Engineering students create bench to honour Falklands fallen

Furness College students have created a memorial bench to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War.

The seven technical engineering apprentices, who all work at BAE Systems, came up with their own concept for the bench and built it from scratch at the Channelside campus.

They created a design based on HMS Sheffield, which was built in Barrow but sunk over the Falkland Islands during the war, in tribute to those who lost their lives in the conflict.

College tutor Scott Wilson, who is the curriculum lead for pipe fabrication and welding, said the apprentices had been working very hard on the project throughout the summer term.

“They all worked well together and came up with a great design concept. Obviously, there were challenges that cropped up along they way but they found solutions to make the bench more user-friendly.”

“Within the team, they played to each other strengths which resulted in an amazing end product in the timeframe that was set.”

Josh Newell, one of the students who worked on the project, said he found it very fulfilling.

“It was great to learn new skills and make a bench that commemorates a noteworthy time in history for our country,” he said.

“People now have a chance to be a part of this history by simply sitting on the bench and it was really fun to create.”

“My role is basically all about measurements so it has been helpful for me to work on this because it has put me in the right headspace for going into BAE Systems knowing this would be the type of tasks I would have to do.”

“Everyone who worked on the project enjoyed working together.”

The bench will be installed by BAE Systems’ state-of-the-art Academy for Skills and Knowledge training facility.

Photo: Furness College students have created a memorial bench to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War.