WHIRLPOOL UK APPLIANCES LTD EXPANDS GLOBAL STEM TOURNAMENT

Children participating in Whirlpool UK’s 2020 FIRST LEGO League tournament in Peterborough

WHIRLPOOL UK APPLIANCES LIMITED EXPANDS GLOBAL STEM TOURNAMENT TO BRISTOL PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Whirlpool UK Appliances Limited, the home of Hotpoint, Indesit, Whirlpool and KitchenAid brands, is launching a brand new fully-funded Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge tournament for primary school students in Bristol. The Challenge will see 10 teams of up to 10 children coming together to work on a series of tasks designed to enhance their STEM skills, and will culminate in a one-day virtual tournament on Wednesday 23rd June 2021.

FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge is a global initiative, with over 67,000 teams participating across 110 countries every year. For its Bristol tournament, Whirlpool UK is offering 10 fully-funded places to 10 teams from primary schools local to its factory in Yate, including the provision of a LEGO robot.

The theme of this year’s FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge is RePLAY, which focuses on the importance of play and being more active. Students are challenged to develop a number of key technology and life-based skills through the four competition components: the Robot Game, Robot Design, Core Values and the Innovation Project.

Whirlpool UK has also announced a new date for its IET FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge Peterborough tournament. The STEM tournament, which will see 15 teams from primary schools in Peterborough compete in a range of challenges, will now take place virtually on Tuesday 22nd June.

The IET FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge Whirlpool Peterborough tournament is now in its second year and will be hosted virtually for the first time in June. Over the next three months, teams from across primary schools in Peterborough will come together to work on a series of tasks designed to enhance their technology skills, all culminating in a one-day virtual tournament jampacked with robot matches, project presentations and STEM-based fun.

Ian Moverley, Public Affairs Director, Whirlpool UK Appliances Limited, comments: “Whirlpool UK employs hundreds of local people at our UK factory in Yate and it’s fantastic to have this opportunity to engage further with our community through the funding and launch of our IET FIRST® LEGO® League tournament! FIRST® LEGO® League plays a crucial role in supporting young people to develop the breadth of skills they will use throughout their lifetimes and we hope our tournament will help inspire the next generation of engineers and STEM professionals in Bristol. It’s been a really difficult year for many young people and teachers, but with children now back learning in person, we hope this challenge will give students and teachers some much needed fun and excitement over the coming months!”

So far, teams from schools including St Paul’s Catholic Primary and Hambrook Primary are registered to take part in the Whirlpool UK Bristol tournament, while teams from schools including Newark Hill Academy, Longthorpe Primary and Woodston Primary are registered to take part in the Whirlpool Peterborough tournament. Sponsored places are still available, so if you would like the opportunity to take part, please get in touch with jmm PR who can pass this onto Whirlpool UK. Alternatively, please contact Ellie Tudor at ellie.tudor@consciouscomms.com.