Local community ‘chuffed’ with new train made by carpentry students

Students, apprentices and teachers from New City College Construction & Engineering Centre in Rainham were proud to officially present a decorative new wooden steam train for display outside their local Tesco supermarket.

The carpentry students designed and built the train, replacing the old one, which will be used as a planter for colourful shrubs and flowers, or for other decorations according to the season.

Each carriage, or planter, of the train is tended to by local Havering Councillor Sue Ospreay and sponsored by local businesses with funds going to charity.

The project was initiated by Stephen Brayshaw, Group Curriculum Director for Construction and Engineering at NCC, who said: “I often walked past the old train and noticed that it was in need of some TLC as it was looking a little sorry for itself. I thought a rework of the original could be a great project for the students of Rainham to get involved with and support something for the local community, and ultimately, the charities.”

The team at Tesco were delighted with the new train and it now stands proudly outside the store, with a plaque: ‘Donated by the students of NCC Rainham’.

The students and their teacher, Steven Weatherley, spent months working on the train as part of their carpentry lessons.

Councillor Ospreay said: “Well done to teacher Steven Weatherley and his team of students who have done an incredible job. The project has excelled my expectations. It’s fantastic!

“This is a great college and it shows that you can create great things when people come together. Here is a wonderful example of how students of Rainham Campus have put their time to excellent use for the good of the entire community, and it means a lot.”

Steven Weatherley said: “This was an idea that turned into a project and has now become a reality! The wooden train started off as a sketch design with a great deal of input from the students. It was all hands on deck and it involved a lot of thought, planning and design.

“Once we had a plan, it was a challenge to bring that vision to life. It involved a lot of brainstorming among students studying carpentry at all levels. We wanted them to understand the transferable skills they would have by building a train and then applying those skills to everyday carpentry tasks.

“It’s been great to show the local community the type of projects we are working on and that we are producing students with excellent construction skills.”

Stephen Brayshaw added: “The students and staff are proud to have helped our local Tesco with its fundraising activities. This project provided an invaluable hands-on learning experience for the students, allowing them to apply the skills they’ve developed in class to a real-world community initiative.”