A GROUP of girls from Cumnock Academy had a sinking feeling at Dumfries House but they didn’t mind.

The second and third year pupils joined their opposite numbers from Auchinleck Academy and 80 other girls from 20 Ayrshire schools.

They had made the short trip to Dumfries House for an event called Girls Into Engineering which took place in The Pavilion at the estate.

Keira Clark, a pupil at Cumnock Academy, said: “We really enjoyed our day at Dumfries House.

“We liked getting the opportunity to work as a team and compete in the challenges of building a crane and making a boat — even though our boat sank.

“The speakers were very interesting, too, and we enjoyed hearing about their jobs.”

Many of the pupils in attendance left at the end of the day thinking seriously about further study and a potential career in engineering.

Girls Into Engineering was sponsored by ScottishPower and run in conjunction with Young Engineers and Science Clubs Scotland and offered girls an insight into the type of work available in engineering.

Pupils rose to a series of engineering challenges, the first of which was to construct a crane that could bear a certain weight.

Dumfries House staff and industry experts were on hand to impart advice on how to access the wide range of careers in the sector.

Such education events at Dumfries House form a key element of the vision of His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay.

Karen Alexander, head of STEM education at Dumfries House, said: “It was a pleasure to host pupils from 20 Ayrshire schools at our Girls Into Engineering event.

“We are really encouraged by the way school staff and pupils are embracing science, technology, engineering, and maths, and we hope everyone left the event inspired to go further in these subject areas and to return to Dumfries House for similar future activities and school residential trips.”

Lisa Rennie, resourcing consultant at ScottishPower, added: “The first step in encouraging young people to pursue careers in engineering is awareness, and this is a big focus for ScottishPower and Dumfries House.

“Supporting initiatives like this Girls Into Engineering event doesn’t just help the communities in which we operate, it helps us, too, as tomorrow’s ScottishPower employees are today’s schoolchildren.

“It is therefore important that we commit to engaging and inspiring them, and ensuring they have the necessary tools to equip them for future success.”

E-mail EducationAdmin@dumfries-house.org.uk to arrange a school visit to Dumfries House.