Posted July 2018.
Students from WMG Academy Solihull are helping to make children’s dreams come true by creating a magical Christmas sleigh for charity.
The team have dismantled a caravan to use the chassis as the base of the sleigh, which will be driven through local streets by Marston Green & District Lions Club to raise money for good causes.
The academy bought the caravan for £45 and stripped it down to the chassis. The students have each submitted a design and the winner will see a real-life version of their sleigh created.
Engineering technician Neil Loxton, who is mentoring the students, said: “It’s wonderful to see these students using the engineering skills they have learnt at WMG Academy to give something back to the community.
“They are very motivated and are delighted to support the Lions in bringing happiness to young children at Christmas while raising money for good causes. And at the same time, the students are developing and perfecting their engineering and design skills for their future careers.”
Year 10 student Katie Watkins, 15, said: “We’re proud to be invited to be involved with this community project and it’s a nice feeling to help charities. It’s not something you would expect to do at such a young age, so it gives us a unique opportunity and it means we can learn as we go.”
Christine Moss, Treasurer of Marston Green & District Lions Club, said: “It’s important for the students to
understand how important this sleigh is to us. The children look forward to coming out to see Santa and the sleigh every year. Our current sleigh has lasted 40 years and hopefully this one will too.”
The multi-million pound WMG Academy boasts a state-of-the-art engineering hall with the latest industry-standard technology to allow students to gain the skills companies need. The academy specialises in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
The sleigh will be completed by Christmas 2019.
