A group of ten Engineering students from Bridgwater College, who have been taking part in the Thales Eureka Challenge 2016, visited the Hinkley Point C site recently to take part in a project with Somerset Larder, the company which provides catering services at Hinkley Point C.

The Thales Eureka Challenge is the result of months of collaborative working between Bridgwater College, the Somerset Chamber of Commerce and Thales UK Limited. The innovative programme aims to immerse the students in an experience that can inspire and develop skills that complement their academic studies and position them to excel in their chosen careers.

Somerset Larder a Limited Company that brings together some of Somerset’s leading food and drink producers to deliver a sustainable supply chain to major contracts such as the Hinkley Point C project, supported the initiative by challenging the students to use their engineering skills to run the catering services at the power station project. Somerset Larder asked the students, ‘using modern technology, how can food and drink enhance the working day of a HPC team member to improve productivity?’ The day follows on from visits to some of the suppliers involved in Somerset Larder, including Cossey Produce Ltd and Pynes of Somerset.

Greg Parsons from Somerset Larder said,

“Somerset Larder is delighted to be involved in the Thales Eureka Challenge and following visits to some of our producers we were really excited to host the students at Hinkley Point C. The larder itself has been inspired by the opportunities presented by the project and it was great to pass on some of that inspiration. All of the students really engaged with the wider Hinkley Point C team and gleaned a massive amount of knowledge on the day and we eagerly await their feedback and ideas in early June.”

Matt Mullan, Innovation Lead at Thales UK said,

“Today’s visit to Hinkley Point C has been a fantastic opportunity for the Thales Eureka Challenge team. Working with EDF Energy, Bridgwater College and The Somerset Larder, the students have been exposed to the scale and complexity of one of Europe's largest construction projects and the critical importance of the catering provision to staff welfare, safety and productivity. Furthermore, the students have been able to experience an operational working environment, helping them to not only understand the importance of the soft skills and experiences they accrue during the Thales Eureka Challenge, but also opening their minds to future career options and opportunities. I’d like to thank the EDF Energy team for hosting a thoroughly informative and enjoyable visit.”

Nick Clapp, Head of Engineering, Protection Systems Domain at Thales UK, added,

“This was a truly enlightening day and an insight to the scale of the Hinkley Point C construction project including how catering and welfare are critical to the projects’ success. Many thanks to EDF Energy for planning and hosting a great well thought out day which has been vital to the students’ research.”

David Eccles, EDF Energy’s head of stakeholder engagement said,

“The students from Bridgwater College were given a real taste of how Somerset Larder will cater for the 5,600 people who will be working on Hinkley Point C. At peak construction the team will serve thousands of meals a day in our on-site café, and use 1.5 million eggs, 20 tonnes of cheese and 1.2 million teabags each year. It’s a huge challenge and we were delighted to welcome them to site to show how we are working with local food and drink producers to maximise the opportunities that Hinkley Point C will offer.”