Celebrating World Environment Day (Wednesday 5th June), Newton Abbot’s pioneering technical college is inviting prospective students to a special open day where they will join forces to ‘fight the fatberg’.

Working with Surfers Against Sewage’s Plastic Free campaign and community group Transition Newton Abbot, South Devon University Technical College (UTC) will be hosting an Open Evening on Wednesday 5th June, 5pm-8:30pm. Prospective students who have a flair for science, engineering, technology and the environment can participate in a range of activities throughout the evening, all focusing on how to protect the environment.

The event comes after Devon’s largest fatberg was discovered in a Sidmouth sewer earlier this year. The monstrosity, which is the size of six back-to-back double decker buses, is made up of discarded wet wipes, hardened fat and oil which is clogging up the pipes under the Esplanade.

Taking note of the shocking news, South Devon UTC’s eco-ambassadors decided to set visitors the challenge of creating a sink-safe product inside the college’s impressive science laboratories. Visitors can present their ideas and thoughts on how to fight the fatberg to be in with a chance of winning a VIP experience with the Environment Agency at the National Laboratories. The winners will gain an insight into the work of the scientists who maintain the high standards of the UK’s countryside, rivers and beaches.

To mark the end of World Environment Day, the college will be showing Bag-IT, a 70-minute documentary that has received praise for its impactful and animated message to reduce plastics. The film will begin at 6:45pm, finishing at 8:30pm.