YOUNGER generations in Bradford are leading the way when it comes to finding solutions to save our planet in national competitions.

Two teams from Titus Salt School have been named semi-finalists in the Longitude Explorer Prize - a £25,000 prize for young people to create and develop a tech solution to help tackle climate change, support an ageing population, encourage healthier living or make transport greener.

The team of bright sparks from Baildon earned its place in the semi-finals for 'EVA', a vibrating alarm to alert nurses to patient emergencies, and Wardrobot, a wardrobe for people with limited mobility which hands them their clothes from the wardrobe.

Their rival schools across the country have put forward ideas like a robot that cleans up beaches, an AI therapy dog to help autistic children in social situations and an app that detects online bullying.

Titus Salts pupils attended a big meet-up of all 60 semi-final teams at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park where they learnt about coding, artificial intelligence and presentation skills to help them develop their idea and make it a reality over the next six months.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Constance Agyeman, head of International Development and Communities at Nesta Challenges said: “The ingenuity and inventiveness of the young teams who have entered the Longitude Explorer Prize has been astounding. From tech-enabled toilets to track your vital signs to robots that seek out and pick litter from the beach, the semi-finalists announced today demonstrate the capability and genius that is brimming over in our nation’s young people.

“It’s this wealth of creativity and innovative thinking that has inspired us to re-open entries and increase the number of places available in the final. We want to give even more young people, who have a passion for harnessing technology to make the world a better place, a chance to win £25,000 for their school or youth group.”

Meanwhile year seven pupils from St Bede’s and St Joseph’s Catholic College in Bradford took part in a Big Ideas Day, designed to inspire 11-14-year-olds in Bradford to generate solutions to sustainability issues.

Hosted by Solutions for the Planet, with partner Northern Gas Networks (NGN), the Big Ideas Day forms part of a programme of lessons on sustainable development, social enterprise and science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers. Ideas will be entered into a regional competition, with the winner going forward to compete at a national level, presenting their ideas to a panel of judges at Parliament.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Melanie Taylor, head of Stakeholder Relations at Northern Gas Networks, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Solutions for the Planet on its Big Ideas programme, teaching young people the vital skills needed to succeed in future employment within the energy sector.

"Here at NGN, we are extremely passionate about tackling the UK skills gap in STEM and sustainability, and we are committed to helping develop the confidence and creativity of individuals in these areas. 

“Employing and developing talent is vital for a strong economy and to ensure that a business is equipped with the skills it needs for the future.  Initiatives such as the Big Ideas programme help to raise young people’s career and work aspirations through experiencing real-world business challenges and develop their employability skills.  In turn businesses can build a powerful workforce by creating a pipeline of future talent and positioning themselves as an employer of choice in their communities.”