The entries for the MakeIT! Furniture and MakeIT! Wood schools competition have now been judged and the winners chosen.
A group of industry leaders met at Proskills' head office on 8th April to assess the level of work across a range of age groups that was submitted into both competitions.
The MakeIT! Furniture project asked students to research and design a product, identifying the type of raw materials used, considering sustainable design and investigating production processes, as well as showing their understanding of environmental issues in the furniture, furnishing and interiors industry.
The MakeIT! Wood project asked students to research engineered timber, construct a model of a laminated wooden beam, develop design proposals for a landscape structure using glulam and investigate the production processes involved, as well as showing their understanding of environmental issues in the wood industry.
Lisa Williamson, programme director says: “The standard of entries was incredibly high, making the judges’ job difficult but extremely exciting. They were all really impressed and believe that the winning entries show the value of MakeIT! in driving up interest in and knowledge about, the furniture and wood industries.”
“There were some excellent submissions with ingenious ideas, skills and projects across all the age groups"
The MakeIT! team would like to extend their thanks to the judges who have been hugely generous with their time and effort and help to ensure that the programme is a continuing success. This year, the judges were: Dave Campbell, British Woodworking Federation; Sally Clarke, Sally Clarke Furniture; Mark Murphy, Donaldson Timber; Richard Rankin, AMUSF; Elizabeth Turner, Trada; Emily Payne, Timber Trade Federation; Tony Smart, Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers; and Gordon Jeffery, Glennon Brothers.
Emily Payne says: “There were some excellent submissions with ingenious ideas, skills and projects across all the age groups."
Both Richard Rankin, AMUSF and Elizabeth Turner, Trada, comment that there was a very mixed bag of entries across the age ranges.
The winners in each of the categories will be announced at a MakeIT! awards ceremony to be held at The City of Oxford College on the 19th June. This event will give the young people who entered the competition the opportunity to tour the furniture show at the college.
