18-Dec-09
HRH Princess Royal opens Earth Science Centre
On Wednesday 29th July Moons Hill Quarry had the honour of welcoming a Royal visitor. The occasion was the official opening of our new study centre. Princess Anne said she was very impressed by the new facility and was delighted to learn about the educational programmes on offer and amazed by the building’s carbon neutral footprint.
School children from across the region now have the opportunity to benefit from a unique learning experience at the new Somerset Earth Science Centre (SESC).
The educational facility, which is owned and managed by the Mendip Quarry Producers (MQP), provides a range of curriculum-related topics linked to quarrying.
The purpose-built centre is adjacent to John Wainwright’s Moons Hill quarry at Stoke St Michael, near Frome. It aims to provide a wealth of learning experiences for school children and students of all ages through classroom activities and field work.
The SESC replaces the MQP’s East Mendip Study Centre at Hanson’s Whatley quarry which, since it opened in April 1997, has received over 4,000 visitors a year from over 50 different schools, colleges, organisations and clubs.
The new 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 students can also visit quarries in the area for first-hand experience of the processes involved.
Gill Odolphie, manager and teacher at the new SESC, said: “All of the activities we offer 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 we cover 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 generator and a high thermal mass to retain heat in the winter and stay cool in summer. The centre is managed by a charitable company with directors appointed from the county and district councils, a local school and the MQP. In school holidays and during the evenings, the centre is available for wider community use.
“It is a really exciting time for all of us who have been involved with the SESC,” said Gill.“We hope that more and more schools and colleges from across the region will pay us a visit in our new home and take advantage of the fantastic facilities we have to offer.”
The SESC is free to school and college groups and can be booked by calling 01749 840 156