A group of Amman Valley teenagers are heading to the UK finals of a LEGO competition.

The team, consisting of year 9 pupils from Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in South Wales, recently claimed the title of South West Wales LEGO FLL Regional Champions.

Now, they are setting their sights on the LEGO UK National Finals, a major event taking place at Harrogate Convention Centre on April 20, 2024.

Design & Technology teacher, Damian Jones expressed the team's excitement at being one of just two schools from Wales to make it to the finals.

He said: "As a school we have competed over the last 10+ years and won a range of different awards, but this is the first time we have won the overall competition."

The nationwide competition incorporates various elements, including the Innovation Project, the Robot Game, Robot Design and Core Values.

Success hinges on exceptional performance across all these categories.

A pivotal achievement was the team's high score in the high-pressure LEGO Robot challenge, where they had just 2.5 minutes to complete various tasks.

According to robot team captain Daniel: "There is a lot of pressure, but we kept our cool and followed our plan and were chuffed to have the highest score.

"The judges were also impressed by our robot design and programming."

The team's innovation project, aptly set around empowering girls in boxing to coincide with International Women's Day, was highly praised by judges.

Team captain Finty explained: "They were very impressed by our design development and prototype which we programmed with the BBC:MicroBit to show a working prototype of our product.”

However, competing on a national stage is not without its challenges; the team needs funds to support travel and accommodation expenses.

They have initiated an online GoFundMe page for donations and are seeking financial support from local businesses.

Mr Jones highlighted this, stating: "We are also looking for sponsorship from local businesses who can support this young team in what will be a once in a lifetime opportunity, for some of the team this will be the first time they have had the opportunity to have a stay-away school trip.

"Before teaching, I was a designer for LEGO and I know what a difference these types of opportunities can make and it’s important that our young people have high aspirations to become the design engineers of the future.”

Potential sponsors or donors are encouraged to contact Damian Jones at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman on 01269 592441.