Youngsters from a Slaithwaite school have named a giant crane that’s working on a reservoir upgrade project.
Children from Nields Academy’s Eco Council visited the Slaithwaite Reservoir project to officially name Niel, which is short for ‘Niel the Nields Crane.’
The youngsters looked up at the 137-tonne monster crane before joining newly-trained volunteer guides for a special tour of the multi-million-pound scheme.
The visit was part of an ongoing STEM and environmental learning partnership with the Canal & River Trust, the waterways charity that maintains the reservoir.
The volunteer reservoir guides, recruited from the local community earlier this year, welcomed 10 pupils from Years 1-6 to learn more about the major engineering project.
The children had previously visited the reservoir before construction work began and returned to see how the project has progressed.
During the visit, the winning name for the project’s giant crane, chosen through a school-wide competition, was officially unveiled.
‘Niel’ is a Kobelco 1350G crawler crane that weighs around 137 tonnes (equivalent to 23 African bush elephants) when fully rigged and has a 61-metre-high main jib.
Brought to site by specialist low loaders and HGVs, it took two days to assemble and will remain onsite for the next few months, operated by Q Crane & Plant Hire.
Volunteer guides showed the schoolchildren key viewing points around the site, explaining the engineering work underway, the reservoir’s history and its important role supporting the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.
They also highlighted how the upgrade will help the reservoir cope with increasingly extreme weather linked to climate change.
Smirna Sudhakar, assistant project manager at the Canal & River Trust, said: “The pupils were really engaged throughout the visit and asked lots of questions about the crane including its height, lifting capacity and how it was assembled.
“They also enjoyed watching the crane lifting materials and were curious about what the materials were for and where they were being taken.
“Through school visits and volunteer-led community tours of the reservoir, we hope to bring to life the engineering that underpins projects like this, giving people a greater understanding of the planning, expertise and complex processes involved, while showing the long-term benefits of projects like this.”
Diane Mahon, head teacher at Nields Academy, said: “We have been working closely with the Canal & River Trust since the project on the spillway started.
“Our Eco Council have visited the site and keep us updated with the progress particularly focusing on how the local wildlife is being looked after and how sustainability is built into the project.
“Sustainability is one of our school values so it is very important to us to know how the environment will be looked after.
“Several members of the site team have visited Nields and supported our children during Science Week.
“We were delighted to be asked to name the enormous crane being used on the site. The Eco Council were very excited to do so and came up with some great ideas after a presentation from the engineers.
“The winning name was ‘Niel the Nields Crane’, thought of by Tilly, which we all decided to shorten to ‘Niel’.
“The Eco Council were invited to the naming ceremony and were excited to see Niel in action, watch the cement pump and help to fly the drone.
“We have more joint work planned around our STEM offer and look forward to continuing to work with the team and perhaps inspiring engineers of the future, as well as looking after our local environment.”
Following the launch, the volunteer reservoir guides will begin leading regular public tours of the project every fortnight from July 13, taking place on the second Monday and fourth Friday of each month between 3pm and 4pm.
Construction of the new spillway marks the first major phase of the upgrade.
The spillway acts as the reservoir’s overflow channel, safely releasing excess water when levels are high.
The new, modern spillway will have a greater capacity to manage increasingly frequent extreme weather events, improving the reservoir’s safety, reliability and long-term climate resilience.
The statutory maintenance and improvement works will strengthen the centuries-old structure and enhance the performance of the overflow spillway.
The project also includes repairs to the dam, new stone cladding to blend the structure into the landscape, and improvements to access and fencing around the site.
The main construction phase to improve the spillway will last around 13 months, with completion expected by early summer 2027.
The Canal & River Trust has commissioned civil engineering company JN Bentley to undertake the repair and upgrade works.
Image credits: Canal & River Trust / Q Crane Plant Hire
