This year marks the second occasion that Mr Strawbridge has accepted the post of guest judge and he will once again join three local judges to agree on a winning team of students for the technical contest.

 

Mr Strawbridge, a retired lieutenant colonel, is the well-known television presenter of Scrapheap Challenge, Crafty Tricks of War, Geronimo and most recently filmed the real life documentary, It’s Not Easy Being Green. In all of these television shows, Mr Strawbridge shares his extensive technical know-how.

 

The CGI NRG Technology Challenge, which is in its 10^th year this year, involves year nine secondary school pupils from schools across the Island and Alderney.   The students, who are nominated by their school, are divided into ten mixed-school teams which compete against each other to complete a technical project.

 

CGi committee member and event organiser, David Inglis said that Mr Strawbridge had been offered the role due to his link with this year’s project,

 

“All I can say at this point in time is that this year’s Challenge will follow an environmental theme and that Mr Strawbridge’s significant environmental initiative, It’s Not Easy Being Green, televised last year, together with his background on Scrapheap Challenge, makes him a natural choice. 

 

We’re thrilled that he’s accepted the position of guest judge once again and that he’s be celebrating the 10^th anniversary of the event with us.”

 

In the It’s Not Easy Being Green series, Mr Strawbridge, his wife, son and daughter, relocated from their family home in the Midlands to a derelict house called New House Farm in Cornwall where they undertook a self-sufficiency project to reduce their environmental impact. The show was a household favourite during 2006 and was followed by a book documenting the environmental journey. 

 

Dick Strawbridge explains the appeal that the CGi event offers for him second time around,

 

“For ten years the Technology Challenge has been going from strength to strength, during my last visit I was lucky enough to spent time chatting to, and working with, the students from Guernsey and Alderney while they all proved their engineering ingenuity. This time I can’t wait to see how they will tackle an environmental problem – who knows what amazing ideas we will be privileged enough to see.”

 

Event sponsors NRGI provide document management technologies and services to distributor partners based in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and former Russian countries. The company is sponsoring the event for the fourth consecutive year.

 

NRGI’s Community Action Team (CAT) supports the event financially and by employees helping out on the day.

 

 

“We are always trying to think of ways to be a good corporate citizen by actively engaging in activities that contribute to society. Harmony with the environment is very important to us, we aim to become more environmentally friendly through initiatives with our employees and also setting targets for the business to reduce its environmental impact.”