Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor Students Gear Up for North Wales STEM Racing Competition with Support from Rehau Ltd

In a visit to the college, Delyth Roberts, Plant Test, Training, and Communications Officer at Rehau’s Blaenau Ffestiniog factory, presented Team D.A.F.A.D. Racing with a £500 cheque to fund their entry into the competition. The team, consisting of students Lucas Bloor-Walsh, Leland Clews, and Daniel Ratcliffe, known as ‘The Welsh STIG’, will represent Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor’s Dolgellau campus in the Professional Class for the first time.

Emlyn Evans, Lead Tutor for the F1 in Schools programme at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, expressed his enthusiasm for the competition’s role in inspiring young engineers:

“I was introduced to the competition early in my teaching career and have seen first-hand how it sparks the passion for engineering in students. Over the years, our students have consistently excelled in the competition, and we are excited to build on that legacy. This year, we’re supporting five teams from local schools and several teams from our own college, all of whom are working hard to develop innovative, high-performance race cars.”

The STEM Racing competition offers an invaluable hands-on learning experience for students. Each team is tasked with managing all aspects of a racing operation, including project management, marketing, design, engineering, manufacturing, and finance. The students must work collaboratively to create a race car, brand their team, and secure sponsorships to fund their entry.

Team D.A.F.A.D. Racing has already begun designing their race car, and while details remain under wraps, Delyth Roberts of Rehau Ltd. had the opportunity to preview their exciting design. “We are looking forward to receiving a replica of the car once the competition is finished. It will be a pleasure to display it at our factory,” said Delyth.

Rehau Ltd is one of the UK’s leading producers of PVCu windows, and the team’s £500 sponsorship will help ensure that Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor’s students have the resources they need to succeed.

“We are incredibly grateful for Rehau’s continued support,” Emlyn Evans said. “Without the support of our sponsors, such as Rehau, the financial cost of entering and supporting our nine teams would be insurmountable. This partnership underscores the strong relationship between industry and education and helps provide the next generation of engineers with a real-world perspective on the challenges and rewards of the profession.”

Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor is inviting more local businesses to get involved by sponsoring one of the nine STEM Racing teams. Sponsorship opportunities are available, including prominent placements of company logos on race cars’ front and rear wing sections.

“We’d love to hear from companies interested in supporting our students,” Emlyn Evans added. “Sponsoring a team is a fantastic way to promote your business while making a positive impact on the future careers of young engineers. For more information, please contact me directly at evans12e@gllm.ac.uk .”

In addition to corporate sponsorships, individual supporters can also contribute to the teams via a GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/b3c4bbad7