Excitement is mounting as the first festival to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers kicks off.

The long-awaited Infinity Festival, held at West Lakes Academy, began this morning, featuring a stellar line up of international superstars in the world of science, technology and engineering including experts in robots, insects, crime mapping, aircraft design and nuclear reactors.

Headlining the festival is TV star Professor Brian Cox, who is due to arrive later this afternoon to speak and work with talented pupils.

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The event is the first of its kind in Cumbria and involves students from schools in West Cumbria, Carlisle and Barrow.

Pete Woolaghan, chair of the festival organising group, said: "This is the first festival of its kind to be held outside London and it's an amazing opportunity for Cumbria's young people.

"The energy sector in Cumbria is due massive investment in coming years and we want local young people to make the most of these opportunities.

"We believe that the whole community of Cumbria needs to encourage and support our young people to be inspired to become the next generation of world-class scientists and engineers and to be supported to study, and succeed, in gaining the necessary qualifications."

The principal of West lakes Academy, Jonathan Johnson, told VIP guests that instead of holding the event exclusively for the academy's students, they decided to invite pupils from schools across the county.

More than 200 students, aged 13 and 14, were selected to attend and take part in motivating talks and hands-on experiments and workshops.

The festival is being hosted in partnership with the Science Summer School, an annual event held at St Paul's Way Trust School in London.

Co-founder, Lord Andrew Mawson OBE, who is at the Egremont event, said: β€œIn July 2016 we hosted a group of young people from West Cumbria at the Science Summer School.

"We were so inspired by the levels of enthusiasm that it was decided to hold a similar event in Cumbria.”

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The festival has been created by The University of Manchester's Dalton Nuclear Institute, working closely with the REACT Foundation.

It is also supported by a range of industries and academia including: NuGen, who will support via their award-winning Bright Sparks education programme, the National Nuclear Laboratory, Sellafield Ltd, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the University of Central Lancashire, the University of Cumbria and West Lakes Academy. The event is also actively supported by the Well Whitehaven initiative, working to improve health and wellbeing by realising the potential of people and communities.