Seven teenagers are being given the chance to turn their ideas for brand new gadgets into real-life prototypes at one of the United Kingdom’s Fab Labs after winning a national competition.
“We Made It!”, a campaign aimed at getting young people thinking about careers in manufacturing, invited 11 – 14 year olds throughout the UK to let their imagination run wild and design a brand new product, be it a gismo to help with homework or a piece of sports equipment to make PE more fun.
Hundreds of young people across the country have been busy designing gadgets and gizmos as part of an exciting competition which will see the 7 winners turn their ideas into real-life prototypes.
Leah Nelson’s entry was one of 23 shortlisted entries selected from over 520 entries. The shortlisted entries were selected by Members of Parliament and went through to the next stage of the competition, the formal judging day, where a panel of manufacturing experts whittled down the shortlist to 7 national finalists and Leah Nelson from Abington Academy in Wigston was selected as one of the 7 national winners, beating over 520 other entries.
Leah Nelson impressed the judging panel with her idea for a shoe with a removable compartment for storage of small items.
Sir Edward Garnier, MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, said: “I wrote to every high school in Harborough, Oadby and Wigston in June this year and all of the entries I received were highly imaginative and well designed but, after a good deal of thought, I chose the proposal by Leah Nelson from year seven at Abington Academy as the regional winner. Congratulations to her and to Abington. As Leicester and Leicestershire were once famous for shoe manufacturing, it was good to see her innovative design drawing on our local manufacturing heritage. I look forward to seeing her finished prototype.”
Over Christmas, all 7 national winners will take their winning designs to the UK’s first Fab Labs. The winners will each work with the Lab’s expert staff to start the process of creating prototypes of their inventions. These 7 prototypes will be launched at a special awards ceremony at the Houses of Parliament in March next year.