Wind Up Your Elastic Buggies For A Science Challenge
Wed, 8th March 2000

Some wheels great fun is promised when families build and race model buggies in Burton.
Elastic bands will provide the power for the buggies made in the challenge at the Bass Museum on Sunday March 26.
It’s among more than 7.500 events being held throughout the UK and expected to attract more than a million people during National Science Week 2000 from March 17 to 26.
Local families will be charged £5 for up to two adults and three children working as a team to build a buggy with a kit provided but the British Association, which promotes science and technology.
As well as the elastic band, their materials will be a corrugated plastic tray, wooden dowelling, a drinking straw, cotton reel and wheels.
“Each group will get some help in working out how to make a basic buggy and we’re going to give them a lucky dip box containing items like extra corrugated plastic and decorative materials,” said the museum’s edition officer Rachel Moss.
“There will be prizes for the buggy that goes the furthest and the one that looks the most attractive.”
She added: “We have always been involved in Science Week but have never done anything like this before. We do a lot of children’s activities and thought it would be nice to have something where parents could take part as well.”
The buggy challenge will be from 10.30am to 1pm.
The museum will also be the venue for the Staffordshire finals of a science and engineering quiz for schools and college on Friday March 24, following the East Staffordshire finals at Burton College two days earlier.
School groups will be getting hands-on experience of processing and testing materials they don’t normally handle when the college hosts a ‘Materials in Action’ even on Tuesday and Wednesday March 21 and 22.
An amateur radio exhibition with the change to talk on air, and the special call sign SB2000SET, will take place at Rosliston Forestry Centre on Saturday and Sunday March 25 and 2 between 10am and 5.30pm.
The exhibition will include Scouts, the Air Training Corps, hospital radio and the fire and rescue service.

Story originally published in the Burton Advertiser, Wendesday, 8th March 2000.