Wow, what an incredible weekend!

Ever since we moved to Portslade Old Village, two and bit years ago, we’ve been looking for a way to get involved with the local community.  So when the idea was raised of running a Prop Shop Challenge and Community Weekend, all the team jumped at it.

The premise behind the event was to do something fun and creative with the local residents from around the old brewery buildings where we are based and also give them a chance to come and see what we do here.

At the start of the weekend, along with a group of experienced makers who’d volunteered to help out, the attendees were divided into two teams.  The team’s challenge was to spend two days working out how to crack an egg using a hammer.  Sounds easy enough, except the hammer was on one side of the room and the egg 8 metres away on the other side of the room.  You can see the conundrum.

The teams completely took on the challenge and came up with amazing and inventive ways of moving across the space.  Think of the television series Mousetrap or Rube Goldberg contraptions such as the ones used in the OK Go music video ‘This too shall pass‘. The two runs contained everything from action men on zip wires, tennis balls that travelled along pipes attached to the rafters to a hoe which dropped down closing an electrical circuit which triggered the release of a bowling ball that in turn triggered a puff of flames. They were great.

On the Sunday afternoon, we opened up the workshops so the local residents could come over and see what it is that Plunge does in this little industrial zone in the midst of their homes as well as getting the chance to see the teams final creations in action.  There was a yummy BBQ, a fantastic Bugsy Malone style splurge gun fight and of course the judging and awarding of the Golden Spanner Award.

Both the A-Team and the Super Awesome Rainbow Disco Horse teams created amazing contraptions but in the end it was the Super Awesome Rainbow Disco Horse who walked away with prize.  Well done to those guys!

We’re already planning our next challenge for next year so watch this space.