Greenpower at Selwood Academy

PUPILS at Selwood Academy have taken part in ‘Greenpower’, a competition for 11 to 16 year olds to design and build an electric go kart.

Once built, the team then take part in endurance racing – how many miles they can cover in four hours.Organisers at the school said, “2011 was our first year and we built and raced a ‘kit car’.  Our team was made up of 11 Year 7 and 8 pupils.  They are responsible for the engineering and maintenance of this car.  Six pupils are allowed to drive with the rest acting as pit crew.“We took part in two regional competitions, the first at RNAS Merryfield where we did 64.8 miles.  Our next event was at Castle Combe where we achieved 75.85 miles in the four hours.  This put us 55th nationally out of over 200 teams.“75 teams were invited to the national final at Goodwood.  We started in 55th position and finished 41st having completed 86 miles.  This was an amazing achievement for our team especially since they were a lot younger that most other pupils.“Our aim for the 2011-2012 season is to run two teams.  We have recruited seven Year 7 pupils and retained our Year 8s and Year 9 pupils who have moved to Frome College.  The younger pupils are in the process of stripping down and rebuilding our kit car with the help of some of last year’s team.  Our older pupils are designing and building a new car out of aluminium and thin ply wood.“We are currently fund raising to make this season possible.  So far we have been sponsored by several local businesses and charities including the Rotary.“We are very happy to be sponsored by the Frome Masons and the Somerset Masonic Charities.  This support will help us to build and run our new car.  We hope that this will be part of an evolving program that inspires young people to become engineers, leaders and team players in the future.”Above: Selwood School Green Power Group receive a donation from the Masonic Club, The Worshipful Master, Tony Ball presented a donation of £200; Masons David Christie and Ben Batley also attended. An extra £200 will be donated from The Royal Somerset Lodge, bringing the total up to £400.