Ten pupils from Eldwick in Bingley were awarded first prize for all their hard work in science with an all expenses paid trip to Holland for 3 days last week. The prize, presented by Councillor Adrian Naylor and Astronaut trainer Michelle Hann was for winning the Blast Off Bradford rocketry competition in July.

The trip began for the youngsters, several of whom have now gone on to secondary school, on the 30th September when they departed from Leeds Bradford airport in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The pupils stayed at a four star hotel situated in Voorschoten between The Hague and Leiden, around 25 minutes from the Schipol Airport. They spent their first day visiting Leiden’s bustling market along the river and exploring the town.

The youngsters visited centres such as ESTEC (European Space Research and Technology Centre) which is the European Space Agency’s main technology development and test centre for spacecraft and space innovation, NEMO, Anne Frank’s House and Space EXPO. NEMO is the largest science centre in the Netherlands and boasts five floors of discovery with 400,000 visitors per year. The children learnt why bridges are so strong, what they will look like in 30 years, how to purify water and even how satellites work! Adjacent to ESTEC is Space Expo - a large showcase for ESA space activity where the children had lunch and met real life rocket scientists.

As if that wasn’t enough, the children enjoyed an excursion to den Haag for an evening meal on their first night, followed by a boat trip round Leiden the next day. On the last day of the trip, the youngsters visited central Amsterdam for a few hours before leaving for Schipol Airport to return home.

The Eldwick pupils all had a great time and have taken positive memories and knowledge with them on to their secondary schools, where they will start to make their choices for their future careers.  Coun Adrian Naylor, Bradford Council's Executive Member for regeneration and the Economy, said: "Eldwick Primary's team did extremely well and they should be congratulated on their success - and their trip was no doubt an experience they will remember forever."

"Thank you for taking me to Amsterdam I had a fantastic time and hope you did too!" (child from Eldwick)

"Thank you all very much for giving the children such a fantastic time, the things they have done will always be remembered." (teacher from Eldwick)

This would not have been possible without the support of Cllr Adrian Naylor and Bradford Council, Bradford Kickstart, Young Peoples Enterprise Forum and Space Connections organisations who are working together today for a better tomorrow for the people of our region and ultimately for the whole of the UK.