Young people are laying the foundations for a successful future.

Plans put forward by Canon Slade sixth form students to transform Manchester Piccadilly Gardens won them a top prize in a civil engineering inspired competition.

They won the silver award in the Institution of Civil Engineers’ (ICE) CityZen Award, a competition that promotes civil engineering.

As second place winners, the students from Canon Slade School won £500 to share within their team, £500 for STEM resources for the school, a VIP lunch with ICE President Anusha Shah at ICE’s headquarters at One Great George Street in Westminster, as well as a guided tour of the building.

Almost 1,500 young people from throughout the UK took part in the competition, and since its inception in 2021, over 3,000 16-to-18-year-olds have taken part in the CityZen Award.

A spokesperson for Team Canon Slayer, said: “The ICE CityZen Challenge has been one of the best learning experiences for our group.

"What makes their achievements most satisfying from a teacher’s perspective is that their mentor, Tom Durkin, civil engineer at engineering consultancy Mott MacDonald, was also an ex-Canon Slade School pupil and through reaching out to support our team, eventually led to their success.

"We thank Tom Durkin, our mentor, for his tutoring which was indispensable in the development of our project, and we thank ICE for their amazing hospitality at the event and winner’s lunch.

“It made us all feel that we had been rewarded for our hard work.”

The CityZen Award is a two-stage competition.

In the first part, students play the online CityZen game, which involves overcoming a series of civil-engineering-inspired challenges.

In the second stage, students apply their learning from the game by putting together a video proposal.

In the proposal, they suggest a civil engineering solution for a problem in their local area.

Canon Slade School sixth form students, Miles Harrison, Wesley Noble, Joe Wilkes, and Juan Latham, submitted a proposal to revitalise Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens and its surrounding areas.

 The students wanted to create a more inclusive and welcoming space that was sustainable and accessible for all.

In their proposal, the students identified drainage, lighting, vegetation and anti-social behaviour as the key areas of concern and planned to introduce greenery and biodiversity to the area.

They suggested planting a variety of tree species and vertical gardens which, in addition to improving biodiversity, would provide shade from high temperatures brought on by climate change.

Mr James Foulger, Head of Year 12 at Canon Slade School, said: “We are proud of our four Year 12 students Miles, Wesley, Joe and Juan for their highly professional video, which demonstrates the incredible skills and competencies that our students develop.

“Although they are modest, I hope they take away a great sense of accomplishment.

“All students involved in CityZen found it rigorous and rewarding.

“What makes their achievements most satisfying from a teacher’s perspective is that their mentor, Tom Durkin, was also an ex-Canon Slade School pupil and through reaching out to support our team, eventually led to their success.

“Tom showed a sense of duty and giving back – the ethos of our school and students,” said Mr Foulger.

 “I am confident that our four students are now ready for life in all of its fullness and look forward to hearing their successes in the years ahead.”

Research conducted by Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) in 2024 found that CityZen participants are “both significantly more likely to apply and be accepted onto engineering and related courses, especially civil engineering courses.

Previous winners have suggested everything from redesigning traffic patterns to address road congestion at school pick-up times, to using geothermal heat pumps to heat neighbourhood businesses.

Séan Harris, the ICE’s Deputy Director General and Director of Membership, said: “The CityZen Award judges and I were hugely impressed by the passion, creativity, and determination of this year’s entrants.

“Their imaginative solutions tackle pressing urban challenges and embody the innovative and collaborative ideals that define civil engineering.

“It's clear they want a future that is more sustainable and resilient, and their ideas give me hope.

“Congratulations to the winners and every student who participated.”

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