I am delighted to bring together my passions of education and climate action with my latest campaign; Primary Voices.
I truly hope that through education and easy to use /flexible materials that together we can do our part to change the world and get as many people as possible to make positive changes.
This is called Primary Voices as I believe that the public and young people can be the Primary source of change through communication.
The social media tags Voices2035 are so because by significant global change has to happen on/before 2035.
That said we have continued to celebrate what we have been able to do; and that is plenty.
We have been amongst the first to make our meetings and events virtual with our ‘can do’ attitude and have maintained a core of active members with whom we have collaborated with.
We of course also ensured every kept busy during the lockdowns by launching our You Tube channel, vastly increasing the resources on our website and of course had our first competition.
A huge thankyou to everyone who has kept us going during this very difficult year.
Dr Tosh Warwick always knows he is home when he sees the Doman Long Tower in South Bank. Others may well feel the same way about the other massive engineering structures dominating the Teesside skyline such as Hartlepool Power Station, Portrack ICI tower or the Transporter Bridge. Tosh knows that almost every Teesside family has a link to industry with many, like his own, the links are defined by the iron and steel industry.
Dorman Long Tower. Credit British Steel Collection, Teesside Archives.
Since Tosh was an 11 year old boy he was fascinated about history. He is keen to ensure our rich Teesside engineering history is captured. He wants the 11 year olds of today to have an opportunity to learn about how the area was formed and what shaped it for many years to come.
Tosh is passionate about the things we have to be proud of in the Tees Valley including Cleveland Bridge who continue to build world famous bridges and The Port of Middlesbrough (formerly AV Dawson) who are seeing ships being built in their quayside fabrication halls.
The William Lane Foundry (www.williamlanefoundry.uk) is not only the oldest foundry in Middlesbrough but still makes items such as parts for Beamish, blue plaques, replacement bits for railways and war memorials. This really is an example of how heritage can and does play a role in the present and by featuring on national TV shows off the capabilities of the Tees Valley.
The Teesworks site is being redeveloped and is attracting investment and jobs to our area. Tosh has recently been appointed as a member of Teesworks Steel Heritage Task Force which he considers this to be a massive honour. The Task Force was set up to capture and celebrate the history of the former steel works. As well as reviewing suggestions from people the task force shall be looking at lessons from the UK and abroad. Tosh is over the moon to be recognised as someone who can do something positive help shape the past on Teesside.
The Task Force wants your help to capture and celebrate the history, memories and stories of steel in a way that truly reflects its impact. They would love to hear from all those who remember it best or have any ideas of how best to make our history accessible for future generations. For more details, and to make suggestions, see www.teesworks.co.uk/heritage.
Tosh along with others on the Task Force shall be aiming high. This independent group shall weigh up the pros and cons to get the correct balance in order to leave the best legacy possible for the Tees Valley. If restrictions allow there shall be some face to face community liaison; keep an eye out on the www.teesworks.co.uk website, press and social media for updates.
Also, of interest is his new book Bridging The World which he also wants the public to contribute to. This Engineering Together approach will help gather previously unheard of personal stories. For more details see www.thetees.online/bridging-the-world/.
Tosh is hoping his work document our rich history will lead onto a wider ‘Steel River’ heritage project. This next stage of our area’s story will help define how the River Tees has connected us all for hundreds of years through our engineering and iron and steelworks industry.
Tosh truly believes that linking our past and the present gives people a sense of place and creates pride. But maybe more importantly it showcases Teesside’s unique engineering skills, strength and resilience. This can work as a mechanism to inspire passion what we can do in the future.
So please consider what you can do to help Tosh by contributing ideas and stories. Let’s protect Teesside’s rich history by Engineering Together.
I was delighted when asked to be one of the first to write an article for the newly launched The Tees Online (www.thetees.online).
This website champions everything Tees related and shout about everything we are proud of.
By working with this group I am hoping to bring engineering to the people so we can all work together for our community. See my first article entitled ‘Inspiring The Next Generation of Engineers…’ at www.thetees.online/next_gen_engineers
A wonderful message showing we can still make connections in other ways. This is a wonderful lovely video designed for primary school students, but it is really for everyone.
I am delighted to welcome Julie Harrison as our Climate Change Champion.
Julie has been a Science and Engineering Presenter for over 10 years and is a Director at ‘Climate Action North’. She delivers projects in Schools to demonstrate careers in Engineering and Science.
Julie’s new project is ‘Climate Change – Scientists and Engineers needed’ will highlight the work currently going on in and around the Tees Valley and showcase how the current and future STEM workforce can help work towards a more sustainable future. As Chair I am certain that Julie’s expertise in the area of Climate Change will complement the work of Engineering Together so we can make a difference through education and action.
To address some of the current unprecedented challenges faced by companies, individuals and families we have worked to bring together a comprehensive collection of STEM resources.
Thanks to all our collaborators and volunteers we have collated this for people at home, engineers and teachers in order to keep people busy during the current lock in.
No one doubts we are in the midst of some Strange Times and that it is more important than ever to communicate.
Our first dial in meeting tonight was a very positive and forward thinking one with the key message to make best use of any spare time (some) people find themselves with.
I would like us all to find ways we ‘can’ do things instead of focusing on what we cannot.
With that in mind plans are afoot to develop this website to leave a meaningful legacy and help those with time on their hands be constructive.
Let’s work together to find ways to stay productive and remember positivity is catching.
