Technology Tournament 2025

Technology Students at the fore with Kendal Rotary

Top students from around South Cumbria came together earlier in March to show real quality in design technology and all run by Kendal Rotary Club.

Rotary’s annual Technology Tournament took in Queen Katherine School with students from ten South Cumbria Schools competing for the coveted trophy (42 teams in total). The students threw themselves into the project discussing ideas, deciding upon a design, building and testing their model. The school hall was full of chatter with each team of four students focussed on the project which was top secret until 9:30am.

Mayor Jonathan Cornthwaite took time out from his busy schedule to visit and spent time talking with students and judges.

Each team has a prescribed list of materials to be used in construction and a project specification suitable for each of the three age groups. The teams came from Penrith, Kirkby Lonsdale, Kendal, Cartmel, Troutbeck Bridge and Coniston arriving for 9am and working through to after lunch.

All the projects builds were tested in front of judges who were experienced Rotarians with an engineering or school background. The team of seven judges included members from James Cropper, and Team in Kendal and Kendal Rotary Club.

It seems unfair to say there were winners because all the students were fantastic, each team producing a working modal. Winners in Advanced was Sedbergh School, Intermediate was Queen Katherine School, Foundation had joint winners Cartmel Priory School and Dallam School. Each student taking part received a certificate with winning school taking home the trophy.

The project is a secret until the end of March as this is a nationwide tournament, but it was one that fired the imagination of all the students.

The Rotary Club of Kendal would like to thank everyone who took part, students, judges, Rotarians and visitors.