Students design candle holders for Christmas service

On Sunday 15th December St Nicholas Church in Bramber held it’s annual ‘Nine lessons and carols by candle light service’ using the candle holders specially designed by Steyning Grammar School’s Design and Technology students.

This year the Reverend John Challis of the Churches of Bramber, Beeding and Batolphs commissioned Year 10 students at Steyning Grammar School to make the candle holders to be used in this service. He returned to the school to judge the designs back in September and awarded prizes to the following students: 1st Prize to Molly Black and joint 2nd Prize to Liam Newman and Jessica Ridgley. Three very strong runners up prizes where also awarded to Yasmin Costen, Hugh MacGregor and Toby Goddard.

Molly Black the winning student said “The candle holder project was my favourite project so far in resistant materials over the last 3 years. I really enjoyed making the product, and the challenges that came with it. I was very surprised when it was announced that I had won. It made me feel pleased with how my work had turned out, and how it had successfully stood out from the rest. Although the over all best bit of winning was getting to see my product being used in the church at Bramber with all the other winners’ ones too.”

Reverend John Challis said “These designs are superb and very well made; each was mounted on a pole for the service and placed on the ends of the pews, just as you would see in any traditional service of this type up and down the country. This service then allows us to blend the new and old, young ideas with traditional and ancient music and worship. For the church to engage with teenagers and value their ideas and for teenagers to see their work actually be used and admired”

This project was undertaken by the schools Technology Faculty as part of a ‘Resistant Materials’ design project. Mr Chris Gibbs, Head of Faculty in Design and Technology at Steyning Grammar School said “It is so rewarding to see student work used in a real setting for a real client. We are always trying to illustrate how design impacts on the real world and this project goes a long way to address that. It is also great to see these designs join the ones from last year and increase the collection the church has. As this is a project we jointly run each year, I can only imagine how fantastic the church will continue to look as the collection increases. This project has also allowed students’ design skills to develop which has contributed to a second year of Resistant Materials GCSE students achieving at least 70% A*-C.”

This super design project enables the church to build up a collection of candle holder designs which will remain as part of the churches fixtures and will be used throughout the course of the year.