School students have been building bridges at a ­tournament organised by The Rotary Club of Royston. Teams of four from Edwinstree Middle School, Freman College, Greneway School, Melbourn Village College, Meridian School, Roysia Middle School, and Ralph S

School students have been building bridges at a ­tournament organised by The Rotary Club of Royston.

Teams of four from Edwinstree Middle School, Freman College, Greneway School, Melbourn Village College, Meridian School, Roysia Middle School, and Ralph Sadleir Middle School, put their thinking caps on to come up with a solution for a design and build problem.

The pupils were asked to build a bridge that would support a heavy weight all the way along the structure, and it was the Roysia A team's design that stood strong to win the top prize.

Rotarian Ken Charles, chairman of youth opportunities, said: "The day went exceptionally well. We are very pleased with how it has turned out.

"The attitude of the children was very positive. They applied themselves to the tasks and got on with it and have learned a lot of lessons."

All 22 structures in the tournament withstood the heavy weight.

The Freman C team came in second place, while Meridian's A team finished third.

Mr Scott Malone, resistant materials teacher at Freman College, said: "It was a really good day and an excellent team building exercise.

"All the pupils here volunteered to come, we had about 50-60 names down, but narrowed it down."

The 12 judges were representatives from companies based in and around Royston with experience in civil engineering, electronics, and even bridge building.

Judging criteria included planning, design analysis, design development, and making skills.

Mr Charles said: "The feedback from the children has been 10 out of 10 and the teachers are delighted with the tournament.

"They want us to organise it again next year, but we will involve older age groups as well.

"This was on a smaller scale to get used to the management."

The first prize was £100 donated by TTP Group and the school will decide what to do with the money to enhance its technology department.