Member Article

Engineering firm and craft centre partnership wins top arts award

A School’s project collaboration between a civil engineering firm and a craft centre has won a top arts award.

Partners Jones Bros Civil Engineering and Ruthin Craft Centre won the Environment category at the Arts & Business Cymru 2016 awards.

Their project applied leftover materials from the firm’s construction sites for a schools’ project based on traditional weaving techniques.

Pupils from Ysgol Brynhyfryd, Ysgol Pentrecelyn, Ysgol Penbarras and Ysgol Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd visited the craft centre to transform the donated materials into works of art, using recycled wires, plastic, raffia and cable ties to create colourful 3D models.

A learning pack was produced to accompany the workshops as part of the craft centre’s What is Craft? project. The pack was designed to support teachers, gallery educators and visitors in the planning, delivering and following up visits to Ruthin Craft Centre with a collection of activities, ideas and resources related to the broad theme of materials.

The project concluded with a professional development day for Jones Bros administrative staff led by renowned textile artist, Michael Brennand-Wood.

Jones Bros Civil Engineering marketing manager Lynne Williams said: “We wanted to find a way to re-use and recycle leftover materials to show our commitment to the environment.

“As they made the models, the children also learned about recycling and protection of the environment. It was a good opportunity for us to explain about engineering as a career opportunity.

“This award is also for the pupils and Jones Bros staff who embraced the project and made such innovative models.”

Sioned Phillips, education officer at Ruthin Craft Centre, said: “We’re delighted with the award and would like to thank everybody who was involved in the project. We look forward to our next adventure with Jones Bros in the near future.”

The collaboration was arranged through Arts & Business Cymru, which develops mutually beneficial relationships between the arts and businesses in Wales.

Gwenno Angharad, North Wales manager of Arts & Business Cymru, said: “We are really pleased that this partnership working has won an award this year. This is a great example of how the arts can work with business effectively and it was wonderful to work with both organisations.”

Founded in the 1950s, Jones Bros employs 350 people. It operates across the UK in sectors including construction of waste management facilities, highways and renewable energy projects such as wind farms.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .