Tag Archives: Cheltenham Science Festival

Matthew on tour with LabLive17

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Matthew has taken to the road with LabLive17 across the North of England.

Kicking off the tour at the Lancaster Grand Theatre, Matthew launched a brand new stage show about fireworks, which looked at how STEM skills are used in creating live spectacles in the sky and on stage. Featuring awe-inspiring pyro demos with seamless transitions between video and the live stage, the new show also involves members of the audience on stage.

Yes, that right – young people, flames and explosives on stage together, all thanks to Matthew’s meticulous show planning and attention to safety.

“True showmanship”

Sharron Pearson, Education Manager at Cheltenham Festivals described Matthew’s on stage presences as “True showmanship”, with the “flexibility and confidence to respond to particular audience needs.”

Matthew provided full Health and Safety management support for the two week tour. He presented shows in the first week and switched to H&S support for the tour in the south of England.

He has earned huge respect from science communication colleagues due to his proactive and can-do approach to Health and Safety. Matthew added: “Managing Health and Safety enables us to do exciting things and entertain audiences safely.”

Matthew appeared at venues in Lancaster, Hartlepool, Hull and Gainsborough. The tour was supported by EDF Energy.

Craig Dohring, station director at Hartlepool power station said: “This was a fantastic event and one which really showed the pupils how science is used in everyday life as well at workplaces such as ours.”

LabLive is a spectacular show for Y8&9 which brings all the fun of Cheltenham Science Festival to school audiences around the UK. It aims to engage inquisitive young minds through an interactive show where they will learn more about the benefits of studying science, technology, engineering and maths at GCSE.

Cheltenham Science Festival

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Writing and interpreting risk assessments, understanding safety distances, the handling and storage of dangerous goods… this is all bread and butter language and procedure for pyrotechnicians as we go about our work. However, there are times when an event organiser, venue manager or production company may not have the relevant in-house specialist knowledge, particularly when working with hot flames, sparks and explosions.

Venue CAD drawing exampleIn the months and weeks leading up to an event, organisers want to understand the nature of the stage sets and stunts being planned. They seek assurance to be confident that the risk assessments are robust and cover the relevant areas and eventualities. Having access to specialist knowledge is vital. This is one of the reasons that the Cheltenham Science Festival production team approached Matthew Tosh; asking him to come on board as a consultant for the 2014 six-day festival.

Matthew will be providing pre and live event support for the shows and awards ceremonies that involve so-called higher-risk stunts, tricks and demonstrations. He brings over eight years of combined pyrotechnics and live science presenting expertise to the Cheltenham team.

High-profile science shows are incorporating more close proximity pyrotechnic and explosive effects to show off particular science principles, as well as enhancing the dramatic and visual aspect. These require an understanding of how the materials perform, detailed risk assessments and robust rigging techniques. A specialist eye also helps give organisers the confidence that safe rigging, storage and set-up procedures are being followed, particularly if any on-site changes or material substitutions need to be made at short notice.

The Times Cheltenham Science Festival runs from 3rd to 8th June 2014. You can find out more and what’s on here.