Suffolk Car Dealer Goes Back To School
On Friday 16th November, staff and students from Holton Primary School visited Hammond Motor Group, a Suffolk based car dealer.
The aim of the visit was to provide real world scenarios in order to aid the children’s understanding of the legalities and effects of vehicle emissions. This project is part of the latest initiative from the Suffolk County Council’s Road Safety Department; which targets the effects of idling cars and the associated dangers.
The Year 4 children, (aged 8 and 9), were given a tour of the Ford site in Halesworth by Louise Hammond, Jet Forecourt Manager. The selected students were the school’s Junior Road Safety Officers (JRSO) for this year.
Technician, Paul Francis-Corke, carried out an MOT to demonstrate how the soot particles in a diesel engine are tested. One of the class commented, “I liked looking round the car and watching the MOT, it was interesting to see."
Sales Executive, James Coe, gave a talk about what the manufacturers are doing to reduce vehicle emissions. The students then got hands-on with the All-New Ford Focus; a vehicle which has been designed to reduce emissions and perform more economically than the previous model.
James used a bag of sugar to illustrate 1kg and the students were asked to imagine 88 bags, this he went on to describe, is how much lighter the All-New Focus is compared to the previous model, therefore helping to make it more efficient.
At the end of the session, one student said, “Giant James was really funny - the handshake made me laugh. It was funny he had sugar in the back of the car.”
Head Teacher, Miss Christine Starkl, and Teaching Assistant, Mrs Amy Fenn, thanked the team at Hammonds, “The visit was very interesting and the students learnt a lot…When we go back to school the children will work on a leaflet about what they have learnt to send home to all the parents.”
Louise Hammond added, “Being at the heart of the community and working closely with local schools and organisations is something very important to us…”
Since 1962, this family-run business has been active in the local community and this is just one of many projects they regularly get involved with. Other projects include, Halesworth Men’s Shed, Meadowgreen Dog Rescue Centre and Edgar Sewter Playschool. The company also continues to support their chosen charity Guide Dogs For The Blind.