The competition, which is backed by the Institute of Engineering and Technology and the Devon Education Business Partnership, involved budding engineers and designers from schools across the county in a timed team challenge to create an efficient, innovative and cost effective design for a wind turbine. The teams were given a ‘credit card' and a price list of materials and components.

With the help of practising engineers they spent the day designing, testing and developing their prototypes.

The three teams from CFGS were an absolute credit to the school, each coming up with radically different proposals, and all working with great enthusiasm and resolve, cheerfully and creatively overcoming obstacles and solving problems.

All three Churston teams produced highly credible designs and received many plaudits from the professional engineers. ‘Churston Dynamos' triumphed overall, overpowering the other 17 teams, with their design producing more than double the output of their nearest competitor. The winning team comprised of Lily Allan, Dan Allibone, Katie Tlusty and Joel While, their team work, clarity of thinking, thorough planning and decisiveness won the day. The other two Churston teams were impressive also with ‘Team GB' holding the voltage record right up to final testing and ‘Three Stars and a Fish' bravely attempting an audacious, elegant and much admired vertical axis design.

A really enjoyable and successful day that gave the students involved a chance to apply their DT, Maths, Science and team working skills in a competitive real world environment.