BUDDING civil engineers at a North Yorkshire primary school have seen their creativity rewarded.

They took the top honours in a prestigious national competition run by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).

The school at North Stainley, near Ripon, was the winner of ICE’s Big Bang Civil Engineering Classroom Challenge, which taught youngsters about engineering and sustainability in building design.

The competition tasked schoolchildren aged 8-16, from across the UK, to devise a plan and newspaper report that turned a stadium in Belfast into an emergency shelter for 500 victims of a fictional hurricane, set in the year 2064.

North Stainley’s winning report focussed on creating renewable energy sources for those affected by the hurricane, as well as devising a suitable water supply and a plan on transport and how to direct people to and from the shelter.

For winning the competition, the school has been given a 3D printer from Ultimaker and a design master class from Mott MacDonald – a global management, engineering and development consultancy.

A school spokesman said: “This competition really put the children’s learning into context. All the work we do in school was put into excellent use during this project.

“We are only a very small rural school so it was really exciting for the children to win a national competition. I am sure this project has produced some future engineers as the children all loved the challenge.”

ICE regional director Penny Marshall said: “The Big Bang competition was a perfect example of engaging school children and helping them learn about the vital role civil engineering will play in their future.”