Carnforth student scoops DigIT! to BuildIT! award

Fourteen-year-old pupil wins top prize for project on redevelopment of Carnforth railway station

THE inaugural DigIT! to BuildIT! awards ceremony was held at Carnforth High School in Lancashire on 15 June, with 14-year-old Tyler Davidson winning the top prize for his project work on the building and construction materials used in the redevelopment of Carnforth Railway Station, and the associated environmental issues.

The DigIT! to BuildIT! programme was developed by Proskills, with the support of the Institute of Quarrying and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, with the objective of promoting a better understanding, in schools, of the use of minerals within the built environment. In the first year of operation, 30 schools from all over the country took part in the programme.

The prizes of a camera and an iPod were donated by Bardon Aggregates, who had also laid on a visit to nearby Back Lane Quarry for the 15 Carnforth students who had undertaken the project. In addition, as a special reward for his efforts, Tyler was offered an early opportunity to return to the quarry to initiate a blast, under very close supervision, of course.

Assistant head teacher Julie Rogerson, said: ‘The school is very proud to have one of its students as the winner of a national award, and is also very appreciative of the ongoing support it has received from Bardon Aggregates’.

Following the ceremony, Jack Berridge, executive director of the Institute of Quarrying, described the DigIT! to BuildIT! programme as ‘an ideal way for the industry to engage with schools’.

Roger Tart, assistant manager at Back Lane Quarry, used the opportunity to stress the dangers associated with unauthorized visits to quarry sites and counselled students against the temptation of ‘hopping over the quarry fence’ during school holidays. But he added that Bardon Aggregates were keen to attract the best young talent from local schools – people who could help the company meet emerging commercial challenges.

Following the ceremony, which was attended by some 125 students, Proskills staff received a number of enquiries about the possibility of apprenticeships within the industry.