All the fun of the Imagineering Fair

A The Imagineering Foundation product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Aug 20, 2002

The Imagineering Fair 2002 is part of a major initiative designed to encourage young people to pursue engineering as a career and narrow the widening skills gap.

Organised by the Imagineering Foundation, the Imagineering Fair 2002 is part of a major initiative designed to encourage young people to pursue engineering as a career and narrow the widening skills gap.

It raises awareness of the increasing need for skilled engineers in the UK manufacturing industry and promotes a positive image of engineering.

Imagineering Fair 2002 promises all kinds excitement for 8-16 year olds with a variety of fun activities, organised by various manufacturers and organisations, from robots, racing vehicles and interactive computer technology to aero-engines, code-breaking and engineering in action.

The Fair will be held at the Town and Country Festival at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry at the August Bank Holiday weekend - 24th-26th August 2002.

Children will be able to see, touch and explore exactly how things are designed, how they are made and how they work.

Amongst the scores of activities on offer, they will be able to build model pneumatic systems at IMI, learn how National Grid powers a city and, at Purac, how our water system works.

They will be able to use computers to 'write' with their voice and also design and make their own stickers.

They can build an elastic band-powered car at Jaguar while Dad checks out Jaguar's R Coupe Concept Car also on display and the scaled Trent Engines at Rolls-Royce.

And at LDV there is always the opportunity to assemble a low power motorised vehicle to see how the gears work.

Visitors can also meet Trevor Baylis, the famous inventor of the clockwork radio, recently seen on BBC's Tomorrow's World Roadshow, who will also be joining in the fun of the Fair on Saturday and Monday.

Other 'personalities' include robots, 'Oscar' and 'Skeletron'.

Other major manufacturers who have already signed up for this year's Fair include: BT, Bombardier, Delcam, IMI, RAF, REME, Sandvik and TRW Aeronautical Systems and Unipart Eberspacher ES.

(see Editor's Note) Organised by the Imagineering Foundation, the Imagineering Fair introduces young people to the fascinating world of engineering and manufacturing through fun, hands-on activities and hopefully introducing them to the idea of engineering as a future career.

Bob Shanks, Chairman of the Imagineering Foundation who also heads the organising team for the Fair, said: "Our much-needed engineers of the future are already here - we just need to capture and hold their interest.

We know that Imagineering principle works - learning through personal experience and fun.

The Imagineering Fair is an ideal opportunity for young people and their families to find out at first hand just how exciting engineering can be".

Last year the Fair had nearly 40,000 visitors, twice the number as the previous year, and many visitors came from outside the Midlands, from as far afield as Lancashire, Wiltshire, Surrey and Kent.

The Town and Country Festival also has scores of exciting activities for all the family in its own four worlds; Live World, Motor World, Countryside World and Shopping and Leisure World.

Imagineering is supported by Advantage West Midlands, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Institution of Electrical Engineers, the Campaign to Promote Engineering, Learning and Skills Council Birmingham and Solihull, Machine Tool Technologies Association, EMTA and RASE.