Donald’s Garage Ipswich sponsors motorsport challenge day for local school

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Ipswich-based Volvo dealership, Donald’s Garage, is sponsoring Orwell Park School’s Motorsport School Team Challenge later this month as part of a focus on bridging the gap between local businesses and schools.

Taking place on 27^th June, the motorsport-themed day is being organised by Orwell Park’s Head of Digital Strategy, David Horton, for its senior year eight pupils, aged 12-13. Students have already been tasked with the challenge of approaching local companies to sponsor the day, helping to fine-tune both writing and relationship-building skills.

Mr Horton commented: “Motor racing has always been a passion of mine and my 15-year-old son also competes in the sport. For Orwell Park, the aim of the motorsport day is to develop so many different skills, including writing, design, digital, science, technology and engineering whilst being fun and competitive. The students were also encouraged to approach local businesses for sponsorship which was another fantastic learning curve, understanding how to apply the skills from their English lessons in a real-world context of success and potential refusal.”

Donald’s Garage, currently located at West End Road, will supply the school with the Volvo XC90 and V90 for display, enabling youngsters to see Volvo’s extensive and pioneering vehicle technology which now powers the modern motorcar.

Students will be divided into teams on the day, consisting of a team manager, two drivers, two engineers, two designers, an accountant and a PR person, who have specific tasks to complete. They will be blogging and raising awareness on social media as well as designing and racing a race car using a simulator. The media team will be recording the entire day, including live streaming action via the school’s Facebook page.

“We want to be able to show pupils how the lessons they learn in school, along with their own hobbies and interests, can be applied in the workplace – opening students up to a variety of careers is essential if schools are to play their part in the future economy,” continued Mr Horton. “This is the first time we have run such a day so naturally we were delighted that local companies like Donald’s could see the potential in our motorsport challenge and were keen to play their part. We hope it will become an annual event as well as exporting the concept to other schools in the area.”

Benjamin Grant, Donald’s group marketing manager, added: “Involvement in automotive-themed days with local schools is essential for both the participating students and our sector. Today’s vehicles are highly sophisticated pieces of equipment and students are always surprised to find the image of a mechanic covered in oil is far from the reality of working with these cars. By witnessing the innovative solutions vehicle manufacturers are now deploying in their products, particularly Volvo’s industry-leading safety and autonomous technology, it encourages youngsters to consider the automotive sector as a potential future career choice.”

In early 2018, Donald’s Garage will be relocating to a new state-of-the-art flagship Volvo showroom in Ipswich’s most sought-after retail outlets, Futura Park, Nacton.

Added: 22 June 2017

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