STUDENTS from Robert Blake Science College were inspired at Cheltenham Science Festival after creating a rocket which could rescue someone stranded on an island.

At the festival pupils were given three sizes of tube - small, medium and large - as well as some card and foam to design their rocket.

Rhiannon Roberts, one of the pupils, said: “Each team had an engineer from a local company to help us out.

“After we finished making our rockets we were able to test them out. We all stood at one end of the hall with our rockets.

“Our targets were the ‘stranded people’ at the other end. We had to pump air into the launch tube and let our rockets off. It was a good start to the day!”

The Naked Scientists activity saw students enjoy an interactive talk about the brain, featuring brain teasers, interesting facts and experiments.

Naomi Williams, another Robert Blake student, said: “We learned the right side of the brain controls the left side of our bodies and that the brain is really good at focussing on certain things.

“Our day at Cheltenham Science Festival has made us think more about the future and what we want to do.

“It has made us think ‘I would like to do something with science’. It has also made us think about maybe taking Triple Science as an option at GCSE.”