Seeking a technician to support Minecraft community activity
Over the weekend of 24-25 October 2026, CSES will be taking part in the Chelmsford Science Festival Family Weekend. In collaboration with Culture Chelmsford as part of the Playable Worlds series of gaming-related events and activities, we will be hosting a Minecraft server where people can build their own creations as part of a community mural. (This was very popular when we piloted it in 2025!)
We are seeking someone who could help by supervising this activity. Culture Chelmsford has funding for a paid technician role to monitor the activity and provide basic technical support to the participants if needed. There will be a small number of PCs set up in one room for users to access the Minecraft server, with instructions given. We will provide full training / briefing to anyone supporting the activity.
Basic IT skills are required. Some knowledge of Minecraft would help but is not necessary.
If you are interested, please contact
Now in their fourth year, the Society's annual free Christmas Lectures for schools have become one of the biggest educational events in Essex. The lectures are proving increasingly popular and this year (2026) we hope to host nearly 2,000 students over three days at ARU. We could not stage these events without the help of our volunteers so, if you can spare some time, please let us know if you would be able to help.
On Monday 7th December the subject will be Mathematics, on Tuesday 8th December it will be Geology and on Friday 11th December it will be Astronomy. If you could help on any, or all, of these days we would be most grateful to see you there. The events are not too testing and the main activity will be directing schools and students to where they need to be. There will be two sessions on each day, morning and afternoon, and we will provide vouchers for lunch if you are able to be there.
You are, of course, also welcome to sit in on the lectures if you wish.
If you can help us please get in touch at
On Wednesday, 23 September 2026, Roger Pittock and Ed Bye represented CSES (Chelmsford Science and Engineering Society) at the annual Braintree Careers Fair, held at the Chelmsford City Racecourse.
Supported by Braintree District Council, the event aimed to raise awareness of post-16 opportunities—including Further Education, Higher Education, Apprenticeships, and Employment—for Year 11 students. The fair brought together over 1,800 students from eight Braintree District schools (Alec Hunter Academy, Tabor Academy, Notley High School, Hedingham School, Honywood School, Ramsey Academy, Maltings Academy, Rickstones Academy).
In line with the CSES mission, Roger and Ed actively promoted various aspects of STEM, engaging students and encouraging them to explore STEM career paths through interactive, hands-on demonstrations and explanations.
Hands-on engineering at Shire Hall Open Day
CSES brought practical engineering to Shire Hall Open Day on 12 September 2026 with an interactive Egg Drop Challenge for children and families.
Around 25–30 children took part during the day, designing and testing their own egg-protection systems. The challenge encouraged participants to explore basic ideas in physics and engineering, including air resistance, parachutes, surface area, impact speed and energy absorption.
Every gamer has a story to tell and we'd love to hear yours!
As part of Playable Worlds, SPARK! is inviting gamers of all backgrounds and skill levels to submit a blog about their gaming experiences.
Gaming is so much more than high scores, leaderboards, and achievements—it's about the friendships we make, the adventures we share, the challenges we overcome, and the unforgettable moments along the way.
Whether you game online or face-to-face, love solo quests or thrive in a team, you're part of an incredible community, and we’d like your story to be heard.
We're looking for blog submissions from everyone. It doesn't matter if you've just picked up your first controller, spend your evenings exploring new worlds, compete in esports, or game professionally. Every experience brings a fresh perspective, and every voice helps make our community thrive.
Get creative for your chance to win one of five £50 vouchers!
As part of Playable Worlds, SPARK! is inviting 5 to 25 year olds to get their creative hats on and take part in their Design a Video Game Character competition, with the chance to win a £50 voucher in each age category!
Read more: Playable Worlds – Video Game Character Competition
Join SPARK! at Chelmsford Library to design a Video Game Character for a chance to win one of five £50 vouchers!
We’re excited to share that SPARK!’s new youth-led gaming fringe festival programme, Playable Worlds, part of the Chelmsford Science Festival this October, is starting soon.
Read more: Playable Worlds – Video Game Character Competition (drop-in sessions)
Chelmsford Science Festival is back for 2026! This year, as well as our usual presence at the Family Science Weekend, we are running a schools' careers experience day as part of Playable Worlds, a series of events focused on the gaming industry.
We are looking for members / volunteers who could help us with these events at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford.
Playable Worlds Careers Experience Day – Wednesday 21 October
This interactive event will focus on careers in the game design industry. There will be talks, workshops and networking. It is aimed at students in school years 9-11 and has been designed with young people for young people. We are looking for volunteers who could help to supervise the sessions (no prior knowledge or experience required) and possibly participate in the group activities and game demos. If you would like to find out more, please contact
Family Science Weekend – Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October
An ever-popular weekend attended by over 7000 people, the campus will be alive with fun, hands-on activities for all the family! Could you spare a few hours on Saturday or Sunday to help us out with the CSES exhibits? Everything is prepared and a full briefing will be provided, you just need to turn up. Please contact
Welcome to our new season
We invite you to join us at Anglia Ruskin University for our new season of FREE evening lectures.
Our social calendar kicks off with a gathering on October 29th and then a Christmas get-together on December 10th. Please book your places via the event links – dates for 2027 will be published shortly.
We will also be taking part in the Chelmsford Science Festival, including the ever-popular Family Weekend and a gaming industry careers event for schools.
This year, our (ever-expanding!) programme of Christmas Lectures for schools includes talks on unsolved maths problems, the ice age and aliens.
Read on for further details of the evening talks.
Report from the fun-filled holiday club
CSES hosted a three-day Summer STEM Challenge – our first since 2019 – over the period 28 to 30 July 2026. A lively and committed group of 32 students in Year 8 and Year 9, some travelling significant distances, attended across all three days.
The core delivery team comprised Ed Bye (lead organiser), David Humber and Wai Bhone Myat (Jayce), with additional support from Rebecca Lyall on Tuesday and Nisha Rai on Wednesday.
They delivered three days of high-energy, hands-on STEM fun. Students were fully immersed in launching rockets, building structures and discovering the excitement of practical engineering. Students also rose to the challenges of paper bridges, tensegrity models and geodesic domes. Even the toughest builds became moments of pride, with students celebrating successes, laughing through setbacks and showing real determination to make their structures stand tall.
Read on to find out more about the activities that took place...
- Cavendish Laboratory Visit
- International Summer School 2026
- Playable Worlds: Careers Experience Day
- 2026 TEXPO results
- Game On! 2.0
- Obituary: Peter Foreman (1937-2026)
- Hands-on STEM Day inspires students at Richard de Clare Community Academy
- Seeking Primary STEM Day Volunteers (30 June 2026)
- Seeking Primary STEM Day Volunteers (4 June 2026)
- Boswells School Science Fair 2026