Our big draw for this year was the Bloodhound SSC team and their car.  This posed significant difficulties with the raising of funds, delivery of the car itself and space to accommodate the activity.

We made a decision on Friday 1st March, due to the weather forecast to hire their inflatable air shelter, which whilst an excellent decision, came with new challenges of 24 hour power and even more space needed.
The main car park was cleared of cars on the Tuesday evening and the trucks arrived around 8pm on the Wednesday.

The one way system in the school proved too narrow, windy and tight to get the trucks through and so the drivers reversed down through the Froy gates.

Once on site the original plan was to move the trucks to a second parking location, but the trouble we had getting them onto the car park suggested that it would be best leaving them where they were. 

This was not a huge issue as the side of the trailers were well decorated with the Bloodhound details and specifications which added to the excitement.

Once the car was in the hanger, the team unloaded a simulator, exhibits and the Jet engine ready for the following day’s exhibition.

The exhibit opened at 9am and saw a constant stream of visitors all day on Thursday and Friday.  As students arrived for shows, waited for the next show or left the site, they called in, in their hundreds – delighted with the fact that they were allowed to touch and in some cases polish the car.

On the Friday Simon from the Bloodhound team left the STEM ambassadors to offer a lecture in the Pamoja hall to our sixth form and other visiting schools.  Numbers were not what we had hoped for with only 250 people attending, but the event was well received and students lingered to ask questions for a considerable time after the performance.

We were very lucky to have the Sevenoaks Mayor come to the show and he spent some time afterwards chatting with our students and staff about the week’s activities.

The car was packed up at 6pm on the Friday night before making its way to its next venue.  It may have caused slight parking problems for 3 days, but it was well worth it.

Sevenoaks School. Bloodhound SSC 7th and 8th March (Photos & Text, Graeme Lawrie – Head of Physics)