PUPILS at Didcot Girls’ School took on the challenge of building model reservoirs, pumps and wind turbines.

The engineering day was held at the Manor Cresent school last Tuesday to encourage girls to try out the trade.

The 60 pupils aged 13 and 14 worked on creating their own sustainable island.

After designing and building a reservoir they built a connecting pump to move water into a secondary reservoir.

Next they were challenged to build a wind turbine to power the village and harness solar power using reflectors.

Among them was 14-year-old Ruth Hall. She said: “We made windmills and reservoirs. We had to choose resources, but the best ones were the most money so some reservoirs leaked – masking tape is not waterproof!”

Michaela Murphy, 13, said: “It was a really great day and I learnt loads. I was amazed by how engineering can effect everything.”

Zainab Shahzad, 13, said: “It inspired me to engineer my own equipment for when I am a surgeon.”

The day was run by education charity the Smallpeice Trust and Tomorrow’s Engineers as part of National Science and Engineering Week, which runs from March 14 to 23.