LMC Sustainable Champions invited to 'behind the scenes' tour of Eden Project Cornwall

A group of staff from Lancaster and Morecambe College (LMC), who are championing sustainability initiatives across the campus, were recently invited to spend a day ‘behind the scenes’ at the Eden Project in Cornwall, where they had the opportunity to meet with key members of Eden’s education team and have a private tour of the iconic site.

The visit, which included a fascinating 2-hour tour of the Rain Forest and Mediterranean Biomes, had been arranged to help LMC’s Sustainability Champions embed new practices across the whole College curriculum. The College has been working with Eden since 2018, establishing an Eden Learning Hub on campus and helping to shape the innovative Morecambe Bay Curriculum, in partnership with Lancaster University and local schools.

For some of the staff, it was their first visit to Eden and they were suitably impressed by what they saw. Gemma Chambers, who teaches Travel & Tourism, was enthused by the potential to incorporate Eden’s ethos into her courses;

“Visiting Eden has been really beneficial; it gave great insight into how the team in Cornwall educate and motivate their team around environmental issues and sustainability, which has given me ideas on new ways to embed sustainability into our curriculum. Hearing of the plans for Eden Project Morecambe was really interesting and is something I think will enhance the local area in so many ways.”

During lunch with Si Bellamy, Eden’s Executive Director, the LMC team were given the chance to find out more about Eden’s plans for their new site in Morecambe, and potential opportunities for their students to be involved with the project. Alison Kaberry, who supports apprentices to achieve English & Maths qualifications, came back from the visit with lots of new ideas.

“It was a fabulous opportunity to learn more about sustainability and how that can be applied within education and the world around us, and also to build links with the Eden Project and their very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, can-do staff.”

The afternoon was spent with the Eden Learning Team, with a focus on how they work in partnership with Cornwall College to run their current apprenticeship scheme, and discussing the range of possibilities for local training, work placement and educational opportunities, once Eden opens in Morecambe in 2025.

LMC’s Head of Engagement, Victoria Carter, who accompanied the team down to Cornwall, is excited at the prospect of what this means for young people and adults in the district.

“The team at Eden really know what they are doing and their enthusiasm and commitment to education and training reaffirmed just what a positive impact Eden Project Morecambe will have across the whole of the local area. It’s location, at the heart of our community, will help raise the aspirations of young people and adults alike. Walking through the Biomes and imagining how the Morecambe project will develop over the coming months, was very exciting.”

As details of the plans for Eden Project Morecambe continue to be announced, some welcome signs of activity were spotted this week on the promenade, and LMC construction students were invited to witness the initial groundwork investigations begin.

For more information you can sign up to receive the Eden Project newsletter here; https://www.edenproject.com/newsletter-sign-up