A HELENSBURGH handyman is keeping his children on their toes during the coronavirus shutdown – by enlisting their help in building a go-kart from an old bath.

The temporary closure of schools across the country in March may have been music to the ears of most pupils but it hasn’t meant the end of education completely.

For Conor and Ollie Hicks, who are due to go into second and fifth year at Hermitage Academy, their ‘tech’ class now consists of constructing the ‘Havelock Flyer Mk 6’ using an old bathtub and materials salvaged from crashes at motorsports events at the Knockhill racing circuit in Fife.

Together with little sister Emily, 6, the youngsters are being put through their paces by dad Aron and have been test driving the craft in the streets near their home in Havelock Place.

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Mum Donna told the Advertiser: “It was my husband’s idea to start off with but he and the two boys are really into motorsports.

“They love going go-karting and they’re both really good at it but they don’t do it as a serious hobby or anything like that.

“Between them all they’ve researched different ways of doing it and what the best options would be.

“It’s got brakes this time around, and full steering, so there’s quite a lot involved in it.

“We’ve jokingly said that’s their tech lessons in the afternoon as they’ve had to do school work in the mornings.”

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Aron, a former electrical engineer with the Royal Navy, has taken the lead on the project and Donna said it has been a helpful distraction for the kids during the boredom of lockdown.

“It’s been hard keeping their spirits up more than anything else,” she said.

“Ollie should have been doing National 5 exams after the Easter holidays and I thought he’d be delighted having no exams but he was gutted.

“He probably didn’t work as hard for his prelims as he should have, but he’s been studying really hard since, so he was really gutted and quite down about it.

“He’s also got a girlfriend who he’s missing, so this has given him a bit of focus.

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“Conor is a bit more enthusiastic about his school work so he’s kept up with doing what he needs to do and he’s able to get involved with helping.

“I’ve had to keep reminding their dad that it is for the boys because he’s been a bit over-enthusiastic about the whole thing.

“It’s down to their dad really that he’s came up with things for them to do. 

“They’ve also painted what they call the man cave – a wooden cabin in the garden. The fences have been painted, we’ve actually run out of paint and we can’t get it from anywhere else at the moment.

“We have been trying to keep busy.”

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With the latest creation ready for the roads all of the children have been enjoying a shot in it around their quiet cul-de-sac, although not every family member has had a go.

Donna added: “Aron has not been allowed a go in it. 

“The last time he test drove it by the time it got to the end of the road it had clipped the kerb and smashed into a million pieces, so he’s not allowed in this one!

“They’re always looking at ways of making things better. I don’t think it’ll ever be the fully finished product.

“They’re going to start planning Mk 7. Each one tends to have a lifespan, and it always ends up in a dramatic crash.”

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