SPARKS certainly flew in lessons when Bolton School old boy returned to his old school to conduct a lecture.

Richard Houghton, who left the school in 2014, returned to address a lunchtime audience of boys and girls in Years 10-to-13 on electrical engineering.

He spoke about what life was like studying for an electrical engineering degree at Manchester and the importance of two placements that he undertook, which gave him valuable work experience.

Richard recalled how one summer he worked on a rural electrical network in the Lake District close to Patterdale Hall, the school’s outdoor pursuits centre. He also spoke about careers in the sector and his current role as an electrical engineer working for Vital Energi at Blackburn. Richard explained how he spends a lot of his time working with 3-D models, diagnosing problems and finding ways to solve them.