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National Grid hosts special Penwortham substation visit for 4-year-old pylon enthusiast
A young girl who has a special interest in pylons – also known as electric towers – recently had her dreams come true when she was invited to visit National Grid’s high voltage Penwortham substation in Preston.
A young girl who has a special interest in pylons – also known as electric towers – recently had her dreams come true when she was invited to visit National Grid’s high voltage Penwortham substation in Preston.
4-year-old Lucy, from Blackpool, recently went viral on TikTok when her mum posted a video capturing her daughter’s special interest in electric towers on the social media platform.
Lucy, who is autistic, has been fascinated by electric towers for almost a year according to Sophie, Lucy’s mum. Following her daughter’s viral video on social media, Sophie contacted National Grid to request a brochure and some pictures of the electricity transmission towers for Lucy.
It was then that National Grid offered to host Lucy for the afternoon at the nearby 400kV Penwortham substation in Preston, where she was able to safely get close to the transmission towers – even giving one a hug – and learn more about their important role transporting electricity.
Lucy also got to build her very own pylon as part of an educational session with National Grid’s Network Engineering Manager Wayne Steel, who conducted the site tour for Lucy and her family.
Mum Sophie said: "I am so grateful for the visit as it’s a huge thing to Lucy and will forever be remembered, her special interest in electric towers runs her life. All she wanted was to be able to cuddle one and stand under one and she was able to, which is fantastic. She loves them even more now if that was even possible.
Everyone at National Grid has been amazing – and Wayne especially was fantastic with helping Lucy settle in as she gets overwhelmed with a lot of people and strangers, he was great."
Lucy’s fascination with transmission towers began when she saw them on the motorway when taking trips with her family, which quickly developed into a love of watching videos about the towers on YouTube.
Now, mum Sophie says Lucy talks about electric towers wherever they go and they have become a huge part of her daily life – with Lucy’s favourite pylon pictures providing her comfort when she’s sad, or even when just getting on with the day’s tasks.
Electric towers have become a big thing in our lives, so the trip was amazing. Even just for us as parents – something that used to mean nothing to me is now a huge part of our lives and I love it, it’s unique.
I am so thankful for all the goodies National Grid gave us, there was so much! Lucy's favourite thing was the book made for her with all the pictures. She takes it to bed and has it next to her while she sleeps. But she's also very excited to build the Hornby Pylons – I'm just waiting for the special cement to come in the post!”
Wayne Steel, National Grid’s Network Engineering Manager, said: ‘It was an honour to host Lucy and her family at Penwortham, and heart-warming to learn all about Lucy’s love of pylons. It's also wonderful to see her special interest in transmission towers being encouraged by her family.
"Transmission towers are a vital part of our network and have carried the UK’s high voltage overhead power lines for nearly 100 years. It’s important to educate our youngsters about the crucial role they play and encourage the next generation of budding engineers.
"I can’t wait to see what Lucy does in the future with her love for pylons and I wish her all the very best!”
ENDS
Contact for media information only:
Paige Phelps
National Grid Electricity Transmission
07543312572
