Huge congratulations to our incredibly inventive Year 8 team who won the 2026 Cumbria Education Trust Innovate Competition held at The Whitehaven Academy on Thursday.
Their innovative design—a water safety device that automatically inflates on impact to help prevent drowning—stood out for its creativity, ingenuity, and real-world potential.
Their proud Design Technology Teacher, Mrs Twentyman commented: “They have worked exceptionally well as a team, with each member bringing their own unique skills and strengths to the project.”
The team certainly went all out with their research! On Monday this week, they were invited along to Carlisle East Fire Station to learn about rescue techniques and equipment used by Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service.
The Fire and Rescue Service were immensely impressed by the water safety awareness they were promoting. In fact, they were so pleased with the students’ work, they hope to continue working with them to help spread this important water safety message across Cumbria.
