Heswall Arts Festival holds its first Engineering Day

As Director of the Heswall Arts Festival, Dr Valerie Warr MIMechE is providing an opportunity for hundreds of local people to learn about engineering in a creative environment.

The Heswall Arts Festival is a two-week celebration of the arts in Merseyside and opens on 27 September 2014. This year, the festival will contain content on engineering for the first time, thanks to several members of the Institution.

The festival’s inaugural Engineering Day, held on 2 October 2014, has an energy theme and is called The Art of Engineering: Keeping the Lights On. It has been co-ordinated by Nikki Barker, Secretary of the Institution's Merseyside and North Wales Regional Committee.

The day will include, four engaging lectures taking place at Heswall Community Hall between 9.30am and 3.30pm. The lectures are free to attend, although booking is recommended. There will be information about the 12 companies and organisations participating, including the Institution in the hall's foyer.

Valerie had the idea for the day after an Astronomy Night and Science Day held last year were very popular. She contacted her local IMechE Region to suggest they add engineering content to the 2014 festival and the committee was keen to support her. Valerie has been an active member of the Institution, serving on the Council for five years and was the first woman to join the Executive Board. 

Valerie says: “Many professional engineers, like me, recognise that science and engineering need creative thinkers, people who question life and processes, and who find innovative routes to solutions.”

“Arts and science subjects work well within and alongside each other. I am delighted that members of the community, including school students, will have the chance to find out about energy and engineering at first hand, thanks to Nikki’s hard work and the engagement of some leading engineering firms and universities, within the context of the Festival.”



Nikki works with consultancy Perspectiv, which will be among the engineering organisations delivering a lecture on the day.

Nikki said: “We think audiences of all ages will find it fascinating to discover more about this hot topic! Cammell Laird and Flow, both local companies, are running two of the presentations and they will be joined on stage by John Moores University, Glyndwr University and Anglesey Energy Island Programme.”

“They are focusing on innovations in power production and the way the future of energy could look. National Grid will be illustrating how electricity and gas actually get to people’s homes, and we’re also going to talk about energy and engineering in the context of innovation and creativity.”

Valerie said: “Learning about engineering themes will always be relevant, whatever stage you are at in life and career. It’s a great chance for many young people to make the link between their favourite school subjects and working in this fabulous profession. It is often very hard for students to connect the everyday applications of engineering with what can be – and was, in my experience – a fantastic career.”

Valerie started the Heswall Arts Festival four years ago, staging 50 events and attracting 2,000 attendees. The following year, the number of events doubled and in 2013 audiences reached a staggering 5,000 people.

According to Valerie, the festival’s success is down to hard work and a creative approach to content. She strongly believes that recognising creativity and diversity in a range of arts and sciences is a true reflection of people’s interests in different elements of culture.

Valerie, now retired, worked for much of her career at Shell and has always been an accomplished musician and concert director. 

A passionate interest in bridges led Valerie into engineering – a path that she had to forge for herself – as her school didn’t even teach physics and had no guidance for a girl who wanted to become an engineer. While Valerie never achieved the ambition of building a steel bridge she thinks that the Heswall Festival is a link between many forms of the arts.

She said: “This is a bridge to the community. It engages people with each other, performers and audiences and communities.”

Find about more about the Heswell Arts Festival's inaugural Engineering Day entitled The Art of Engineering: Keeping the Lights On or email: merseynwalesadmin@imechenetwork.org.