Y12 D&T student visit
JCareyDesign Ltd
November 2025
Y12 Product Design started their One Sheet Challenge journey by visiting JCareyDesign Ltd in Crosshills in late September. Our pupils sat with Richard Tillotson, the Operations Director, and learned about the commercial furniture industry and Carey’s role within that over the last 20 years. Pupils learnt about the initial design enquiry, the sales process, the creative design and problem-solving process, the moving through to project management and technical CAD design, then outputting those drawings into the manufacturing departments.
As part of the visit pupils then toured around the factory, reviewing the stock and understanding ordering and scale, moving on to the processing through various saws, CNCs, edge funders, etc. We spend time in the assembly department watching teams of joiners and cabinet makers processing the parts into finished pieces of bespoke furniture. We finished in the lacquer and wrapping department where pupils saw spraying and then the final drying and wrapping in preparation for projects to go out to clients’ offices, reception areas, bars, courtrooms, or even a building site!
We finished the visit by presenting our 2025 winners with their final products. Jackson Kelly won the Year 12 One Sheet Challenge project with his reward tree which made an excellent use of one large sheet of MDF which was cut on the CNC and slaughter together and stained to represent a tree, with many magnets added so children can add on their reward leaves or birds. JCareyDesign also offered Dan Tomblin a runner up prize to finalise the design and then manufacture his coffee table as part of a work experience week, again a beautiful piece of furniture which he can take home and be forever proud of.
Well done to both our Product Design students and thank you to JCareyDesign Ltd for supporting this year’s winners with their product manufacture. Then to begin the process again with by hosting a large group of year 12s, showing them the many opportunities available within the design and manufacturing industry!
