BUDDING inventors had scrap heaps of fun building robots from recycled material at Whitefield Community Primary School.

Working with Mark Haigh from upcycle robot sculpture company Gizmobots, pupils created a robot from a range of recycled materials, including vacuum cleaners and computer monitors.

They were given a collection of used electrical equipment which they then dismantled and separated as Mr Haigh explained the items components, teaching the children about simple things that could be fixed to avoid repairable products being sent to landfill.

The pupils, from Reception through to Year Six, then used the items to construct their own six foot hight robot sculpture as part of the launch of the school's new aims of Inspire, Dream, Achieve, and a first term cross-school theme of the environment.

Martin Van Hecke, headteacher at Whitefield Community Primary School, said: "The day was designed to inspire the next generation of robot builders while also highlighting the need to reuse and recycle.

"The children absolutely loved it and were fully engaged in the whole process, they have since come up with names and background stories for the robot to form part of a display in our new entrance area.

"The children had a great sense of achievement at seeing the finished robot take pride of place in our new pupil entrance."

Mark Haigh said: "We had a ball, it was really good fun, they were nice kids with great teachers, and we just cracked on an built the robot in one day."