Irish pupil designs inclusive park swing for wheelchair users  

Malachy, from St Oliver Plunkett Primary School in Belfast submitted his engineering idea to Primary Engineer’s annual UK STEM competition which asks pupils aged 3 –19 the question “If you were an engineer, what would you do?”. 

He was recognised as one of the winner in his year group at the Northern Ireland award ceremony, one of 25 regional UK events, in 2024.  

His creation is a swing specifically designed for individuals with reduced mobility or wheelchair users, was selected because the pupil identified a significant gap in the market.

Each year Industry and University partners of Primary Engineer choose a pupil’s idea to build into a Prototype and to be revealed a year later at the regional awards ceremony.

Thales selected Malachy’s idea to bring to life during the 2024-2025 academic year. Will Primrose, Bid & Programme Graduate said “We were thrilled to participate in the Primary Engineer competition and delighted to support young innovators like Malachy. His brilliant idea for a powered swing for children with reduced mobility embodies the spirit of inclusive engineering. It is inspiring to see youthful creativity addressing real-world challenges, and we strongly believe that empowering the next generation of engineers will lead to a more accessible and inclusive future for everyone. Creating this prototype has been a brilliant learning opportunity for our team of apprentices and graduates.”

The finished prototype was officially unveiled on 25th June at the Northern Ireland regional award ceremony hosted at Ulster University. Malachy’s family attended the event saying they “could not be more proud of Malachy”.

When asked why he came up with this idea, Malachy simply said, ” because there aren’t enough things for people who need it most. They need to have the same opportunities. An all-inclusive electric swing can help this. Not just for those with disabilities but maybe some parents have disabilities and will never have chance to push their child on a swing. I couldn’t wait to finally see my idea come to life. I really hope I see them in parks everywhere and also schools for children with SEN. It would be great if people had the chance to buy one for their own house if they wanted to.”

“If you were an Engineer, what would you do” is an annual, national competition free to enter for all 3-19 school pupils. Entries are open now for 2025-2026 and schools can register now at www.leadersaward.com

Primary Engineer Public Exhibitions and Award Ceremonies continue all over the UK through to July, with a total of 18 prototypes being unveiled. Read more about the prototypes: https://leadersaward.com/prototeams/