The Bloodhound Project’s goal is to create a record-breaking 1,000mph jet- and rocket-powered car, inspiring the next generation to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers by working with tens of thousands of young people every year.
Mettle, whose director Richard Knight is Bloodhound’s comms director, has since secured coverage everywhere from The Beano to The Economist, as well as The New York Times and NASA’s in-house magazine.
In October, Mettle helped get 10,000 members of the public and 230 media to Newquay for a test run of the vehicle, while 500,000 viewers tuned into a live stream promoted organically.
A 360° video produced by Mettle and the BBC was viewed one million times within 24 hours of going live on BBC News the same month. Mettle also continues to ghostwrite Bloodhound driver Andy Green’s regular BBC columns.
Around the time of the test, the media interviewed two young engineers who had been inspired by the project. One was an employee of Bloodhound engine supplier Rolls-Royce, who was shown on a video on its Facebook page (below), while university student Murray Wells was profiled by the BBC and The Independent.
Two sponsor universities are reporting a rise in applications for related degree courses. Swansea University pro-vice-chancellor Professor Steve Wilks said it had seen a 285 per cent increase in the number of applications to study aerospace engineering.
Professor Steve West, his counterpart at the University of the West of England, said that a doubling of its engineering student numbers since 2008 was "testament to how inspiring this project is".
Mettle’s work continues – the project itself aims to hit 1,000mph in 2019.
