Cared-for children welcomed at Sellafield’s Engineering Centre
Sellafield’s Engineering Centre of Excellence opened its doors to cared-for children with a special event at the Cleator Moor engineering and robotics hub.
Volunteers get into the Christmas spirit at the Engineering Centre of Excellence
Children of all ages from across Cumberland visited Sellafield’s Engineering Centre of Excellence in Cleator Moor, Cumbria this week to learn about the unique work being done there and to explore their own potential.
This is the fourth event of its kind in recent years and aims to help children with experience of care to be inspired and empowered to develop their enthusiasm for engineering.
The children were invited to take part in a range of demonstrations and activities including flying drones, piloting robots, and exploring virtual reality in a safe and welcoming environment.
The events are organised in collaboration with Cumberland Council and local children’s organisations to ensure the maximum reach.
This year invitations were extended to foster families, young carers, kinship carers, and the children of social workers.
Craig Branney, Sellafield Ltd head of off site developments, said:
I’m delighted to welcome some of the hardest to reach young people in our communities to come and have fun, learn something, and think about careers and opportunities they might not have considered before.
This was the biggest event we’ve done with 70 children visiting and I’m very grateful to all the volunteers who gave up their time to help us.
I’d also like to say a big thank you to Amentum, Forth and Resolve engineering for supporting us and providing presents for all the children.
We have a wealth of talent and imagination in our communities, so we need to do everything we can to ensure everyone has access to the same opportunities to grow their potential.
Mike James, a guardian, said:
The children we care for, along with many others, have great fun, excitement and explore new opportunities. There is an infectious enthusiasm, passion and excitement from the Sellafield Team.
We’ve seen our children get to try new activities, play and explore through creative, science and engineering.
The impact of the work undertaken by the Sellafield team gives the children a fantastic time.