Sellafield sites blogs
Sellafield sites blogs are completed by Sellafield Ltd employees and other people working on behalf of the Company. The blogs will give you an insight into the work undertaken on our sites and the personal experiences of our workforce. Please click on the links below to find out what it is like to work for the UK's leading nuclear decommissioning organisation.
Friday 7th March
Posted by: Pauline Farrell on 07 March 2008
Today is the first day of national science week and we have two events on, so a busy day ahead. Having worried about the box of worms being home alone in my office all night I leg it down to the barn to get them safely dropped off. Not sure who is more excited – Millie or her helpers Richard and George, huge disappointment all round (apart from me) when we opened the box and the worms are to follow in a separate parcel (snail mail no doubt).
Back at the farmhouse I collect Jamie who has escaped from Millom school to spend a thrilling week doing work experience in public affairs and we head over to the visitors centre to await the arrival of Walney school pupils. Chatting away to him I asked him how long he thought I’d worked on site and was rather chuffed when he said ten years, ‘Actually, it’s 28 years’ I said. Being told by the v/c supervisor that she hadn’t been on earth that long really cheered me up coupled with the fact that I have fillings older than Jamie (could feel my crows feet multiplying by the second). Obviously I started work very, very young.
Next job was sorting out the paper aeroplane launchers that were working the wrong way round and firing planes into belly buttons instead of into the wide blue yonder (adaptors in the wrong way round).
Reluctantly I dragged my old bones off to Lillyhall college where the Rotary Club Technology tournament was taking place. Under the watchful eye of our judgelike huddle 85 students were busy building bridges from sheets of paper, sellotape, string and other equally sturdy stuff (the only thing missing was a few dozen Blue Peter badges). Forgetting how uncool it is to even acknowledge us oldies exist I cheerfully wave at the students I recognise, only to be greeted with a half-hearted nod in return.
The enormous variety in the design and the actual build of the bridges is just amazing and they all more or less pass the testing criteria imposed upon them.
I was that engrossed in watching the testing that I hadn’t noticed my box of freebies had been eagerly inspected by the retired Rotarians all hoping to take something home to impress the grandkids – wouldn’t have thought that many kids nowadays would be impressed by a Wilkos bendy pencil and a packet of plasticine (wish I’d known that before shelling out for tons of vastly overpriced Easter eggs). All in all a successful first day bar a few hiccups – can’t wait for the rest of the week.
