Inspiring the next generation

Staff from London Array have been helping inspire the next generation of wind turbine engineers and technicians by holding an insight morning at a Broadstairs school.

Senior HSE Specialist Bradleigh Pettman and Environment & Sustainability Co-ordinator Katie Cantwell-Jones were the guests of first year pupils at Callis Grange Nursery & Infant School.

The morning started with an introductory group talk about how wind turbines work, the role of renewable energy and what individuals can do to be more sustainable.

The pair then visited the six- and seven-year-olds in their three separate classes where Bradleigh displayed the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that technicians have to wear when working offshore on the wind farm, and Katie used a scale model to explain further how a wind turbine works. The youngsters also took part in a quiz.

Bradleigh said: “The children showed real enthusiasm throughout the morning and had some great suggestions for how people can live more sustainably and help protect the environment.

“They also asked some very insightful questions about renewable energy, including wanting to know how the power generated by the turbines gets to shore and then to our homes, and how we manage to safely transmit electricity in a watery environment.

“It was a rewarding morning and all the more so because so many of the boys and girls said at the end they wanted to be technicians and to climb the turbines when they got older. Hopefully, we will have helped inspire some of them to become the wind farm workers of the future.”