Pupils at Sir Roger Manwood’s School have been given words of advice on how to build the perfect 4x4 to enter into a competition.

Mentor Adam Crofts from Jaguar Land Rover visited the school on Manwood Road in Sandwich on Wednesday last week to teach the students how to prepare for their entry into the 4x4 In Schools Technology competition.

Tom Wiltshire, Olly Lyon, Ted Missons, Jonny Chapman and Beth Gwyer, will design and build a radio controlled car which they will then test on a circuit at the regional finals at CEME, Rainham in Essex on Thursday, January 22.

The aim of the project is to raise awareness, interest and enthusiasm in engineering through practical application which can then be applied in the working world.

For Tom Wiltshire, 16, this competition is the perfect opportunity for him to gain some valuable experience.

He said: “We did a presentation to him and he looked over the work we have done. We got some very constructive feedback.

“He was really pleased with the engineering side of it but he said we need more of a brand image.

“I’m definitely nervous, we’ve never done it before and we’ve gone in to the professional class but we don’t know what to expect.”

Tom explained the team will come against schools, clubs and groups from around the south east.

“It’s great hands-on experience,” He added.

Tom recently secured an prestigious Arkwright engineering scholarship which provides students with a £600 financial award to enhance their studies.

Since then as well as working with Jaguar Land Rover, he has also been sponsored by Ashford company True Grip Off Road who have offered advice and money for parts to help them build their car which they hope will win at the finals.