1,050 young minds inspired by the 10th Anniversary Peterborough STEM Festival
With more than 50 interactive exhibits, hands-on activities and shows, the free Peterborough STEM Festival celebrated the 10th year since it launched in 2016 by attracting 1,050 young people aged between 0-17 years old.
Created to encourage interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects in the local area, particularly aimed at girls and underrepresented groups, almost 12,000 children and teenagers have visited over the last decade. This year the event was held at ARU Peterborough for a third time, and saw around 1,800 attendees in total, with 30% identifying as girls or women.
Live shows were hosted by inventor and YouTube creator Ruth Amos, Dr Sam Gregson, Magna Science and Explorer Dome, while the hands-on exhibits, including four provided by ARU Peterborough, covered a wide range of subjects, from geology and astronomy to AI, coding and robotics. Beyond the event, three live online sessions were also provided for schools and home-ed children in partnership with Tech We Can, and 300 take-home RSC Chemistry kits were given out by Curious Adventures and Peterborough STEM Festival to encourage more at-home learning.
“Reaching 10 years of a free festival to inspire young people, particularly girls and other underrepresented groups in science, tech, engineering and maths is a massive achievement, only made possible by the support of our sponsors and the hard work of all of our volunteers,” said Chairperson and Co-Organiser Liz Randell.
“All of that effort is rewarded by seeing how much enjoyment everyone has throughout the day and the positive feedback after the event. And now we’re also hearing from more and more people inspired by previous Peterborough STEM Festivals to go into further education, apprenticeships or even create their own businesses.”
As a free festival accessible to everyone, the events are only possible thanks to the generosity and support of sponsors and partners, which this year included Anglian Water with its @one and Strategic Pipeline alliances, the Royal Society of Chemistry, Perkins Engines Company Limited and Greater Peterborough UTC.
“We are delighted to have sponsored Peterborough STEM Festival for the third-year running. We know firsthand how important building skills in STEM are for young people. To be able to inspire the next generation of engineering talent through important partnerships like this is always hugely rewarding for our employees too,” said Matt Nurse, Director of Engineering, Perkins Engines Company Limited.
And the reach of Peterborough STEM Festival goes beyond Cambridgeshire. Our furthest-travelled visitors included those from Germany, the Netherlands, and even Limassol in Cyprus, 2,650 miles away. Guests also included Suw Charman-Anderson, the founder of Ada Lovelace Day, which celebrates the contributions of women in STEM fields and inspired the creation of Peterborough STEM Festival.
“It was fantastic to see so many children and adults enjoying the wide array of activities on offer at this year’s Peterborough STEM Festival. Bringing together all the disciplines – science, technology, engineering and maths – helps children see how tightly connected they are, how creative these careers can be, and how studying STEM can open doors to an exciting and rewarding future. I look forward to visiting again next year!” said Suw Charman-Anderson, Founder of Ada Lovelace Day.
Organised by the non-profit Digital People in Peterborough CIC, enormous thanks go to all sponsors, supporters, exhibitors, volunteers, venue staff, food providers, first aiders and especially the attendees across the last 10 years.
Plans are already under way for Peterborough STEM Festival 2027 along with a range of fringe and spin-off events. If you’re interested in sponsoring, volunteering or attending, please visit https://www.peterboroughstemfestival.co.uk/ for the latest updates.