INTU Lakeside lifted the spirits of a group of construction-mad youngsters last week when they were given the chance to ‘drive’ one of Europe’s largest cranes. With a 138 meter boom and the ability to lift up to 600 tons, the adventurous youngsters got to see the monster piece of machinery up close and sit at the controls.
Part of a project to replace air handling units on the roof of the shopping centre, the crane was delivered to the intu Lakeside site by 20 separate lorries over three days and two smaller cranes were used to put it all together.
The excited youngsters learnt about the logistics of transporting such a big piece of machinery around Europe, and even got to climb up to the raised cab from which the arm of the crane is controlled. All of them received a certificate to commemorate their experience and a goody bag to take home.
Jack Atkins, age 11 from Dartford, said: “The crane is massive; it’s brilliant. I can’t wait to show everyone at school my certificate and tell them about what I got to do over the Easter holidays.”
Izzie Peskett, intu Lakeside’s Marketing Manager, said: “While we had such an impressive piece of machinery on site we wanted to treat some enthusiastic young shoppers to an experience they’d never forget. This was certainly a ‘big’ experience and we hope they’ll take away some great memories.”
