OVER the course of two days, TALC (Tavistock Area Learning Community) invited 50 children from local primary schools to take part in a day of challenge, enterprise and creative teamwork at Tavistock College.

Year five and six pupils were mixed up and placed in groups. Each team had a project manager, who had been selected from the college's most talented year eight product designers.

During the morning the teams of five created their own Solar Powered Vehicle, selecting the most appropriate from a wide range of resources available to them. Each pupil had a specific role as a design engineer, solar engineer, graphic designer or manufacturer.

Teachers from the technology faculty, who hosted the event, were overwhelmed by the highly effective team work and the overall enthusiasm of the pupils.

Head of faculty Pete Keegan said: 'It was great to see the children working so well in groups that they had only just met. The complicated nature of this project was a perfect challenge to these highly motivated individuals. It really was a lot of fun.'

After three hours of design and construction, the teams all had a fully functioning solar powered vehicle and were race ready.

The teams arranged their vehicles in the college hall where the public, parents and anonymous 'dragons' had gathered, all of whom would be judging their efforts.

The 'dragons' included GP Peter Rodgers, IT and business consultant Alan Jones, director of independent travel company VentureCo Worldwide Mark Davison, independent hydrological consultant Alex Inman, academic Jon Copeland, the college's chair of governors Alison Malcolm and principal Helen Salmon.

The winning team on the first day was Nathan Sellers of Tavistock College, Logan Coombes of St Peter's, Darcey Brown of St Andrew's, Courtney Lumley of Horrabridge Primary and Georgia Stolliday from Lamerton Primary.

Winners on the second day were Darcey Hepworth of Tavistok College, Julianna Oligan from Bickleigh Down, Oliver Venning from Tavistock Primary, Lauren Harvey from Whitchurch, James White from Lifton and Jamie Algar from Mary Tavy and Brentor Primary.

Darcey Brown from St Andrew's Primary said: 'I really enjoyed it because we got to use our DT skills and have a lot of fun. I thought that the end product wouldn't actually turn out as well as it did, but it actually looked really amazing.'