Sparks set to fly at Lincoln Cathedral this year

As part of the run-up to the event, people are being asked to tweet their favourite Lincoln-based engineer or inventor – whether it’s a historic figure, such as Frank Whittle who invented the jet engine, or someone’s friend or relative who has encouraged them to take an interest in engineering.

All people have to do is tweet their inspirational local engineer @SparkLincoln. A shortlist will be announced on the Saturday of the event, where visitors will be asked to vote for their winner.

During Spark, engineering experts from local companies, interest groups, schools and the university will exhibit, demonstrate and talk about the cutting-edge technologies that have led to the design and manufacturing of world-beating products in sectors, such as Formula 1, rail travel, jet planes, oil and gas exploration and computing.

Chairman of the festival, Paul Taylor said: “This year’s Spark will include a whole host of exciting displays and activities that will make a wonderful day out for the whole family. Although educational, the event has an extremely fun element that is sure to ignite visitors’ imagination.”

This, the third Spark festival to be held in Lincoln, will take the theme of the 1980’s classic sci-fi ‘Back to the Future’. There will be the rare opportunity to view a replica of Doc Brown's Delorean time machine from the films, owned by Lincoln-born Jason Bradbury - former presenter of The Gadget Show and Visiting Professor at the University of Lincoln - which is set to be popular with children and adults alike.

Sarah Ellis, entry level talent coordinator at Siemens, said: “The festival provides the opportunity for people to discover more about the innovation taking place around the city and a chance to inspire people to take an interest in engineering and consider it as a future career.”

Taylor added: “We can’t wait for this year’s event, and we’re not only looking forward to seeing many people there, but also discovering who is Lincolnshire’s stand-out engineer or inventor. Our region has such a rich history and it will be wonderful to celebrate this during Spark.”

Spark Engineering Festival is organised by a collaboration of local organisations, businesses and education establishments, coordinated by City of Lincoln Council and supported by The Education Business Partnership, Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, Optima Design, and PR and digital firm Cartwright Communications. 

The event is also sponsored by GLLEP, Investors in Lincoln, Streets Chartered Accountants and LEAP. Exhibitors include a range of engineering businesses such as Siemens, James Dawson, Dynex Semiconductor, Micrometric, NMB Minebea and many more.