Almost 150 pupils take part in mining games

School pupil Art takes part in the sawing challenge

Almost 150 school pupils have taken part in the Cornwall School Mining Games which aims to "inspire and encourage students to engage with engineering and Earth sciences".

Eleven schools competed in six disciplines which included panning, surveying, mineral separation and hand steeling.

Co-ordinator Rebecca Mitchell said: "There are lots and lots of opportunities coming up in the next few years for Cornish youngsters.

"We're looking to open up mines, lithium mining also, and engineering when it comes to offshore windfarms."

Ava is looking for gold while panning

On Thursday, 146 pupils took part in the fifth year of the games.

The games were held at the King Edward Mine Museum, near Camborne, the site of the International Mining Games in 2025.

Some schools chanted songs to encourage their team mates in hand steeling

Florence Hawksworth, the head of Geography at Helston Community College, said the games offered students an opportunity to consider careers both locally and globally.

"We look at the opportunity of lithium and also geothermal energy... it's really valuable to be able to understand that on a local scale," she said.

When discussing the industry in lessons, Ms Hawksworth said the students thought "Oh gosh, wow, that's amazing that we could be doing that both in Cornwall but it could take us to places around the world as well".

"Some students get really excited about that being an opportunity for them," she said.

This year's games resulted in a joint win for Truro and Redruth schools which share the Kurt Jackson mining trophy.