Lottie embarks on her fifth #WESLottieTour

During the week, photos will be posted on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram with the hashtag #WESLottieTour. We also encourage volunteers to produce video content, as platforms such as TikTok and YouTube are very popular amongst primary age students.

The aim of the project is to present images of what a career in engineering might look like by use of a Lottie Doll to help capture the imagination of young girls and boys. The plan is for parents, grandparents and other family members and friends to share the online photos with the young people in their lives who may not have access to social media, so that this sparks an interest in engineering.

Lottie Tour has grown massively in the past few years, starting with only ten volunteers in its first year, to over 170 in 2019. Lottie has continued to capture the imagination of hundreds of people throughout the UK and beyond, travelling to many countries including USA, Malawi and Antarctica. This year WES have launched an exciting new website for the WES Lottie Tour, and are hoping Lottie’s global reach continues to grow.

For the first time this year, WES have opened the Lottie Tour up to sponsorship and are very proud to announce that this year’s tour is being sponsored by GKN Automotive. To find out more about the benefits of sponsorship or to sponsor the Lottie Tour, visit the WES Lottie Tour website.

Last year WES created a double-sided poster with Lottie to celebrate the WES centenary. This featured historical female engineers who changed the world, as well as modern day engineers in various roles alongside their Lottie doll showcasing what jobs they do. This poster is targeted at schools and STEM clubs to use as a resource with primary school-aged children.

It is a great way to show young girls and boys that an engineer isn’t just the person who fixes your car or the builders on a building site, it’s so much more! You can download the poster on the resources page of the Lottie Tour website. This year there will also be an exciting worldwide Lottie design competition open to all ages which launches at the end of April as part of International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) celebrations.

The project is being organised by WES’ Early Careers Board (ECB) members, Kate Mactear and Vera Ngosi. If you would like to register your interest to be involved in the Lottie Tour this year, or to become a sponsor, please visit the Lottie Tour Website or contact the ECB at ecb@wes.org.uk. If you would like to follow Lottie’s Tour this year, all of the images from the week can be viewed by searching #WESLottieTour on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram, or following @WESECB1919 and @Lottie_dolls on Twitter.

COVID-19 Update

WES understands that the current situation may make it challenging for some volunteers to receive and send Lottie dolls. With this in mind, they are encouraging volunteers to either purchase their own Lottie at a discounted price, or take part in a Virtual Lottie Tour.

Volunteers are encouraged to be creative and show Lottie adapting to the current challenges, for example showing how Lottie is managing to work from home and using various digital tools to stay connected. Register your interest to find out more!