Sixteen teams of young engineers aged 9-11 took to the track at Gateshead Stadium on Tuesday 16th June for the Reece Foundation North East Goblins race event. The Greenpower Goblins challenge is a hands-on engineering project where teams design and build their own electric kit cars, with race day serving as the culmination of months of work.
Morning Challenges Test Skills
The action-packed event celebrated creativity, teamwork and practical STEM learning. Teams from schools and community groups across the North East arrived early to check in before heading into the morning’s challenges: the technical slalom and the thrilling drag race. Young participants showcased impressive driving skills and collaboration as they navigated tight turns and raced head to head in their self-built Goblin cars.
Afternoon Sprint Race
The excitement continued into the afternoon with the sprint race, where teams competed to set the fastest lap times of the day. The atmosphere throughout the events was inspiring, with children demonstrating engineering initiative, enthusiasm and teamwork.
Reece Foundation Sponsorship
The event was sponsored by long-standing partner Reece Foundation, a North East charity that supports initiatives to inspire young people to pursue careers in STEM. Terry Courtney, Reece Foundation Trustee, said: “We are very proud to have supported the Greenpower Goblin Racing Challenge for many years now, helping to give young people across the North East the chance to experience engineering in such a practical, exciting and memorable way. It’s fantastic to attend events like this, which show how creativity, teamwork and problem-solving can spark a lifelong interest in STEM and it is inspiring to see pupils really enjoying themselves whilst gaining confidence and developing skills that could shape their future careers.”
Overall Winner: St Stephen’s Catholic Primary School
There were multiple winners on the day, but taking home the overall win was St Stephen’s Catholic Primary School from Longbenton, Newcastle Upon Tyne. Their standout vehicle impressed judges with both performance and consistency across all challenges. Speaking of the win, Mr Baines of St Stephen’s said: “Taking part has been an incredible experience for our school. With support of Rowland Hingston, a Greenpower Ambassador, and George Wright, a STEM volunteer from Siemens, the build became far more achievable and gave our students a wonderful opportunity to develop real-world STEM skills. The competition was a fantastic day regardless of the result but yesterday’s success made it extra special for our pupils.”
Additional Awards
Additional awards recognised the creativity, effort and sportsmanship on display:
- Best Presented Team - Sacred Heart Primary School, Fenham, Newcastle Upon Tyne
- Greenest Bodywork - The Hive Youth Zone
- Best Bodywork - The Drive Primary School, Felling, Gateshead
- Spirit of Greenpower Award - Western Community Primary, Wallsend, Newcastle Upon Tyne
The Drive Primary School received funding from the Reece Foundation to enable them to take part. Reflecting on the experience, Karina Cuthbertson from the school said: “We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to take part in the Greenpower Goblin Race Day. It was a truly memorable experience for our pupils, giving them the chance to work as a team, apply their STEM learning in a real-world context and build confidence through an exciting and inspiring challenge. Without the generous support of the Reece Foundation, this experience simply would not have been possible.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
The Goblin category of Greenpower Racing, designed for ages 9-11, continues to inspire the next generation by introducing engineering concepts in a fun, accessible and competitive environment. Events like this highlight the importance of hands-on STEM education and the power of teamwork from an early age. Dawn Ross, STEM Hub Liaison Coordinator for the Yorkshire, Humber and North East England, visited the event to find out how Greenpower is helping more young people access STEM. She said: “We were delighted to have the opportunity to visit Greenpower race day and see the fantastic work taking place. We are proud that our STEM Ambassadors can support events like this, sharing their experiences and helping to inspire the next generation.”
