A SOUTH East Cornwall village’s new tidal gate and a young engineer educated at a local school have received honours in the South West Civil Engineering Awards 2020, while the new bridge at Cornwall’s Tintagel Castle has been hailed as a “mind-blowing” achievement.
The awards, run by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) – the oldest professional engineering association in the world, with 95,000 members worldwide and over 6,000 members in the South West – celebrate the civil engineering projects making a significant contribution to the region, as well as recognising rising stars in the engineering field.
In the awards, the Polperro Tidal Gate won the Re-Engineered Project Under £3m accolade, with the judges saying that they were impressed by the complexity and level of planning involved, as well as by the way that the £1.7m Environment Agency scheme had successfully overcome a host of challenges and constraints.
Meanwhile, jointly named as Graduate of the Year was Rosie Poad, who was a student at Callington Community College and who now works for WSP in the South West as a graduate engineer. She was praised by Katy Toms, the ICE South West Regional Chair, who said: “Rosie’s energy and passion for civil engineering is matched by her hard work and creativity. She’s an incredible role model for all young women who aspire to become civil engineers.
“Not only is Rosie dedicated to promoting STEM in the UK, she also joined a volunteer trip to Malawi in 2019, working with a team of female engineers to build a new science facility to encourage more girls to study STEM subjects.”
Another Cornish project receiving recognition was the “outstanding” new bridge in North Cornwall linking Tintagel Castle on its high island to the adjacent cliffs. The achievement of connecting the two halves of the English Heritage-owned Scheduled Monument was declared by the judges to be “mind-blowing”.
Presenting the project with the Showcase Award, the judges added: “You cannot underestimate the challenges of erecting this cantilever structure off a cliff, over the sea. It’s one of those rare pieces of civil engineering that actually adds to the natural environment, the view and the atmosphere of the location. You could even call it art.”
Originally the honours were to have been presented at an awards ceremony in July, but after postponement of that was forced by the Covid crisis, an online event hosted by writer and broadcaster Judi Spiers was held instead.
Speaking of this year’s candidates, director of ICE South West Miranda Housden said: “The field this year has been truly inspirational, with projects that capture the imagination and push the boundaries of civil engineering. Moving our awards ceremony online allowed us to include many more people and it was fantastic to share the experience with our members and industry partners. Well done to the winners and all those shortlisted.”