of science in the everyday world.

Would you recommend the course to a friend?

Yes I would definitely recommend this course, as I truly believe it was a valuable experience which allowed me to understand more about the field of engineering and learning about new possibilities, I was not aware of prior to this engineering. Even if you are not interested in engineering, I think that this course would still be helpful as it could maybe spark your interest or if not improve many valuable skills which will be useful in the future.

Yes, I would most definitely recommend this course as it had been an enjoyable experience and has also helped build a more confident personality in my character. If anyone has any opportunities to attend this course I would even encourage them to take part as I believe it will be a most unforgettable experience that will also help later on in life.

 

 

2018 Engineering Experience

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We are pleased to announce the next bi annual Engineering Experience funded by the Vinten Trust, provided by the Smallpeice Trust which will be held at Culford School from Monday 21st October 2019 – Wednesday 23rd October 2019.

 

Form more information please feel free to contact us here.

Bury St Edmunds Students Inspired to Imagine a Career in Engineering


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From the 23rd to the 25th October, forty seven students from the following local schools benefitted from a unique hands-on learning experience hosted at Culford School.

  • King Edwards School
  • St Benedicts School
  • County Upper School
  • Thurston Community College
  • Stour Valley Community College
  • Sybil Andrews Academy
  • Culford School
  • Ixworth Free School

The three-day residential programme, led by national educational charity, The Smallpeice Trust and funded by the local William and Ellen Vinten Trust, aimed to engage the students and provide them with the opportunity to learn about careers in engineering through a major project, company visit and presentations.

Students were given a unique insight into a famous local engineering company when they visited Vitec Videocom, to see all aspects of engineering in action; in a company founded by the Vinten family.

 

 

In teams, the 13 to 15 year old students worked on technical challenges led by engineers from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Thales.  The JLR design-and-make projects included designing, building and promoting an all-terrain motor-powered vehicle.  For Thales Derek Langley, the authority on airborne reconnaissance systems, created a new project based on a STEM activity that he delivers at Latitude.  This set up a challenging space rescue with many difficult constraints and new technical concepts that had to be mastered; most importantly it taught the students the importance of rapid concept development, experimentation and adaptation in order to attempt the mission.  As well as working on the design, build and test elements of the projects, the students developed life skills such as team work, communication, problem solving, time management, finance and presentations.

 

The social programme included a reception and Gala dinner, with guests from local companies and the teachers from the schools involved.   Adeline-Fleur Flemming from ARM was the inspirational guest speaker.

 

 

The experience finished with students presenting their projects to guests and families.  Prizes were awarded to the best project teams by Jaguar Land Rover and Thales.

A prize was awarded by Adeline-Fleur Flemming for the best presentation.

 

Two outstanding students Jack Groom & Charlotte Hudson  were recognised and received a prize of their choice of Smallpeice residential courses.

 

 

The closing speech was given by Emma Devlin who attended the first Bury St Edmunds Engineering Experience in 2010 and is now in her last year studying Engineering at Cardiff.

 

 

David Youngman, Trustee of the Vinten Trust and lead for the event, said that he and his fellow trustees were delighted to continue to organise and fund this event for the fifth time. He added,

 

“Our aim is to open the eyes of our local students to the amazing and abundant possibilities of a career in Engineering, this event allows us to work with other brilliant organisations to deliver a focused and fun insight that can play a major part in setting the direction for students that attend.  It is brilliant to work with the Smallpeice Trust, who share our local goals at a national level, to encourage young students to consider a career in engineering.  Without them and the significant active involvement and support from the teams from Thales, Jaguar Land Rover and Vitec Video Com we would not be able to deliver such a unique event to the students of Bury St Edmunds who we hope to inspire.”

Emma Culey, Education Officer from The Smallpeice Trust commented, “ I have been so impressed by the enthusiasm, commitment and resilience shown by the students on this course. Through this programme, the students have developed their engineering, teamworking and social skills and I hope this opportunity has opened up the students eyes to how exciting a career in engineering can be. We are extremely grateful to the William and Ellen Vinten Trust for sponsoring this course.”

Established in 1982, the principal aim of the William and Ellen Vinten Trust is to pursue initiatives which increase the interest of school and college students in the Bury St Edmunds area in science and technology subjects. The goal is to increase the numbers of students who might consider careers in the engineering disciplines and to improve their levels of attainment

Founded by Dr Cosby Smallpeice in 1966, The Smallpeice Trust has grown successfully over the past 50 years, helping thousands of young people find a successful career in a multitude of disciplines within the industry from engineering materials, marine technology and naval architecture to nanotechnology and structural engineering. Through running residential courses and STEM enrichment days, more than 50,000 students have attended a Smallpeice activity in the past year.

 

 

Vintner Trust – Nov 2017

 

 

 

 

Nick gears up for a prestigious national sailing championship in a boat he built himself

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Nick Copsey, former Ely sports personality of the year, is studying ship science at the University of Southampton.

Two years ago he began building his own National 12 class dinghy, finishing the boat last summer.

Earlier this month, he displayed his two person, two sail racing dinghy. at a national boating show, the RYA, at Alexander Palace.

His dad Gerald said: “Many visitors were very impressed with the boat and amazed to discover that it was an amateur build.

“Around 8,000 visitors came to see the various designs of dinghy.

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Bill Vinten OBE: 1920 – 2015 – A life lived to the full…

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Much has been written about Bill Vinten, who died on 8 November last year, mostly about his achievements within the lm and television industry – and quite rightly so. From a cameraman’s point of view, he was probably more in uential in the development of the television cameraman’s art and craft in its rst half-century, both in studios and OBs, than any other person. But this is far from the entire story of his life. Former GTC Secretary Dudley Darby met Bill on many occasions and writes here of the multiple sides to this extraordinarily energetic man, who retained an enviable zest for life right up until his passing at a very youthful 95.

Source: GTC’s Journal, Zerb. www.gtc.org.uk

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The bi annual Engineering Experience funded by the Vinten Trust

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The bi annual Engineering Experience funded by the Vinten Trust, provided by the Smallpeice Trust and supported by Jaguar Landrover and Thales was held at Culford School in October.

This years’ experience followed a similar pattern to previous years with 50 students from years 9 and 10 of local schools attending the three day event.

On the first day an icebreaker activity was held whereby students, in groups, were tasked with designing and constructing a device which had the ability to carry an egg safely to the ground from a height of about 6 metres and then deliver the egg, undamaged, onto the ground, landing it within a clearly defined area.  The photographs show the winning design and the test launch and landing. Also on the first day students took advantage of a visit to Vitec Videocomm in Bury St Edmunds before spending the evening in sporting activities at the sports centre at the school.

The main purpose of the experience was for students to work together in groups on projects designing and constructing either a model vehicle or a speaker system. The photographs show various groups both during the design and construction phase and at the project presentation. The presentation is provided by each group to the other groups, staff attending the experience and parents of the students attending.

The evening of the second day was occupied by a formal dinner in Old Hall at Culford School where the students attend a reception and dinner with staff, trustees of the William & Ellen Vinten Trust and invited guests. The after dinner speaker for this event was Richard Clayton an engineer with Schlumberger. Other guests included Esther Bennett from the Institute of Physics and Kevin Stenson, Chief Executive of the Smallpeice Trust. A disco for the students followed the dinner and speeches.

Following the project presentation on the final day of the experience prizes were awarded to the team giving the best presentation and four students were selected to be awarded prizes, donated by the William & Ellen Vinten Trust and the Smallpeice Trust, for their attitude, enthusiasm and team working during the experience. The photographs show the best presentation prizewinners with Esther Bennett (IoP) and the Vinten/Smallpeice prizewinners with David Youngman (Vinten Trustee)

On the final day a careers and education buffet lunch was provided which was supported by local businesses and education providers. The photographs show some of the stands at the buffet lunch.

Recent Grants

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One of the key aims of the Trust is to provide financial assistance towards capital projects in West Suffolk Schools. A number of such grants have been made during 2011, two notable examples have been:

The trustees agreed a grant of £2,500.00 to St Benedicts School towards the supply of a new laser cutter.

County Upper School in Bury St Edmunds who were given a grant  by the trust this year of £11,000 to help with the refurbishment of the school’s laboratory facilities. The money has been put towards changing the layout of a classroom to make better use of available space, decorating the room and providing computer equipment.

Thurston Community College also benefited from a grant of £12,000 (over two years) towards the updating of their physics laboratories. This badly needed work has been long awaited and it is hoped that the grant will help to progress the work at a time when funds are stretched.

Bursaries awarded to seven students

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At their meeting the trustees awarded bursaries to seven students to assist them with the cost of their first degree. The subjects being studied varied widely and included Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electronic Engineering with Nanotechnology and Ship Science.

The trust helped sponsor a display at the Latitude Festival

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The trust helped sponsor a display at the Latitude Festival which centred on astronomy which was designed to engage with budding scientists and engineers as young as five or six.

During the Latitude Festival  in July 2014, Derek Langley, provided a presentation to young festival goers entitled Our Tiny World. The presentation involved an interactive tour through the solar system starting with the atmosphere of earth and then an imaginary trip through the solar system, stopping off at Titan to gather ice crystals. Visitors to the tent were also provided with a model of Saturn to make and take away with them.

Photos of the Latitude event;

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Marshalls Aerospace at Cambridge

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The trust organised a trip for students who had previously attended the engineering experience to travel to Marshalls Aerospace at Cambridge for a visit. Twenty six young people from years 10 and 11 took part in this trip which involved a tour of the facility an opportunity for the students to  engage in some interactive activities and to have presentations on the work of this prestigious engineering company.

Students Inspired to Consider a Career in Engineering

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STUDENTS INSPIRED TO CONSIDER A CAREER IN ENGINEERING
From 8th to 10th April, forty three students from the Bury St Edmunds area benefitted from a unique hands-on learning experience hosted at Culford School. The three-day residential programme, led by national educational charity, The Smallpeice Trust and sponsored by the local William and Ellen Vinten Trust, aimed to engage the students and provide them with the opportunity to learn about careers in engineering through a series of presentations and hands-on workshops.

In teams, the 13 to 15 year old students worked on ‘real-life’ challenges led by young engineers from Jaguar Land Rover and Thales. The design-and-make projects included designing and building, a motor-powered vehicle to meet certain criteria and a set of speakers for iPods. As well as working on the design, build and test elements of the projects, the students developed life skills such as team work, communication, problem solving, time management, finance and presentations.

Students were also given a unique insight into the industry when they visited local company Vitec Videocom, to see engineering in action.

The social programme included a sports night and a formal dinner and disco.

Adrian Williams, Chairman of the Vinten Trust said that he and his fellow trustees were delighted to continue to sponsor this event for the third time. He added,“The Smallpeice Trust is a national charity, whose aim is to encourage youngsters to consider a career in engineering and we at the Vinten Trust share the same goal.”

Claire Fisher from The Smallpeice Trust commented, “We are extremely grateful to the William and Ellen Vinten Trust for sponsoring this course. These youngsters will take away an enormous amount of knowledge about engineering, particularly the opportunities in their local region, and will have come to appreciate just how fun and exciting a career in engineering can be.”
All Smallpeice courses are linked to the National Curriculum and are designed to improve core skills such as team building, financial management, communication and problem solving. By attending one of our courses students will gain experience of university and working life that will accelerate their personal development and their potential for greater academic achievement. 

The Smallpeice Trust Engineering Experience course is part of an ongoing programme of subsidised residential courses to help young people aged 12 to 17 develop skills in engineering, design, technology and manufacturing.

Founded by Dr Cosby Smallpeice in 1966, The Trust has grown tremendously over the past 47 years, helping thousands of young people find a successful career in a multitude of disciplines within the industry from engineering materials, marine technology and naval architecture to nanotechnology and structural engineering. Through running residential courses and STEM enrichment days, 20,353 students have attended a Smallpeice activity in the past year.

Bookings are now being taken for summer residential courses. Telephone 01926 333200 for further details.

Bury St Edmunds Engineering Experience 2013

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Following the great success of previous events, the Trust is delighted to announce that the next Bury St Edmunds Engineering Experience will be held for 3 days from Monday April 8th 2013 at Culford School.

The Experience will include:
Company Visits
Project Work
A Formal Dinner
Presentations
A Careers Marketplace

There will be 10 places for students from each of the local upper schools.

Students at the schools can get further information from their Heads of Design Technology or from the clerk to the trust

New Trustee Appointed

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We are pleased to announce the appointment of James Guest as a new trustee.

James works for Vitec Videocom as the Mechanical Engineering Manager for the Bury St Edmunds site where the team develops the latest Vinten and Vinten Radamec Products. He has been with the Vitec Videocom since 2006 and previously worked within the automotive industry for Bentley. He is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) Ambassador.

 

“I was extremely pleased to be asked to be a trustee for The William and Ellen Vinten Trust. I am very passionate about Engineering and Science subjects and I love to promote them, particularly to young people. I have been involved in STEM days at local schools around Bury St Edmunds and it is fantastic to see the kids coming up with ideas and working things out for themselves, this position as a trustee allows me to get more involved in the promotion of STEM subjects.”

Thurston Community College Sees Physics Laboratory Refurbished

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THURSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SEES PHYSICS LABORATORY REFURBISHED, HELPED BY THE VINTEN TRUST.

The Vinten Trust was pleased to give a grant to Thurston Community College to help towards creating a fresh environment in the physics department. The trust’s support to the college was acknowledged by the placing of a plaque commemorating the assistance given, over many years, by John Baker, a Vinten trustee, who sadly died last year.

VintenRoom

 

Two New Trustees Appointed

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Two new trustees have been appointed. Alan Bonnett and Kieth Honeyman.

Alan is the General Manager (Engineering) at Fix-a-Form International Ltd, a Bury based company which designs, develops, and manufactures specialist print finishing equipment. Alan has many years of experience in the engineering sector and is passionate about helping and encouraging young people into engineering. He was nominated as a trustee by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bury St Edmunds. Kieth recently retired as Deputy Managing Director of Quality Castings in Bury St Edmunds, an aluminium foundry where he has worked since 1972. He is a co-opted trustee.

John Baker

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The Trust regrets to have to announce the death of John Baker, one of its long standing Trustees. John gave invaluable support to the Trust, based on his knowledge of and contacts with the world of engineering and construction. He was the owner and Managing Director of Thurston Building Services and he took a particular interest in the activities at Thurston Community College, where he was Vinten’s link trustee.
We send our condolences to his wife, Liz, and to his friends and family.

The 2011 Bury St Edmunds Engineering Experience

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50 Year 9 and 10 students from the town’s five upper secondary schools attended the second annual residential course for “young engineers”, held at Culford School from April 11-13. The course was again led by the national Smallpeice Trust in support of the Vinten Trust. Day 1 involved ice breaking and team building exercises along with industrial visits to Bury St Edmunds two “Vinten” companies, Thales and Camera Dynamics. Day 2 saw the students in teams of five working on one of two projects. Five teams worked with Thales STEM ambassadors to design and make speaker stations for MP3 players, while the other five teams were assisted by apprentices from Jaguar Land Rover in designing and building model all terrain vehicles.

On the evening a formal dinner was held for the students and guests where Arleen McConnell, the 2010 Young Engineer of the Year was the principal speaker. Day 3 involved the student teams presenting their work to an invited audience of parents, friends and representatives of the local engineering companies. After a buffet lunch the course concluded with an engineering careers convention for the students and their parents. The course was judged an outstanding success by participants, helpers, parents, trustees and all others lucky to have experienced some or all of a hectic three days of activity.

The photographs and BBC Radio Suffolk interview here give more impressions of the 2011 event.

   Click on the BBC Image to hear a Radio Suffolk interview with attendees at the event.

 

The Trust Presents Thurston Community Collge With New Equipment

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The trust was delighted, in January 2011, to present Thurston Community College with a Rapman 3D modeller , which will help to enhance the work of the College’s Design Department This 3D printer builds the parts up in layers of plastic with the help of a custom-made Thermoplast Extruder. The machine takes a 3mm diameter filament of a polymer, forces it down a heated barrel, and then extrudes it as a melt out of a fine nozzle. The resulting thin stream is laid down in layers to form the piece desired.
The Trust’s gift was to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Vinten brand and it is hoped to present similar gifts to all of the Bury St Edmunds Upper Schools during the year. For more information on the Rapman modellers visit http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/RapMan

First BSE Imagineering Club

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We are delighted to report on the success of the town’s first Imagineering Club which is up and running at St James Middle School, funded by the trust.

A group of enthusiastic Year 7 and 8 pupils are, this term making an electric car in the first of three projects in the year-long after school club. Led by Tracey Hunt, Head of Design at St James, and supported by sixth form Vinten Ambassadors from Bury St Edmunds County Upper School and by a STEM  Ambassador (encouraging Science , Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)  from Thales, one of the town’s two “Vinten” companies, the students are learning useful new skills as well as gaining a deeper understanding of the world of engineering. The Vinten Trust is keen to support other Imagineering Clubs and Middle School staff can gain more information by contacting the clerk.

 

The Bury St Edmunds Engineering Experience 2010

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Nationally and locally the number of students studying Science, Mathematics and Engineering and then following a career in these subjects is decreasing. The direct impact of this trend is that UK Industry is unable to find the employees that it needs to continue to produce world class products, systems, services and facilities; all of which are at the foundation of modern economy and society.
In order to promote and excite engineering as a future career, the William & Ellen Vinten Trust has worked with local upper schools and the Smallpeice Trust, to create the first “Bury St Edmunds Engineering Experience Residential Course”. This was held at Culford School during Easter 2010 and was a great success. The course was delivered and managed by the Smallpeice Trust and follow their established and successful national Engineering Experience courses.
By providing a local course, the William and Ellen Vinten Trust was able to give 50 students a unique opportunity to understand what a professional career in Engineering could involve, so that they can make informed decisions about whether it could be the right career for them.

 

 

New Equipment Presentation

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The Trust recently helped to fund the purchase of a Denford Router for the Design Technology Department at Culford School. The equipment will support the CAD/CAM work at the school. Ian Devlin, Head of Technology at Culford said, “This is a super acquisition for the Department and one we could not have gained without the assistance of the Vinten Trust”

On the left; Adrian Williams, Chairman of the Trust, hands over the new Denford Router to Ian Devlin, Head of Technology at Culford School.

RouterHandOver

Imagineering Clubs

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The Trust is launching a new initiative this year to encourage the town’s middle schools to set up Imagineering Clubs for their 11 year old pupils. The Imagineering Foundation has produced some superb kits and programmes for “young engineers” to work at and we are supporting this enterprise by funding any middle school in our area keen to take on setting up a club. For more information click on www.imagineeringweb.co.uk

One hundred years of Vinten

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As our history section shows, the Vinten company began operation in 1910 and this year sees a series of events to celebrate this remarkable centenary. Although there are, nowadays, no companies with the Vinten name, all those, who can trace their history to a Vinten company are proud of their heritage and are delighted to be participating in the 100 year birthday. In Bury St Edmunds this covers Thales Optronics and Camera Dynamics. For more information please click onto the respective company’s websites.