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Hadlow College opens Rural Regeneration Centre Sir Robert Worcester, entrepreneur extraordinary and chancellor of the University of Kent, performed the official opening of Hadlow College’s Rural Regeneration Centre (RRC) on 4th March.
The conference and workshops held before the launch brought together delegates representing public bodies, rural industries and charitable trusts from across the rural sector. The opening address was given by Hadlow principal Paul Hannan and the college’s director of finance and resources, Mark Lumsdon-Taylor, outlined the vision that led to the centre’s creation and the role it is intended to fulfil. Believed to be the first centre of its kind in the UK, the eco-friendly building was prefabricated in Austria from where it was transported to Kent. Constructed to PassivHaus (‘airtight’) standards, it is expected to attract interest from both the public and private sectors. The site in the centre of the college’s award-winning dairy unit at Blackman’s Farm was selected specifically in order that the building’s windows all look out onto rural business activities. Acting as a hub for conferences and seminars, the centre will also serve as a visitor centre that will help to create greater public awareness and understanding of the wide ranges of rural businesses, enterprises and activities. The intention is to encourage visits by schools and others in the education sector. Very importantly, the RRC will also be used for skill training and to provide business advice and solutions. The college is working with Kent County Council and JobCentrePlus on a project to help the unemployed to develop the skills (LSC Work-focused Training Scheme) for rural sector jobs. The building cost a total of £450,000 of which the South East Development Agency (SEEDA) contributed £200,000, the remainder being raised by the college itself.
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