Rotary Club of Leicester – Technology Tournament 2025
On 12th February 2025, the Rotary Club of Leicester proudly hosted the 11th annual Technology Tournament (TT), welcoming teams of students from Leicester and surrounding schools. As in previous years, the event was expertly organised by a dedicated team from both the traditional and Impact groups of the Rotary Club.
Preparation for the tournament began in October, following the national release of the project brief. This phase included trial runs of the task to anticipate potential challenges students might encounter, outreach to interested schools, procurement of materials, construction of testing rigs, recruitment of helpers, and a final burst of preparations in early February to ensure a successful event.
The Rotary Technology Tournament is a nationwide initiative repeated by Rotary Clubs across the country. It is one of many creative activities supported by Rotary to inspire and engage young minds. With a strong focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), the tournament provides students with real-world context for their curriculum studies in a collaborative, hands-on setting that encourages problem-solving and teamwork.
This year, the Leicester tournament welcomed 136 pupils in 34 teams from 13 schools across Leicestershire. The energy and concentration in the room were truly inspiring as teams tackled this year’s exciting challenge:
designing and building a model space capsule launcher.
At 9:30am, the students were presented with the brief for the first time and immediately set to work. The Rotary Club provided support through event volunteers and judges — professionals from industry and education — who both guided and assessed the teams throughout the day. Construction concluded at 1:45pm, followed by the much-anticipated model testing phase.
While many teams successfully completed the challenge, the real achievement lay in the innovation, collaboration, and learning demonstrated throughout the event.
Winners on the day included:
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Foundation Level: Leicester High School for Girls
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Intermediate Level: Manor High School
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Advanced Level: Oadby Beauchamp Community College
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Leicester Grammar School for hosting the event and providing invaluable support. We are also deeply grateful to our sponsors — Sir Thomas White Charity Trust and Pick Everard — for their generous financial contributions.
A special thanks goes to Pick Everard and Hodges & Drake, who released young professional engineers and designers to support and judge the tournament, providing vital industry insight and encouragement to the students.
Finally, my personal gratitude goes to Vicky Ball (Impact Group) and John Niblett (formerly of Oadby Launde Club), without whom the event simply would not have been possible. Sincere thanks as well to all the volunteers who helped with the organisation, setup, and smooth running of the tournament.
Nick Thomson
