Racing car designed by students at Little Ilford School in Manor Park.

Manor Park engineering club build racing car

Melissa York, Reporter Tuesday, July 10, 2012
10:00 AM

An engineering club at a school in Manor Park has led to them winning an award for designing a ‘green’ racing car.

Racing car designed by students at Little Ilford School in Manor Park.

Little Ilford School’s engineering club has over 30 members that meet twice a week outside school hours to pursue their passion with the help of their teacher Famida Noor Mahomed.

Four members of the club were chosen as one of 10 schools in the UK to take part in a projext called the 20/20 Education Intiative, designed to support young people developing creative and innovative projects, addressing global issues with local solutions.

Little Ilford’s project in particular highlights a number of environmental issues by using recycled material for the bodywork, and trying to get the most efficiency from a car with alternative fuel source.

Club member Temoore Zulfiqar said: “This project makes a big difference to my future because before this I would never have known about engineering.

Racing car designed by students at Little Ilford School in Manor Park.

“Also because of this project, I’ve started my own business, I buy and sell scrap bikes and fix them up.”

The pupils are so passionate about their club, Year 11s give up their Saturdays to mentor new members as well as being actively involved in every aspect of running the racing team for their car and raising all the funds needed to maintain their project.

Nicholas Mellor, a member of 20/20, said: “This trailblazing attitude of young people engaging with global issues is exactly what the 20/20 Education Intiative is about.

“Little Ilford and the other schools remind us that the best way to address these problems of the future is to engage the young people of today.

“With government support and business funding, the idea can become national as well as international.”

They will now present their ideas and films at the Said Business School in Oxford on June 26 in a special 20/20 forum recorded for TV and radio alongside nine other schools looking at global challenges including fair trade, universal education, children’s rights and combating famine through space based research.