Sully children learn STEM skills with our support

Funding from our Community Matters Fund supported Sully and Lavernock Community Library Trust to develop children’s understanding of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) using Lego.

Ellie Patey, Community Engagement Manager for National Grid Electricity Distribution, said: “Inspiring the STEM leaders of tomorrow supports their development and helps to shape a cleaner energy future.

“It is anticipated 400,000 roles are needed between now and 2050 to reach the UK’s net zero targets.

“I’m delighted to see how Sully and Lavernock Community Library Trust has used our Community Matters Fund to bring STEM subjects to life for children in an engaging and lively way.”

Richard Thomas, Trustee and Volunteer at Sully and Lavernock Community Library Trust, said: “The Community Matters Fund grant enabled our community library to purchase Lego Education Spike Prime technical sets, which are designed around playful narrative-based problem-solving with relatable themes that can develop children into independent STEM thinkers.

“The hands-on experience using familiar Lego components to build programmable working models helped the children to broaden their knowledge and understanding of science, design and technology and computing, as well as using language and maths in new ways. The library team are now planning to roll out the sessions on a regular basis so that more children can share the experience.”

The idea for the project came after librarians had discovered a high level of interest in their after-school Coding Club using the Scratch programming language.

The new kits allow the programming of mechanical and electrical components using either simple visual blocks, word blocks, Scratch or Python coding. This means they are adaptable to a range of ages and abilities.

The library’s volunteer team set up and ran a series of preliminary trial events during the summer holiday period to find out the best way to use the kits. These trial sessions allowed the young participants to brainstorm and develop creative solutions through trial and error while collaborating with each other in a relaxed out of school atmosphere.

Our Community Matters Fund has awarded more than £10 million to charities and community groups across South Wales, the South West and the Midlands since it was established in 2021.