NI Maiden Maths Festival to take place in Derry

A first for Derry City and Northern Ireland, Foyle Kumon is organising the NI Maths Fest in partnership with Ulster University and the inaugural event will take place in the Guildhall next month.

This FREE event will engage primary school children, secondary school children and their parents in activities and talks to help demystify maths, teach practical tips for using maths in our daily lives and build confidence in supporting children to learn maths. 

The two-day event, on Friday, February 7 (9.00am - 4.00pm) and Saturday, February 8 (11.00am - 3.00pm), is open to primary schools to visit on Day 1 and to the public including post primary students and parents on Day 2.

Day 1 will feature maths activities for children created by school children! Young innovators from Lisnagelvin Primary School, Steelstown Primary School, St Mary’s College, Lumen Christi College, Thornhill College, Omagh Integrated Primary School, Bready Jubilee Primary School and Bunscoil Cholmcille will all host fun activities they have designed to make maths engaging and interactive. Visiting schools will be able to vote on their favourite activity and the winning school will be presented with the inaugural Foyle Kumon Maths Trophy. 

Day 2 will be open to the public which is designed for children in their teens, their parents and families. The event will be packed with practical talks and workshops such as Financial Management and budgeting for children and young people, Careers in Maths and Technology, Maths in Business for children who want to set up their own business, brain boosting activities like Rubik’s cube the brain gym and importantly a talk for parents about how to support their children’s learning and become more comfortable with helping with maths homework. 

The event will also feature Virtual Reality, AI and Technology based activities hosted by Seagate Technologies and North West Regional College as well as activities and stands presented by Ulster University, Benchmark Financial Planning, Kumon Study Centre, Seagate Technologies and Lumen Christi College and local radio station Q105 will broad live from the event.

The event promises to be a fun, practical and interesting afternoon with spot competitions, a Brain Gym, a maths photo wall and fun facts about maths, for secondary school students and their parents. 

Sumeeta Gupta NI Maths Fest founder explains how the Maths Festival came about.

“The idea of having a Maths festival in the city emerged primarily from the need to alleviate the fear of maths. Through the last 12 years of delivering educational support to children and families through the Kumon maths and English programme, I have observed how a parent’s own childhood experiences can lead to them lacking confidence in maths, which then translates to their children. They are less likely to be confident in helping with maths at home which further affects children’s comfort with maths. 

Thanks to Derry City and Strabane District Council, the schools in Derry and beyond and by working together with our Educational Partners like Ulster University, North West Regional College, Benchmark Financial Planning, Seagate, NumeraSee and Local Communities, parents and Derry Strabane’s Flagship STEM companies we have created the first event of an annual initiative that will bring children and schools from all across our region to Derry to have fun with Maths.”

Ahead of the NI Maths Fest 2025, Malachy Ó Néill, Ulster University Director of Regional Engagement said “Ulster University is delighted to be the key partner in the inaugural NI Maths Fest 2025 that allows young people and their families to engage with Maths in exciting ways and inspires young people to pursue a career in STEM. We believe that STEM education is vitally important as it equips young people with the skills and creativity to drive innovation, solve global challenges and shape the future economy and we are committed to supporting initiatives such as NI Maths Fest that promotes the significance of STEM.”

NI MATHS FEST LAUNCH. . . .The Deputy Mayor, Darren Guy pictured at the launch of the Northern Ireland Maiden Maths Festival on Wednesday afternoon outside the city's Guildhall. The event will run on Friday and Saturday, 7th and 8th February, 2025 at the Guildhall, Derry. Included from left are Carol Ann Doherty, DCSDC, Lisa Rutherford and Sinead Meenan, Benchmark Financial Planning and Sumeeta Gupta, Director, NI Maths Fest, Kumon Instructor.. (Photos; Jim McCafferty Photography)

The festival aims to improve accessibility to Maths for the families of Derry Strabane and beyond and help parents develop their own skills so they can support their children. The event is free to attend on Saturday, February 8 at the Guildhall between 11.00am - 3.00pm, registration is recommended but not required- To find out more and book your slot visit www.nimathsfest.co.uk. 

Sinead Meenan, Benchmark Financial Planning, one of the sponsors of next week’s event, said: "We are thrilled to support the inaugural Northern Ireland Maths Fest, a wonderful event that highlights the importance of mathematics in everyday life and inspires future generations. At Benchmark Financial Planning, we are committed to fostering education and community engagement, and this sponsorship reflects our dedication to making a positive impact."

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Another sponsor, Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Carolann Doherty, Business Officer added: “Foyle Kumon organises NI Maths Fest in partnership with Derry City and Strabane District Council and supported by Go Succeed NI which is funded by UK Government. Go Succeed is a free service that provides support to potential entrepreneurs, start-ups, existing businesses and businesses ready to scale to maximise their potential.

While Patricia Greene, from The Web Crew, said: “As a Derry-based web development company, we're delighted to support NI Maths Fest 2025! With 25 years of experience building websites for local & national businesses, we've seen first-hand how crucial maths skills are in the tech world. It's amazing to see young minds discover how numbers and logic shape everything, eg from gaming to web design. It’s great to see the community coming together to make maths less daunting and more fun! We're proud to be part of this fantastic local initiative.”