An imaginative bridge design by three students at South Craven School, Cross Hills, gained them a peer award when they presented their idea at Huddersfield University.

Seventeen-year-olds Jake Feather and Sam Grattan and John Lindle, 16, created a scale model of the bridge, designed to span the Aire Valley road at the roundabout near Steeton and Silsden railway station.

The year 12 students came up with the design after participating in the national Engineering Education Scheme and working with a professional engineer from Ove Arup & Partners.

Sam said: “We looked at alignments, did computer modelling, surveyed the site and went on a three-day residential to Newcastle University. It was all very realistic – better than just sitting in a classroom.”

The trio had to prepare a detailed report on their scheme and present it at an assessment day at Huddersfield University, where teams from 24 schools and colleges across the North of England put forward solutions to a range of technological problems.

The students assessed each other’s proposals and the South Craven School bridge was judged to be the top design. It is now due to be exhibited at the Yorkshire and Humber Big Bang Fair in Sheffield in July.

Also taking part in the event were five sixth-formers from Skipton Girls’ High School whose aim was to help local construction firm JN Bentley reduce its carbon footprint.

Hannah Darwin, Caroline Goldsbrough, Abigail Houghton, Kate Pielow and Naomi Jackson investigated the site compounds at three reservoirs where the firm is currently carrying out work. They concluded that small wind turbines and solar panels could be used to produce energy and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide each site produced.