Newquay Towan Blystra Lions Proudly Support Newquay Junior Academy in National ROAR Innovation Challenge
Newquay Towan Blystra Lions Club (NTBL) is delighted to have sponsored a group of enthusiastic and imaginative pupils from Newquay Junior Academy as they took part in this year’s national ROAR Challenge, an inspirational innovation programme delivered by 8Billion Ideas in partnership with Lions Clubs across the UK.
8Billion Ideas is an organisation dedicated to unlocking the imagination and creativity of young people by teaching them how to develop ideas that could change the world. Through its long-standing collaboration with Lions Clubs International, the ROAR Challenge invites pupils to imagine, design, and prototype inventions that could make life better for others – building confidence, teamwork, and problem-solving skills along the way. Thousands of children take part every year, supported by their local Lions clubs.
On Wednesday 3 December, pupils from Newquay Junior Academy joined members of Newquay Towan Blystra Lions—including 1st Vice District Governor Phil Bunt, himself a proud NTBL member – to watch the national ROAR Awards Ceremony, live-streamed alongside over 120 participating schools from across the UK. The broadcast showcased District winners from across the country as well as highlights from many of the students’ prototype submissions.
Although Newquay Junior Academy’s imaginative invention – a robotic pooper-scooper designed to keep streets cleaner—was not selected as the District winner for 105SW, the pupils were thrilled to see clips from their project video featured during the national broadcast. Their excitement grew as Phil Bunt personally presented them with certificates recognising their creativity, teamwork, and enthusiastic participation.
Special praise went to pupil Ebony Fletcher, whose original idea inspired the creation of the robotic prototype. Imogen proudly posed for photographs with the completed robot, built collaboratively by her fellow ROAR participants.
The ROAR after-school club, run by teacher Mrs Lisa Mann, proved so popular that once the formal ROAR programme had concluded, the pupils chose to continue meeting each week, designing artwork for a school Christmas card, with proceeds helping to fund Newquay Junior Academy’s exceptional extra-curricular and pastoral support programmes.
Lions members selected a top three from the children’s designs at their recent business meeting, with the winning artwork—created by Imogen Collis—chosen as the final cover. PJ Print and Signs, local printers and long-standing supporters of community projects, generously produced 500 cards which were then sold to families and friends of the school.
Lion Monique Collins, NTBL’s lead for the ROAR initiative, said:
“A massive thank you must go to Lisa Mann for all the time and commitment she has put in, and for inspiring these young pupils. ROAR is a brilliant concept, and you can see from the way it has been taken on board by schools all around the country that it means a lot to the thousands of young people who take part.”
1st Vice District Governor Phil Bunt added:
“It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm and imagination of the Newquay Junior Academy pupils. Their invention showed creativity, humour, and real-world thinking—the very essence of what ROAR is all about. As Lions, we’re proud to support opportunities that help young people believe in their ideas and realise their potential.”
Newquay Towan Blystra Lions look forward to continuing their support for the ROAR Challenge and for the outstanding young innovators of the Newquay community.
