#HighPeakYouthRobotics
High Peak Youth Robotics 2026/2027
A third season for our High Peak Youth Robotics youth group which facilitates local young people to compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), an international robotics competition. FIRST aims to make science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) more fun and inclusive. You can find out more about the Challenge on the FIRST website here.
The main objective of the project is to compete in the FTC regional competition event in March 2027.
We are running two FTC teams within the group again, made up of younger/less experienced and older/more experienced members.
We will host weekly, term-time workshops between September 2026 and April 2027 at St Anne’s Community Centre to work towards this.
Our Funny Wonders delivery team is led by Dave Lydford of Not Just Bricks (and formally Brick Corner). Dave also runs the FIRST LEGO League for younger participants. Some local engineers also come along to offer advice and support to the group.
Thanks
This year is supported by grants from The Gosling Foundation, Vernon Robert Bowmer Charitable Trust, Foundation Derbyshire, Buxton4Youth, Institute of Physics (East Midlands Branch), and High Peak Borough Council Councillor Initiative Fund, plus contributions from Breedon, Neater Solutions Ltd, Tarmac Tunstead, Lhoist Hindlow, and Smart Engineering UK, and Buxton Lime.
Participants
High Peak Youth Robotics is for up to 15 young people in and around the High Peak who are 12-18 years old.
Whilst open to all, the group aims to support those who feel isolated, whether by neurodiversity, geographic isolation, financial disadvantage, peer/social-exclusion; or those who are home-educated, not in education, or experience other barriers to accessing (or enjoying) STEM subjects in their traditional form whilst at school.
We also aim to have 50:50 split of boys and girls. As such, some places may be held to help us achieve this.
Workshops
The workshops are free to attend and take place on term-time Tuesday evenings, 6pm to 8pm, in the Main Room at St Anne’s Community Centre off Hardwick Square West (SK17 6PX).
The venue is wheelchair accessible and has a small carpark.
Safeguarding
Funny Wonders has a comprehensive Safeguarding Policy and working procedures. All members of the delivery team undergo enhanced DBS checks and safeguarding awareness training. All activities and venues are risk-assessed with mental health and wellbeing, physical safety, data privacy and environmental impact all considered.
Sign Up
If you would like to apply for a place for a young person, please complete the form below and we will be in touch.
Once our places are full, we operate a waitlist, should any spaces open up. To join the waitlist, please email highpeakyouthrobotics@funnywonders.org.uk.
What Our Members Say
“The competitions are so much fun” – “It’s really fun” – “the competition is exciting!”
“the club is great” – “it’s fun and you learn new skills” – “FTC and HPYR both push you out your comfort zone.”
Sign Up
We are now recruiting participants for the 2026/2027 academic year.
We are particularly looking for those with an interest in creative activities (including design, photography, video production) and outreach (social media, fundraising, interactive displays).
If you would like to apply for a place for a young person, please complete the form below.
The questions are designed to provide us with logistical information, to ensure we are reaching our target group (as per the grant funding we have obtained to deliver the project) and to ensure we have a diverse group of young people.
The information you provide will be used and held in accordance with our Data Protection & Confidentiality Policy and will not be shared. By completing the form, your consent for us to collect your data is implied. You can find our full Privacy Statement on our Policy & Procedure page here.
Autumn Term Workshops
Scrimmage
Winter Term Workshops
Regionals
We attended the FIRST regional competition in Sheffield on 25 March 2026. Both the senior and junior teams (Peak Bots and Peak Gears) played in the qualification matches, even being drawn against each other in one match! The senior team went on to the play-offs and made it through to the final match and were part of the winning alliance! The senior team also won the judges’ Connect Award for building relationships with other teams. We’ll post a full de-brief of the day soon.
Buxton Rotary Fair
To promote the group, raise some funds and practise for nationals, members of the team and group had a stall at the Buxton Rotary Summer Fair & Charity Bazaar at the Pavilion Gardens on Saturday 31 May 2025. We demonstrated the robot and ran some guess competitions: the name of the robot, the number of bolts on the robot, the weight of the robot; and the number of nuts and bolts in a jar. Members of the group also made some “Billerobot” keyrings, as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of The Billerettes at the fair. We sold out on the day but are taking orders to make more: if you’d like one, please get in touch!
Thanks to Outwood Academy Newbold for the loan of their challenge arena. It fit in our space with only centimetres to spare!
Nationals
FIRST UK National Championships at the Copper Box Arena in London on 26-27 June 2025. Read about their experience on our news blog here.