A TEAM of schoolchildren from York have won a £10,000 science challenge.

The team from All Saints School took part in the Project Reinvent Challenge, sponsored by Drax Power, which invites children aged between 11 and 19 to use their knowledge in science, technology, engineering and maths to develop a new idea to improve life in their community.

The five Year 7 pupils from All Saints came up with the idea to generate renewable electricity in their school by creating a free cycle hub providing 40 bikes for teachers, pupils and visitors to travel the half mile between the school’s two campuses.

Each bike will be fitted with a ‘bottle’ dynamo which allows energy generated from cycling to be stored, and the dynamos are then hooked up to transfer the stored energy to batteries which will be connected into the school’s electricity distribution network.

Drax has awarded them £6,000 to help get started, with the remaining prize fund being split between the runners up.

All Saints teacher Sarah Bilton said: "This is a fantastic achievement. We’re very proud of our pupils and the hard work, thought and determination they have shown.

"This challenge really got pupils thinking and was a great opportunity to help their understanding of enterprise and investigate eco-friendly ways to benefit the community. Lots of people drive between the sites, or of course have to walk. This will simplify and speed up getting between the two sites as cycling is so much better for the environment. It will be really useful to the whole school community; I can’t think why someone hadn’t thought of this before."

Rachael Baldwin, Drax Visitor Centre manager and member of the judging panel, said: "All four finalists presented well thought out, creative ideas, but the Dynamo team really impressed us with the technical thinking behind their project as well as coming up with an idea that would benefit their school and local community."

The runners-up were Barlby High School, near Selby with their idea for a ‘Learning Garden’ based around science, Nidderdale High School in Pateley Bridge with designs for a new climbing wall, and Scarborough University Technical College with its Life Skills Centre to support STEM knowledge in adult learning.