Nene Waterfront regeneration project wins education award
Media
26/04/2008
Mace client Fenland District Council has scooped a national Waterways Renaissance Award in the education and learning category for the way it has worked alongside construction partners in the development of the Nene Waterfront to deliver educational opportunities linked to the project. Against the competition, all of which submitted award entries based on one educational project, Fenland District Council in conjunction with the Nene Waterfront regeneration project was a clear favourite to scoop the honour with six educational projects entered, any one of which could have carried off the top prize.
Mace is proud to be involved in such a socially valuable project, one which establishes the real difference regeneration can make to life and work in a given area.
The six Nene education projects that impressed the judges were:
1. Nene curriculum project:
Fenland District Council teamed up with English Partnerships, the Cambridgeshire Environmental Education Service and local schools in Nene Waterfront Wisbech to create learning and teaching packs linked to the national curriculum, allowing local pupils to benefit from learning about their own urban environment, explaining the economic and social benefits of regeneration.
2. Open air gallery project:
Fenland District Council teamed up with project manager Mace to provide 21 schools with all the materials to create an 8ft by 4ft framed mural on the future of Wisbech as they saw it. The vibrant murals are exhibited on the main site hoarding and have proved to be a fantastic success.
3. Building site interactive broadband link to Wisbech schools:
A broadband link was established between the Nene Waterfront construction site and all Wisbech schools to enable all schools and all age-groups to ‘video conference’ with construction workers at all levels; from the architect, quantity surveyor and site manager to carpenters, plumbers, dumper truck drivers and crane operators in order to broaden the employment horizons of local children.
4. Sea cadets:
As a direct result of the Nene Waterfront regeneration project creating a vibrant new yacht harbour with 128 berths, the Fenland District Council port authority has been able to dramatically improve facilities for sea cadets, most of whom come from the Waterlees area of Wisbech, dramatically increasing their opportunities to acquire practical sailing skills and nationally recognised qualifications as well as improved their self reliance and self confidence.
5. The Foyer project:
Fenland District Council provided the land and worked with Axiom Housing to provide a new, purpose built modern hostel accommodation and learning facility for homeless or disadvantaged young people between the ages of 16 and 24.
6. Education Afloat:
Since the yacht harbour was created, more than 400 young people from The Queen's School (now the Thomas Clarkson Community College) have been through the seamanship course which is linked to key skills in the national curriculum.
Mace is project manager on the Nene Waterfront regeneration project which is being led by Fenland District Council and funded by EEDA, the European Regeneration Development fund administered by Go-East, English Partnerships and Cambridgeshire County Council.
The Nene Waterfront project first won a Waterfront Renaissance Award last year in the strategy and master planning category.
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