News story: Communities Week 2018: 7 to 14 September 2018

Every year, Communities Week provides an opportunity for us to recognise the work of local people, groups and organisations across the country driving positive change and making impacts in their local areas.

This year, Communities Week will be kicking-off with a Communities Conference – the very first of its kind – which will bring together important stakeholders to engage and discuss how local communities can play active roles in shaping the places where they live.

The Communities Conference will be held at Harrogate Conference Centre, North Yorkshire on 7 September 2018.

The Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP will be setting out the government’s commitment to creating strong, resilient and empowered communities who can take up opportunities to influence decisions in their local area, regardless of their background or geography.

Communities Minister Jake Berry MP will talk about the government’s commitment to localism and the important role of communities in creating a more equal, prosperous and active society.

The rest of Communities Week 2018 will be an opportunity to showcase how local people are transforming their neighbourhoods in our towns and cities, in urban, rural and coastal areas.

Each day will focus on a particular theme and celebrate what communities are doing to transform the places where they live and work, showcasing local civic pride and inspiring others to have their voice heard and do the same.

More information about Communities Week 2018 and details on how to register for the Communities Conference will be released over the coming weeks.

We are seeking sponsorship support for the Communities Conference.

Expressions of interest (EoI) should be no more than 2 pages and must confirm the amount that you will be able to offer in both cash and in kind support.

Your EoI should also state what your organisation does and shall do to support the aims of the event and build momentum behind the communities’ agenda.

Full terms and conditions

MHCLG will judge EoIs according to the following criteria:

sponsorship value: 50%
what your organisation does and shall do to support the aims of the event and build momentum behind the communities’ agenda: 50%

MHCLG reserves the right to remove any EoIs which it regards (in its total discretion) to be inconsistent with the conference or wider government or which are unrealistic or submitted in bad faith.

This sponsorship opportunity is open from 28 June 2018 to midnight 12 July 2018. Bids received after this date will not be considered.

Whilst we are looking for a single sponsor to support the event, MHCLG reserves the right to decide on a combination of sponsors following receipt of all bids. If you would not be open to such a proposal, please indicate this in your EoI.

MHCLG is only looking to cover the cost of the conference and therefore reserves the right to scale back a number of bid(s) proportionately so that the total sponsorship does not exceed the cost of the conference.

Sponsors can expect to be included in press releases and social media publicity. MHCLG will consider further benefits proposed by bidding organisations on a case-by-case basis.

News story: Archive design wins top architectural awards

Described by judges as “an impressive industrial building” and “beautifully sculpted”, the facility near Wick was one of a range of new designs that won praise from both the Royal Institute of British Architects and the The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland. The awards were announced at an event in Glasgow last week.

Nucleus (The Nuclear and Caithness Archives) was among 49 RIBA winners, selected from more than 600 UK entries, and one of 12 Scottish RIAS winners.

Designed by Edinburgh-based Reiach and Hall Architects, it will now be a contender for the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award later this year, which is supported by the Doolan family and the Scottish Government, which will be named in in November.

Simon Tucker, the NDA’s Head of Information Governance, said:

We are absolutely delighted that Nucleus has been named as one of the best buildings in the UK. Visually, it is extremely striking, and is also a fantastic operational facility, purpose-built for the preservation and storage of our nuclear records, as well as those from Caithness.

Nucleus will store records from all over the UK

The judges’ citation:

The judges unanimously felt that this was an impressive industrial building which created an ethereal and beautifully sculpted building. Security issues in the design of the landscape did not detract from the panel’s view that this was an excellent building. The relationship of the building to the historic context of the site and the adjacent wartime airfield are beautifully articulated, together with the references to the Caithness context of lochs and a difficult climate.

The unique £20 million facility opened last year and is now in the process of receiving records, photographs, plans and other data from NDA sites all over the UK. It already stores local historical archives associated with Caithness.

The material is stored in a series of secure pods and much of it will gradually be converted to digital format.

An exercise that will last at least 5 years is now under way to collect, assess and sift through many thousands of nuclear documents before transfer to the archive. These include plans, photographs, drawings and other records from diverse locations around the UK.

Nucleus also fulfils an important role for the future geological disposal facility (GDF), acting as a central repository for detailed waste records that must be safeguarded for many generations.

News story: Archive design wins top architectural awards

Described by judges as “an impressive industrial building” and “beautifully sculpted”, the facility near Wick was one of a range of new designs that won praise from both the Royal Institute of British Architects and the The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland. The awards were announced at an event in Glasgow last week.

Nucleus (The Nuclear and Caithness Archives) was among 49 RIBA winners, selected from more than 600 UK entries, and one of 12 Scottish RIAS winners.

Designed by Edinburgh-based Reiach and Hall Architects, it will now be a contender for the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award later this year, which is supported by the Doolan family and the Scottish Government, which will be named in in November.

Simon Tucker, the NDA’s Head of Information Governance, said:

We are absolutely delighted that Nucleus has been named as one of the best buildings in the UK. Visually, it is extremely striking, and is also a fantastic operational facility, purpose-built for the preservation and storage of our nuclear records, as well as those from Caithness.

Nucleus will store records from all over the UK

The judges’ citation:

The judges unanimously felt that this was an impressive industrial building which created an ethereal and beautifully sculpted building. Security issues in the design of the landscape did not detract from the panel’s view that this was an excellent building. The relationship of the building to the historic context of the site and the adjacent wartime airfield are beautifully articulated, together with the references to the Caithness context of lochs and a difficult climate.

The unique £20 million facility opened last year and is now in the process of receiving records, photographs, plans and other data from NDA sites all over the UK. It already stores local historical archives associated with Caithness.

The material is stored in a series of secure pods and much of it will gradually be converted to digital format.

An exercise that will last at least 5 years is now under way to collect, assess and sift through many thousands of nuclear documents before transfer to the archive. These include plans, photographs, drawings and other records from diverse locations around the UK.

Nucleus also fulfils an important role for the future geological disposal facility (GDF), acting as a central repository for detailed waste records that must be safeguarded for many generations.

Press release: 50th anniversary of the devastating floods in East Devon

A summer storm flooded homes and businesses across the south west, thousands were driven from their homes and tragically a number of lives were lost.

The Environment Agency, together with the Sid Vale Association will commemorate the floods of July 1968 with a free exhibition of historic flood photographs and maps. They are inviting residents and visitors to come along and share their experiences or to simply view the photographs on display.

Date: 7 and 8 July 2018

Opening times: 10.30am to 4pm

Location:

Kennaway House

Sidmouth

EX10 8NG

Flooding in East Budleigh, East devon, July 1968 — Frogmore Road, East Budleigh, July 1968

Chris Khan, Flood Risk Officer at the Environment Agency, said

This is one of the biggest floods we have recorded in Devon. Many communities that we work with were affected. We would like as many people as possible to come along, whether they are a local resident or on holiday. We would love visitors to share memories and bring any photographs they have.

The impacts of the flood were immense; bridges collapsed causing roads to close. Sidmouth, Colyton, Honiton, Newton Poppleford, East Budleigh and Ottery St Mary all had significant flood damage whilst The Otterhead reservoir was completely washed away.

A lot has changed since 1968; similar storms still occur but people and businesses are better protected than ever before. In the last 10 years the Government has invested more than £6.1 billion in flood risk management work including many flood alleviation schemes across the south west.

There are also tools to help you reduce your own risk of flooding. The Environment Agency send targeted flood warnings to over a million people in England – giving them vital time to prepare for flooding. You can sign up for free flood warnings online or by ringing 0345 988 1188.