Over 2,200 schoolchildren visit Northern Spire bridge during construction

During the past 16 months, every primary and secondary school in the city, including those for special needs youngsters, was invited to bring some pupils to site to learn about the project, the different skills and professions involved, and the benefits the bridge would bring to Sunderland and the wider region.

Some 46 schools took up the offer, with 2,275 children attending, ranging in age from seven to 17.

They spent time in the on-site classroom learning about the processes involved in the construction, handling some of the materials used in the cable stay installation, and taking part in a quiz, before going out on the viewing platform to watch the site at work.

All of the teachers that attended rated the hour-long sessions either 4 or 5 out of 5, giving an average score of 4.9 on how beneficial the content and visits were.

Sunderland City Council launched the school visit programme in conjunction with Farrans Construction and Victor Buyck Steel Construction, which formed FVB Joint Venture, to deliver the new bridge on behalf of the council, to help enthuse young people about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers, and to share knowledge of the project.

Northern Saints Primary School, which is located close to the bridge on the north side of the river, took up the opportunity to visit site with some of its pupils. The project also inspired the school to organise its own bridge-building lessons in class.

Headteacher Steve Williamson said: "From the raising of the pylon to the Royal visit earlier this year, our children have been eager to follow progress and be involved in the building of Northern Spire, which they refer to as 'our bridge'. 

"The visits enabled many of our Year 5 and 6 children to learn more about the structure and the benefits, especially in relation to regeneration. The sessions were invaluable and showed a real strength in the partnership between Sunderland City Council, FVB Joint Venture, and local schools. 

"As a result, our pupils feel an affinity with Northern Spire and talk about their pride in the local area, and are enthusiastic in exploring career ideas in engineering.

"Most importantly, the insight has given them hope and aspiration so that they can see how they will contribute to our local economy and society."

Ryan Skeoch, Science Technician and STEM Ambassador at Biddick Academy, said the sessions had proven beneficial, especially to those students interested in engineering.

He said: "We took two sets of students in Key Stage 3, and they all enjoyed the experience, contributing some great questions and answers.

"The presentation was extremely useful and interesting, looking at the methods involved in building the bridge and the skills required, and the students loved taking pictures from the viewing platform. It was a perfect example of real world engineering application on our doorstep."

Leader of Sunderland City Council Cllr Graeme Miller said: "We are delighted that so many schools in the city took up the offer to visit the Northern Spire site to find out more about the building of the bridge.

"Projects of this scale and complexity do not come along every day, so we wanted to involve schools and enthuse young people about the project and the career possibilities available to them.

"Northern Spire is more than just a bridge for people to get across the river; it is just the beginning for Sunderland. It is a huge part of our plans to improve the road network in Sunderland between the A19 and the Port of Sunderland and city centre, and it will attract investment and enable land along the river to be regenerated. It's great that young people have been able to get on board in this way."

Stephen McCaffrey, Project Director of FVB Joint Venture, said: "The team feels very privileged to have been involved in the construction of Northern Spire, so it's been wonderful to share the experience with schoolchildren in the city.

"We love what we do, so hope children who have visited feel inspired and enthused to follow careers in the construction and engineering fields. It would be a wonderful legacy for the project to leave, which would benefit Sunderland for years to come."

Northern Spire is the first bridge to be built over the river in Sunderland for 40 years. It will link the communities of Pallion and Castletown and is due to open in early summer.