Ribbon cut at Arboretum centre
Schoolchildren across Staffordshire will be able to learn all about remembrance, citizenship and the environment at a new state-of-the-art education facility near Lichfield. Schoolchildren across Staffordshire will be able to learn all about remembrance, citizenship and the environment at a new state-of-the-art education facility near Lichfield. The Lafarge Education Resource Centre (Lafarge ERC) at the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, was officially opened last week. The opening was also the highlight of the Arboretum's first national education fair, whereby both Staffordshire and Derbyshire attractions which offer educational programmes to schools and colleges were on hand. The refurbishment of a former meeting room into the new centre was made possible thanks to a £40,000 grant from Lafarge Aggregates Landfill Communities Fund. Read the full story in the Express & Star.
Schoolchildren across Staffordshire will be able to learn all about remembrance, citizenship and the environment at a new state-of-the-art education facility near Lichfield.
The Lafarge Education Resource Centre (Lafarge ERC) at the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, was officially opened last week.
The opening was also the highlight of the Arboretum's first national education fair, whereby both Staffordshire and Derbyshire attractions which offer educational programmes to schools and colleges were on hand.
The refurbishment of a former meeting room into the new centre was made possible thanks to a £40,000 grant from Lafarge Aggregates Landfill Communities Fund.
A further £40,000 from the Ministry of Defence will also help to deliver the educational programme at the Arboretum.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was led by Lafarge director Robert Whetstone. The centre has been kitted out with state-of-the-art technology and will be used to deliver an educational programme for school visits, linked to the National Curriculum.
It will have a focus on citizenship, incorporating symbols of remembrance, conflict and reconciliation, Britishness, and wildlife and the environment.
NMA visitor and tourism manager, Helen Overton, said: "We have already had a lot of interest from local school teachers who have booked the Lafarge ERC and our educational guided site tours."
