Northamptonshire teacher finds success beyond classroom with Top Trumps-style Brexit card game

A teacher from Northamptonshire has been finding success outside of the classroom with his own series of Brexit-inspired card games.

Patch Fordham took a light-hearted approach to teach his sixth form students about the political wrangling by creating a pack of playing cards featuring the leading protagonists.

The project was so successful, the 26-year-old from Towcester decided to go one step further and manufacture hundreds of decks of cards to sell online, called The Brexit Game.

A year later and he has created a range of Brexit-inspired card games and sold hundreds of copies - but his business has been curtailed by the coronavirus and he has returned to teaching.

“I just wanted to find a fun way to teach the next generation of British voters about politics," he said.

"My students were incredibly bored of me banging on about current affairs all the time, and pleaded with me to try and make Brexit more fun! It’s kind of snowballed from there, really."

Patch came up with the idea while working as a mentor for sixth form students at a school in the Isle of Sheppey last year.

The aim of the game is to outwit your opponents and be the first to form a cabinet using the political protagonists you are dealt with.

An aspect of the game also follows the same principles as Top Trumps, with all the major Brexit players ranked on attributes such as power, fickleness and even dancing ability.

There is also a ‘Brexit-ometer’ that shows where each character sits on the remain-leave spectrum, as well as some fun facts and quotes.

The game pokes fun at the divisive and complicated world of Brexit and politics but it is designed to educate.

Other games in the series include International Meddlers, which features Pope Francis and Kim Jong Un, and the Get Brexit Done game, which is all about bluffing to make a trade deal.

Patch hopes players will use it to build their own knowledge further so they can develop more informed opinions and voting decisions in future elections.

“I know The Brexit Game has a limited shelf life, " he said.

"But I hope the game will give people a few laughs and - who knows? - maybe even help them learn something along the way."

For more information, visit patchgames.co.uk.