JAMES Dyson, inventor of the dual cyclone vacuum cleaner, and Trevor Baylis, of wind-up radio fame, are the heroes of a group of young engineers brought together by Judy Thomas.

Neither Dyson nor Baylis did well at school, but they were inquisitive, imaginative, intuitive and unconventional in their approach.

Judy, from Callow End, is a mother and teacher with an interest in successful learning, especially in the areas the educational system does not reach.

In an effort to engage and stimulate children with an aptitude for inventive problem-solving, she organised a three-day workshop at Malvern Hills College in April 1999, with retired engineers, teachers and dyslexic adults providing a high ratio of adults to children.

Out of this, Malvern Young Engineers has grown and flourished, becoming involved in a succession of increasingly ambitious projects, from exploring aerodynamics with home-made planes, to building a small battery-powered motor car.

Many of the youngsters came with a reputation for dismantling household appliances to see how they worked, from lawnmowers to computers and washing machines.

"They were all fiddlers, the sort of children who are good at seeing things in 3D," said Judy.

"I've discovered there are a lot of people in all branches of education who aren't recognised as being able, because their preferred means of learning doesn't feature enough.

"Trevor Baylis is a classic case of someone who couldn't make it in school. It was only when he discovered a Meccano set that he discovered his talent."

In his autobiography, Clock This - My Life as an Inventor, Mr Baylis wrote that he never read the instructions that came with the Meccano.

"The fact that I could barely read didn't matter... straightaway I found that my talent lay in my hands," he said.

"The puzzle of odd parts made very little sense in themselves, but when assembled into different shapes they came alive in the most extraordinary way...."

James Dyson, who has revolutionised the vacuum cleaner market with his innovative engineering, wrote: "The first thing to forget is any notion that you have to be a qualified engineer to make an impact on engineering."

In his autobiography, Against the Odds, he asks why people don't understand that making things matters.

"It's when you start to see with your hands how your design behaves mechanically - only then will you understand how to improve it or make it work," he said.

n Ben Thomas has a little help from Evesham College's Gary Whitcombe with their experiment into pedal power.

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