A TEAM from a primary school in St Austell is hoping to build on its success after reaching the national Lego League finals.

Nine girls from Year 5 and Year 6 at Bishop Bronescombe Church of England School triumphed in a regional Lego League competition held at RNAS Culdrose, Helston.

The team is now preparing to compete in the national finals in Harrogate, Yorkshire.

A spokesperson said: “Our team was sponsored by the Soroptimists St Austell so that we could attend the regional event.

“To compete in the competition, you have three main elements. The first was an innovation project, where the children highlighted the effects of coral bleaching and their potential solutions.

“The second was robot games where they had to send their robot around the games mat, solving complex missions (for example, collecting krill or raising a ship’s mast).

“The third was robot design, where the children discussed how they had programmed the robot and how they came up with their mission strategy and their attachments.

“There was one final element called core values. This was about showing the spirit of the Lego League and how they worked as a team.

“Competing for the very first time, our team triumphed, taking home both the robot games title and the overall champions award. Now, they have qualified for the national finals in May. The victory is a testament to their hard work, creativity and determination in the STEM field where girls are still under-represented.

“This is an amazing opportunity for our team to showcase their skills and talents, but we need support to get there. We are raising funds to cover the transportation and accommodation costs for our girls to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event.

“We are aiming to raise around £4,000 in total through both GoFundMe (www.gofundme.com/f/help-bishop-bronescombes-allgirl-lego-team-reach-the-natio) and corporate sponsorship.”