A former Ellesmere Port Catholic High student has become one of the top 50 young women in engineering in the UK.

Samantha Thompson , 27, from Great Sutton, works as a project engineer for specialists Doosan Babcock on the Heysham 1 nuclear power plant on the Lancashire coast.

She was nominated in the awards which took place for the first time in 2016. They are run by the The Daily Telegraph in collaboration with the Women’s Engineering Society and other organisations including the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Award winners were disclosed on International Women in Engineering Day recognising outstanding female engineers under the age of 35 who have made a significant contribution. The aim is to make the award winners more visible to others who may want to follow in their footsteps.

Samantha Thompson
Samantha Thompson

Organisers said: “Without these role models young girls don’t see themselves in these non-traditional careers. Whilst many of our successful women in engineering have found it relatively straightforward to progress, very many other young women will not have the advantage of supportive schools, parents and peers. It may only be by seeing these successful women that they have the inspiration to continue.”

A delighted Sam said: “I went into engineering because at 16 I wanted to earn money whilst learning on the job.

“I wanted to do something different that I could excel in standing out to make a difference in the world. Engineering was the only option. Now I help generate electricity to power millions of homes in the UK.”

Last year the go-getting young engineer tackled chilling cold and arduous terrain to help beat Alzheimer’s.

The 'Mile High Club' with Samantha Thompson from Ellesmere Port at Everest base camp
The 'Mile High Club' with Samantha Thompson from Ellesmere Port at Everest base camp

She jetted off to the Himalayas on a 19-day expedition to Everest base camp to raise funds for the charity. At 5,380m (17,600ft) the camp is five times higher than Mount Snowdon. The reward saw Samantha surpassing her £1,000 target with £2,215 from 64 supporters plus £507.50 in Gift Aid.

Mum Joanne Thompson, a trained psychotherapist, started up Souled in Love with business partner Chloe Thomas after each suffered a bereavement. They branched out creating special gifts for those who have lost loved ones and run workshops to enhance people’s lives.