Inspiring the Next Generation – For 10 Years and Counting!
The 10th annual Mid Sussex Science Week (MSSW) reached an exciting milestone this year, once again hosted at The Kings Church in Burgess Hill. What began as a vision to inspire young minds has grown into a major fixture in the local STEM calendar. Organised by BSE|3D Limited in partnership with the Burgess Hill Business Parks Association, this year’s event was a proud reflection of how far we’ve come and where we’re heading.
This landmark year celebrated not only the innovation and enthusiasm of our local students, but also the people who helped make it all happen. Back in 2015 alongside Philip Todd was WSCC Councillor Peter Bradbury, they were instrumental in bringing the idea to life and nurturing its growth in the early years. Their vision and tireless efforts have helped shape an event that has now inspired thousands of students and created invaluable partnerships between education and industry. A special recognition award was presented to Philip Todd by Peter Bradbury, to recognise his dedication over the past 10 years.
During the past five years, Richard Cox of the Burgess Hill Business Parks Association has played a vital role in the event’s expansion into the Burgess Hill region. His leadership and continued support have brought new opportunities, broader engagement from local businesses, and a stronger platform to showcase the value of STEM education. We’re incredibly grateful for Richard’s commitment to building stronger bridges between local industry and our future workforce.
Bringing STEM to Life
This year, once again, eight local primary schools partnered with leading STEM businesses to explore and develop real-world projects. The energy and creativity on display were outstanding. A huge thank you to the company STEM Ambassadors from Edwards Vacuum, Furnace Design, LB Enclosures, Leap Environmental, Onyx Geo, Ridgeview Wine Estate, SB Improvements, University of Sussex and Wakehurst Place who make this possible.
Students were able to engage with interactive exhibits and connect directly with professionals in fields ranging from engineering and environmental science to aviation and digital communications.
A special thank you goes to BHBPA Carpenter Box, Gatwick Airport, Mid Sussex District Council, Newman Thomson and The Kings Church for their donations as without them the event could not have taken place.
Exhibitors included returning favourites including: Artemis Marketing, Broadcast Bionics, BSE|3D, Edwards Vacuum, Gatwick Airport, Leap Environmental & Onyx Geo, Wakehurst Place, and a tetrahedron construction manned by students as well as new exhibitors from West Sussex County Council Recycling Scheme, Kate Andrews from KLA Architects and Comply Sense. Each brought a unique perspective and helped to bring STEM subjects vividly to life.
As we mark our 10th anniversary, we want to express our heartfelt thanks to the many businesses and sponsors who continue to invest in our community’s future. Our judges, whose insight and encouragement help shape student confidence. And of course, to Phil Todd, Richard Cox and our behind the scene team Nicola Todd and Karen Womack, without whom none of this would be possible.
Congratulations to everyone who took part, however there can only be one 1st place winner and this year the students of St Lawrence School from Hurstpierpoint who with their STEM Ambassador from Edwards Vacuum.
We also had a special prize which was donated by Mak Norman of More Radio who presented this to the school with the best overall presentation. Our lucky winners receive a visit to the breakfast show studio and will get to meet the team. This prize was awarded to London Meed Primary School and we hope to have images from their trip in the months to come.
Alex Rickard from Alex Rickard Photography kindly photographed the event and Ryan Birch from Double Media kindly prepared a video of the event.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the companies that generously allowed their employees to support our efforts. Their willingness to spare such talented and dedicated individuals has been invaluable to us. The wealth of knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm they brought to the table made a significant difference, and their contributions have not gone unnoticed. We deeply appreciate the collaboration and spirit of partnership shown by these organisations, and we thank them wholeheartedly for their support. Carpenter Box, GD Rectifiers, Easy Jet, Thales, Network Rail and our other sponsors PVL and Excool.
A Full Circle Moment – From Student to Apprentice
One of the most inspiring stories this year came from within our own team at BSE|3D. In 2015, a local student attended Mid Sussex Science Week, sparking an interest in engineering that would shape his future. Ten years later, he returned to the event not as a student, but as a BSE|3D apprentice, supporting the very same programme that first ignited his passion for STEM.
His journey represents exactly what MSSW is all about: planting a seed of curiosity that grows into real opportunity and meaningful careers. We couldn’t be prouder to see this success story come full circle.
We look forward to the next 10 years of discovery, innovation, and inspiration.
Mid Sussex Science Week – Where Curiosity Meets Opportunity!
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Science Week 2025 – Celebrating 10 years!
Day-by-day our science week edges closer and on Friday 4th April our schools and STEM Ambassadors attending the onboarding meeting.
Presentations were provided by Philip Todd, MSSW Chair who introduced the event and gave an overview of the weeks leading up to ‘the week’.
Richard Cox from BHBPA delivered details on our sponsors and how the judging process works.
Sarah Cook of OnyxGeo gave an insight into being a STEM Ambassador and how she has interacted with the schools previously.
We finished the session matching schools with their STEM Ambassador…of course we had to keep the suspense going a little longer as they were shown one-by-one!
| Birchwood Grove Primary School | LB Enclosures |
| Bolnore Village Primary School | Leap Environmental |
| Holy Trinity Primary School | Furnace Designs |
| Lindfield Primary School | University of Sussex & Ridgeview Wine Estate |
| Londonmeed Primary School | Wakehurst |
| St Lawrence CE Primary School | Edwards Vacuum |
| St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School | SB Improvements |
| Windmills Junior School | Onyx Geo & Mitsubishi Electric |
We are all looking forward to welcoming so many schools this year to help celebrate such a great milestone for us.
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We’re beyond excited to announce that Science Week 2025 is officially set for May 19th – 23rd! 🎉
While you don’t see them, our dedicated committee is hard at work behind the scenes – hunting down brilliant STEM Ambassadors, securing exhibitors, and preparing an epic final day celebration of curiosity and discovery.
Celebrating 10 Years of STEM Magic!
That’s right – 2025 marks our 10th Anniversary! And we’re pulling out all the stops to make this the best one yet. An incredible number of schools across Mid Sussex are taking part, making this year’s event truly special.
Due to time (and space!) constraints, we’ve had to limit participation to 12 schools for the grand finale – if only we had a bigger venue and more hours in the day!
Get Involved – Be Part of the Action!
Do you have a cool, hands-on exhibit for our Friday event? While the student projects are being judged, we’ll have companies running exciting activities for small groups of children (12-18 students per session, lasting 10-15 minutes).
Past exhibits have included:
- Radio fault-finding challenges
- Marshmallow vacuum experiments
- DIY torch-building
- Sports science demos
- Engineering challenges
- Mind-blowing product science displays
If you’ve got an awesome STEM activity, we’d love to hear from you!
Help Power Science Week!
Science Week is only possible thanks to generous sponsors and supporters. You can contribute by:
Donating STEM-related goodies for student goody bags (branded or unbranded)
Sponsoring the event by funding materials, activities, or the science show
Connecting us with potential supporters—know a company that loves science? Introduce us!
Let’s Spark a Love for STEM!
Science Week is all about inspiring the next generation of innovators, problem-solvers, and explorers. Whether you want to volunteer, exhibit, donate, or sponsor, every little bit helps make this event truly special.
Want to get involved? We’d love to hear from you!
Let’s ignite curiosity, fuel imagination, and celebrate the wonder of science—together!