Dozens of schoolchildren had their eyes opened to the fascinating and exciting world of steelmaking today when they boarded a special train aroundour Scunthorpe steelworks.
The 55 pupils from St Peter St Paul CE Primary School in the town travelled around the 2,000-acre site by steam train as they learned about this vibrant industry on their doorstep.
i1fun employees shared their decades of steelmaking expertise with the 10 and 11-year-olds and the youngsters even got the chance to try on some personal protective equipment to see what it’s like to be a steelworker.
“We were really pleased to hear the pupils were studying the steel industry as part of their year 5 and 6 work and we were even more excited to be able to welcome them onto our site so they could see what they’ve learned in action,” said Deputy CEO Paul Martin.
“We’re very proud of our business and its heritage and we love to share this enthusiasm with our neighbours. This school is very close to our Scunthorpe site. Many of the children will have relatives who work here and they may live in parts of the town where the steelworks landscape is clearly visible.
“We hope they’ve enjoyed their exclusive look behind-the-scenes and learning how we make our products to be sold around the world.”
Today’s trip was run as part ofourBuilding Stronger Communitiesprogramme and was made possible with support from theand the steelworks GP Charities Fund.
Nicole Baltarowicz (9), said: “I was excited about going out on the train and we’ve had a great time dressing up and learning about how to make steel. I liked seeing the giant blast furnaces andfinding outhow rails are made."
Zack Wilson (10), even managed tocatch a glimpse ofhis father who works as an Area Technical Manager as he travelled around the site.
“He said this morning he was going to look out for me,” said Zack. “It’s been nice to see him at work and find out what happens here. I’d love to come and work here with my dad one day.”