ENGINEERS, mathematicians and scientists of the future helped a special visitor come up with a way of speeding up his deliveries this Christmas.

Pupils from St Nicholas C of E Middle School, Pinvin, and their younger counterparts from the area’s feeder first schools, enjoyed a special allday Santa/St Nicholas challenge at the school on Monday.

Year seven pupils worked alongside their year four guests to come up with new designs for Santa’s sleigh, which they built from Knex, to help Father Christmas’s elves deliver more Christmas trees, and they also developed a new St Nicholas punch and seasonal parachutes.

The day was part of a whole range of exciting, half-hour St Nicholas- themed activities, staged for the school’s science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) day, which built on the success of last year’s inaugural event. All year four pupils from the area’s feeder schools were invited and came from Crowle, Fladbury, Flyford Flavell, Himbleton, Inkberrow, Upton Snodsbury, Pinvin and Holy Redeemer first school in Pershore – to take part in the workshops, which this year also included maths challenges.

Cath Francis, head of Science at St Nicholas said: “Staging this day was a really fun and seasonal way to involve the younger pupils in the life of our school and inspire everyone taking part by showing how science, maths and technology affect all of us, even Santa.”