Young Inventor Oliver Visits Osbit to Begin Bringing “Magni-Sub” to Life

Excitement is building for one of the winning ideas from Little Inventors’ Making Waves: Inventing for a Better Ocean challenge, as Oliver, aged 11, from Monkton Primary School in South Shields, recently visited Osbit’s base at the Port of Tyne to begin the journey of turning his invention into reality.

Oliver’s winning idea, Magni-Sub, is being brought to life by Osbit, a global engineering company with strong roots in the North East. The visit marked the first in-person collaboration between Oliver and the engineering team who will develop his concept into a working prototype.

Oliver was accompanied by his mother, Kay, as well as Craig Bright, General Manager of Little Inventors, and Michelle Ackers, STEM Coordinator at Osbit. Together, they spent the day meeting the team and exploring the impressive Port of Tyne facility.

A key highlight of the visit was meeting Tom Griffiths, Engineer at Osbit, who will be leading the build of Magni-Sub. Oliver and Tom began discussing how the original drawings and ideas could be translated into a physical prototype - exploring materials, mechanisms and practical considerations, while ensuring Oliver’s creative vision remains central to the design.

Oliver was also given a behind-the-scenes tour of Osbit’s base, seeing first-hand how large-scale engineering projects are designed and delivered. The experience offered a powerful insight into how ideas move from concept to completion in a real-world engineering environment.

Oliver said:

It was really cool seeing where my invention might be made. I liked talking about how it could work in real life. It made me feel proud that engineers are helping me build it.

Kay added:

Seeing Oliver’s idea taken so seriously has been incredible as a parent. Watching him speak confidently with engineers and seeing professionals value his creativity was a really special moment. It’s an opportunity he’ll never forget.

Tom Griffiths said:

Oliver brought fantastic energy and creativity to our discussions. It’s been great to start looking at how we can turn his concept into something physical while keeping his original thinking at the heart of the project.

Michelle Ackers, STEM Coordinator at Osbit, added:

Welcoming Oliver and his mother to our Port of Blyth assembly facility was a brilliant moment. Giving young people the opportunity to see engineering up close - and to understand that their ideas can become real projects - is incredibly important to us.

Craig Bright added:

This is what Little Inventors is all about - creating meaningful connections between children’s imagination and real-world expertise. Watching Oliver explain his idea to professional engineers, and seeing that collaboration begin, was a powerful reminder of why partnerships like this matter.

The visit forms part of the wider Making Waves programme, delivered in partnership with South Tyneside Council and Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which connects children’s creativity with industry and local opportunity.

Magni-Sub will be unveiled alongside three other winning inventions at a public exhibition at The Word in South Shields in 2027, celebrating the creativity of young people across the borough and the strength of collaboration between schools and local businesses.