Pupils Master the Art of the Medieval Trebuchet at Acres Engineering
As part of British Science Week, Acres Engineering proudly welcomed pupils from a local school for an exciting, hands-on experience designed to bring Middle Ages technology to life — while inspiring the next generation of engineers.
The event, held at Acres’ Castle Lane facility in Melbourne, Derbyshire, saw young students travel back in time to explore the wonders of medieval engineering through our Trebuchet Challenge.
A Journey Through Engineering
Pupils began their visit with a tour of our manufacturing facility, where they explored how materials change state and the processes used to make those transformations. They saw real-world applications of engineering in action, witnessing our team working on everything from trolleys and access platforms to workbenches.
The Trebuchet Challenge
Guided by our Production Manager Jeremy and HR & HSQE Manager Alice, the children experimented with a miniature trebuchet designed and built in-house. By adjusting weights and pin alignment, they launched beanbags across the room in a friendly competition to achieve maximum distance and performance.
The trebuchet itself was the product of an internal design competition among Acres’ staff. “Alison came up with the great idea to design and manufacture a small trebuchet,” explained Managing Director Luke Parker. “It worked extremely well and the children have really enjoyed it — and I’m sure our staff will want to have a go too!”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Luke Parker added:
“We host visits from a number of schools throughout the year, and it’s been a pleasure holding our Trebuchet Challenge with Melbourne Junior School. It’s very important for us, as a local engineering company, to raise our profile in the community and inspire young minds. Seeing inside a factory could be the first spark for a future career in engineering.”
And it seems to be working. Eight-year-old Seb topped the leaderboard, launching his beanbag an impressive 5.81 metres across the room.
“I liked seeing how far the bean bag went and I was really proud to win,” Seb said. “I liked learning about engineering. I play with Lego at home, and today I got to see laser cutters too!”
Teacher Catherine from the local school commented:
“This was a wonderful hands-on experience for the children. They’ve seen how products go from design to finished product and got to view the machines in action. The Trebuchet Challenge has been great fun — it’s something the children will remember and reflect on back in the classroom.”
Our Commitment to Young People
At Acres Engineering, we are deeply committed to supporting young people through Apprenticeships and Work Placements. For over 15 years, we’ve consistently taken on three to four apprentices each year and provided numerous placements to help launch careers in engineering and manufacturing.
This event is just one example of how we’re helping to inspire the next wave of engineers — by combining education, creativity, and a bit of medieval fun.
Acres have a range of standard products but also support clients with custom machinery and medium-high volume products such as trolleys, stillages etc.
We have manufactured lots of different tables / workstations / workbenches for various industries.
We also manufacture access platforms, jigs and fixtures and many other types of production support solutions / products.
Talk to us today about your requirements: [email protected] / 01332695240 / Contact Us Form
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Want to know more about Acres Engineering?
We are based in the UK from our Headquarters in Derbyshire, England and have a European office in Malaga, Spain within the EU.
Find out more about where we have been and what we have been up to by checking out our latest blog posts.
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