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Ryan takes bronze at UK Worldskills final

M-Sport's Ryan Allenby secured the bronze medal at the UK finals of the WorldSkills Engineering Awards last week. Designing and machining a set piece at the NEC in Birmingham, the Cumbrian has secured a place in the GB squad ahead of the world finals in Abu Dhabi.

Combining his employment at M-Sport with his studies at Lakes College in Workington, Allenby is the latest in a long line of talented machinists fostered by the continued collaboration between two of Cumbria's most successful businesses and educational facilities.

Highlighting the strength of M-Sport's workforce, the youngster was put forward by colleagues who were quick to spot his natural talent and flair - most notably Cody O'Pray who made it to the UK finals in 2013. Guided by his tutors from both M-Sport and Lakes College, Allenby proved that his skill and potential is amongst the best in the UK.

Evaluating the candidates' abilities in both design and CNC turning, the assessment covered two intense days of competition - an hour of programming and two and a half hours of machining on Thursday followed by a further hour of programming and two and a half hours of machining on Friday.

Despite being delighted to have received the bronze medal and secure a place in the GB squad, Allenby revealed that he was tantalisingly close to claiming the gold medal. A tenth of the width of a sheet of standard A4 paper made all the difference - a small miscalculation in the measurement process leaving the Cumbrian's final piece out by a mere 0.01 millimetres.

Knowing how close he came to a dominant victory, Allenby's confidence will be high as he aims to represent the nation at the world finals in Abu Dhabi. Out of the three finalists to make the GB squad, only one will be given the opportunity and Allenby is more determined than ever to ensure that his name will be on the flight ticket to Abu Dhabi next year.

Ryan Allenby said:

"I have to say a huge thanks to everyone at M-Sport and Lakes College who have supported me along the way. I'm absolutely delighted to have secured a place in the GB squad, and the whole experience has made me a lot more confident in my own abilities. Were it not for the smallest of miscalculations, it could have been gold and I am kicking myself about that now!

"I'll admit that I was a little nervous on Thursday morning, but once I got into the competition I got a lot more confident. I felt really well prepared, but the hard work doesn't stop here. I'm more determined than ever and I would really like the opportunity to represent Cumbria and the UK at the world finals in Abu Dhabi."

M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:

"I am absolutely delighted with Ryan's performance. He works extremely hard and has a real determination and pride in all that he does. A big congratulations to him as I know how much time and effort he has put into developing his skills - both here at M-Sport and at Lakes College.

"Our collaboration with Lakes College has allowed us to bring some of our region's most promising engineers on to perform at the highest level. Ryan is a perfect example of the engineering talent Cumbria has to offer and we are constantly on the lookout for people like him.

"It is young talent such as his that will see our company progress and - with our new Evaluation Centre under development - we look forward to bringing more of the region's best young engineers into the team."