March 6, 2026 12:45pm
Last summer, a group of our then–Year 9 students stepped up to the challenge and took part in the Girls into STEM competition at South Devon College — an event usually aimed at Year 10! Hand‑picked by their science teachers, these brilliant young women competed against five other local schools and absolutely shone.
Their innovative idea, “Disco Walkz” — an energy‑generating walkway designed for Paignton Seafront — wowed the judges and couldn’t be more perfectly timed with the current seafront upgrades.
The team were supported throughout by their fantastic mentors Lee, Alison and Giorgia from Torbay Pharma, whose guidance played a huge part in the girls’ success. After impressing the judging panel at South Devon College, the girls were invited by Lucy Lewis (Build Torbay) to present at Torquay Town Hall, where they confidently delivered their pitch to senior leaders including Jackie Warren, Phil Black and Chris Wheeler. They absolutely nailed it.
A massive thank you to everyone involved over the past nine months — especially Torbay Pharma for their incredible mentoring and the celebratory treat they surprised the team with, and South Devon College for recognising the girls’ hard work with Amazon vouchers.
We are unbelievably proud of the Disco Walkz team. This experience has sparked confidence, teamwork, and future STEM ambitions that will stay with them for years to come.