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Jones Bros boosts Denbigh High School’s F1 title prospects3rd Jun 2024

It’s a case of Go! Go! Go! for Denbigh High School as they gear up for the F1 in Schools World Finals with the help of Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK.

Team Epoch will fly the chequered flag for Wales having successfully finished top of the podium at the National Finals in Leeds in 2023.

Participants are tasked with designing, building, and racing miniature F1 cars, with assessment based across a variety of areas, including speed, engineering quality, brand identity, and presentation skills.

Having crossed the winning line in Yorkshire, Epoch will be taking on the best the world has to offer in Saudi Arabia in November, the event coinciding with the Qatar Grand Prix.

Students have been raising funds for the trip alongside their work on the professional class criteria, which offers the highest level of challenge in terms of car design and assessment, with Jones Bros providing some important machinery.

Denbigh High School headteacher Mr Glen Williams said: “It’s fantastic to receive any level of support as this really is a labour of love for the students, who put plenty of time and effort into doing the very best job possible.

“Jones Bros has kindly provided backing to ensure that we can secure some vital equipment, including a belt sander.

“We’ve had incredible success in this competition and that is thanks to the assistance we’ve received as well as the high standards and commitment of the pupils and entire school.”

Epoch was not the only team in the school to take part in the scheme as Team Elan and Team Viperia were crowned North Wales champions in their age groups of professional and development classes respectively.

Interest in the programme has led to Denbigh High School, whose head of design and technology, Mr Gareth Jones, is also an F1 in Schools judge, to introduce an engineering course to its GCSE curriculum.

Mr Williams continued: “We have 18 students both this year and next who have decided to go down that path, and it’s wonderful that there is such an interest in an important industry.”

Epoch team manager Jasmin Jones said: “We’re incredibly excited to represent Wales in the upcoming World Finals.

“F1 in Schools is an innovative educational initiative that fuels our passion for engineering but also provides us with invaluable industry insights and connections, as well as offering a platform to develop crucial skills and ignite career aspirations.

“We are extremely grateful for the support of Jones Bros. The company’s interest in this competition and investment in the engineers of the future is invaluable and epitomises the values of the competition as a whole.”

Tony Murphy, head of business management systems and support at Jones Bros, and Welsh Labour MP for Clwyd North Gill German visited Denbigh High School to hear about its success story.

“They are a great bunch of students, whose passion and dedication are phenomenal,” said Tony. “It’s superb from our point of view as a company that we can help young people succeed in areas they have a desire to achieve in.

“It’s also a key part of learning and developing. This project has plenty of transferrable skills when it comes to the world of civil engineering.

“To see the school also running an engineering course due to the popularity of the industry is hugely encouraging.”

Established in the 1950s, Jones Bros owns one of the largest plant fleets in the UK and employs approximately 500 people.

The company is currently working on contracts in various sectors including highwaysflood and marine defencewaste management and renewable energy around the UK.

The company runs an award-winning apprenticeship scheme, which has produced nearly 40 per cent of its current workforce, with many of its senior managers having started out as apprentices or in a trainee role. It has recruited more than 100 apprentices during the past three years.

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