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Marlborough teams go full steam ahead

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Front, from left, Elizabeth Turner, Daniel Patel, Charlie Major, Archie Robinson, Lexi Fellows and Harrison France with Caroline Saunders, Tom Wilson and Ellie Powers of First Great Western. The team won the People^s Choice award

Students at St John^s in Marlborough are steaming ahead after clinching two engineering awards.

Two groups of Year 8 and 9 pupils took part in a project developed by the Engineering Development Trust which focused on designing a sustainable railway station.

The initiative is designed to stimulate the interest of young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Twelve St John^s students attended a launch day in February at the Network Rail Training Centre in Bristol Parkway.

The groups, guided by design and technology teacher Gary England, worked for three months planning, developing, designing and making their railway station.

Each Tuesday lunchtime they received support from engineers from Network Rail and apprentices from First Great Western.

Teams gathered for the celebration and assessment day at STEAM museum in Swindon on May 20 where the teams had to present their solutions and were interviewed by assessors.

Team A were Elizabeth Turner, Lexi Fellows, Daniel Patel, Charlie Major, Archie Robinson, Harrison France, who won the Pupil^s Choice award.

Team B were Stefan Davison, Nyah Brooks, Natasha Ashbridge, Rowan Chapple, Max Brown and Sophie Little, who won overall.

Mr England said: ^The kids were delighted. They were a diverse range of students that didn^t really know each other before but they worked really well together. It was an opportunity for them to explore some other areas to see if they liked them or not.^