Beth Kennedy, director of Ulverston Community Enterprises, describes the success of a science, technology, engineering and maths event

SATURDAY, November 9 was an extraordinary day in the Coronation Hall’s 100-year history.

On this day, 2,596 people came through the doors of the Coro, which is more visitors in one day than ever before!

Who were they and what were they coming for? They were six-16-year olds (with their families) and they were coming to learn about science, technology, engineering and maths.

That’s right, the busiest day in the history of the Coronation Hall was a STEM festival for children.

I wrote about the inaugural UlverSTEM last year before the event had taken place. At that time neither I nor the organising committee of local businesses and organisations had any idea that it would be such an enormous success.

We’re told that not enough children are studying STEM subjects in school and that children just aren’t as interested in these subjects as they are in others.

Well, while this may be true statistically, the picture on Saturday told a very different story. With more than 60 interactive activities to engage with, including digital Lego, bubble rainbows, rocket building, virtual and augmented reality, circuit boards made of lemons, lava lamp making, night vision goggles, 3D printing and sustainable power generation crammed into every nook and cranny of the building, the Coronation Hall was a sight to behold.

Groups of children were gathered around each activity heads down, ears open and concentrating intensely!

We’re still processing the feedback we captured on the day but just some of it says this: ‘I learned that in the drinks that look the healthiest they are actually packed full of sugar’; ‘ I learned how to add up in binary’; ‘I learned about internal combustion engines’; ‘how to make sherbet’; ‘that some liquids can float on others’; ‘how submarines work’; ‘about brainwaves’; ‘that electricity plus magnets equals motion’; ‘how to test blood sugar levels’ and finally the insightful, heart-warming and equally heart-breaking ‘that I am able to focus’.

This short sentence speaks volumes to me. Could it be that we put far too much pressure on our children to engage, to learn, to focus and not enough on ourselves to be engaging, to educate and inspire?

The numerous businesses, health providers, education institutions and community groups from Ulverston and across the Furness Peninsula did exactly that. They provided an interesting, exciting, stimulating free and fun-filled day with the simple aim of inspiring children to pursue STEM subjects and it appears they did just that.

One youngster said:‘I learned that STEM is science, technology, engineering and maths and that STEM is fun!’.