On a
sunny though wind-swept day,
Dr. Richard Taylor (M.P. for Wyre Forest) in the company
of
Ken Stokes (Mayor of Kidderminster) and
Andrew Miller (Principle of Kidderminster College), in
the presence of
Michael Brinton (Lord Lieutenant of the County), Wyre
Forest Officials & Officers, and officials of Interserve
(constuctors of the project) officiated at the laying of the
Foundation Stone of the new college building in Kidderminster
town centre and at the burying of a Time Capsule carrying
details of the former college and the beginnings of the new.
Dr. Taylor praised the
potential and opportunities for community life in the heart of
Kidderminster that the new location of the college would bring.
Also the progress which youth and adult education and
re-training would receive from the new facilities.
He compared the foundation
stone at the far-end of the sight - for the Market which was
originally located here - with that which he was laying; and
expressed the hope that the College would make as full a
contribution to Wyre Forest life for an equal 137 years !
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Andrew Miller,
Ken Stokes
& Richard Taylor with the
Time Capsule
Project Architect:
Nigel Skelton
R.I.B.A. Arch.
of GVA GRIMLEY
Kidderminster
College:
Due to open -
Spring 2003
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College Principle Andrew Miller
said_
"I would wish to say a
warm welcome to everyone at this important ceremony to lay the
Foundation Stone at the new Kidderminster College: thank-you all
very much for attending.
I would particularly like to
say welcome to our VIP’s today:-
Lord Lieutenant of Worcester Michael Brinton, Councillor Gordeon
Hinton - Chairman of WFDC, The Mayor of Kidderminster -
Councillor Ken Stokes, Dr Richard Taylor MP, Colin McGhie -
Regional Manager - Interserve; and to my family in particular
(who have come all the way from Gloucestershire).
Thanks also needs to be
extended to John Walkerdine and Marcus Ballinger from Interserve
for their help with the ceremony. A very big thank-you to Debbie
Living for the superb job she has done to organise and
co-ordinate the event today.
This is a fantastic project to
be involved with, and to create a college in the centre of
Kidderminster to provide a modern learning environment to
support post-16 education and training is a wonderful
opportunity. Going through the archives, you get a sense of
history and perspective, in the mid 1890’s the School of Art
and School of Science was here as part of the college on this
very site until the mid 1950’s when it moved to Hoo Road.
Learning is changing, the needs
of students are changing and this new building will be the
gateway for thousands of people from Kidderminster and the Wyre
Forest to develop their skills and fulfil their talents and
ambitions over the coming years.
The building will be finished
in March next year. The college will be operational by May next
year. With continued good progress and the excellent working
relationship the college has with GVA Grimleys (Architect &
Project Managers) and Interserve who are building the college, I
am sure things will stay on target (and on budget!)."
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