News 29-Jul-09
Princess Royal To Open New Earth Science Centre
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal is today visiting the new Somerset Earth Science Centre near Shepton Mallet to formally open the unique field study centre provided by the county’s quarrying industry.
Funded and managed by the Mendip Quarry Producers (MQP), an association of the leading quarrying companies in Somerset, the purpose-built centre provides a range of curriculum-related topics linked to quarrying for students of all ages from primary school through to adult learning.
The Princess Royal will enjoy an hour-long visit to the site, which will include unveiling a brass plaque and meeting some of the school children taking advantage of the centre’s resources. She will receive a posy from Charlotte McKeown, age 12, from Whitstone Community School in Shepton Mallet.
New Century have been responsible for the branding of the study centre, together with the exterior signage. Work has started on the development of the website which is planned to incorporate interactive learning games. The design project came about through working with Wainwright quarry where the cenrte is located.
Nigel Jackson, chief executive of the UK quarrying industry’s principal trade body the Mineral Products Association, will introduce the project and explain its importance to the community, which for centuries has had quarrying at its heart.
The guest list for the opening also includes representatives from MQP member companies, the Institute of Quarrying and Somerset County Council as well as university geologists, local parish councillors, local teachers, architect, builders and sponsors of the project.
The aim of the facility, which is adjacent to John Wainwright’s Moons Hill quarry in Stoke St Michael, is to provide a range of learning experiences for school children and students of all ages through classroom activities and field work.
The new £600,000 facility provides a bigger and better classroom equipped with all the latest teaching aids and offers facilities for people with disabilities or special needs. Field work takes place in the surrounding woodland and lake and students can also visit quarries in the area for first-hand experience of the processes involved.
Study centre teacher Gill Odolphie said: “All of the activities offered are linked to the National Curriculum and work sheets are available for topics at Key Stages 1 to 4. For more advanced studies, schools can use the centre for geological field trips to nationally important local sites and for geography projects linked to the quarrying industry.
“Topics covered include all aspects of quarrying from processing stone to environmental impact, plus geography, ecology, geology, careers, technology and business studies.”
The single-storey building is designed to be carbon neutral and features a number of energy saving qualities including its own wind-power turbine and a high thermal mass to retain heat in the winter and stay cool in summer.
