This summer, something amazing is taking off in Cornwall and girls from across the county are invited to be part of it.
The TECgirls Reach for the Sky Festival, hosted by Cornwall-based non-profit TECwomen CIC, returns on Saturday 5th July 2025 at Spaceport Cornwall. Following a sell-out debut last year, the festival is back with even more hands-on activities, inspiring speakers, and real-world aviation experiences designed to ignite young imaginations and challenge gender stereotypes in engineering, space, and flight.
With support from the Department for Transport and the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the festival offers a rare front-row seat to aircraft taking off and landing at Newquay Airport while exploring the exciting science and technology that makes flight possible.
Festival highlights include:
● Real aircraft on display and chances to meet their pilots and engineers
● VR adventures, drone demos, and flight simulators
● Over 20 interactive stands from aerospace, engineering, and tech partners
● Talks from inspiring women in aviation, including award-winning inventor and Kids Inventor Stuff YouTube star Ruth Amos
● A runway-side picnic area for families to relax while watching planes soar overhead
“TECwomen are inspiring the next generation of female aviation and aerospace professionals in a fun-filled, impactful style. We can’t wait to see what summer brings.” Rikki-Louise Davies, Skills Lead at the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
The Reach for the Sky Festival is part of a broader mission to tackle gender imbalance in aviation and aerospace. With women making up just 6.5% of UK pilots and 15.7% of the tech and engineering workforce (DfT 2023; EngineeringUK 2024), events like this offer crucial early exposure and encouragement.
All ages and genders are welcome, though the event is specially designed for girls aged 7-15 and their families.
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