On a warm afternoon, the NRHA 2023 Partnership Award sponsored by BAM Nuttall was unveiled at the former depot site at St Blazey (Par) Cornwall on Friday 30 August.
The NRHA attendees were Andy Savage MBE, Gavin Johns (Chairman of Adjudicators and Trustee), Malcolm Wood and Simon Gyde.
The party were accompanied by Bill Reeve (Director of Rail, Transport Scotland) who had presented the award to the MPower Kernow CIC representatives as the Guest of Honour at the NRHA Awards Ceremony in London in December 2023.
BAM Nuttall, as Award sponsors, was represented by Richard Watts, Director of Rail, whilst Mpower Kernow CIC, the award winners, was represented by Duncan Mitchell, founder, director and project manager, and Nick Bailey, director.
A large number of supporters and friends of the winning team, together with volunteers, attended, and the event was covered by ITV News.
Nick Bailey welcomed those attending and introduced the guests before giving a brief overview of what had been achieved.
Andy Savage spoke on behalf of NRHA and stressed the importance of the partnership element related to the award. He explained the intention of the awards to promote schemes which not only preserve the heritage but also enable the winning entries to promote the important educational, commercial and social benefits which result. He also referred to the importance of the sponsorship support which is the lifeblood of the awards and without which there would be no awards before inviting Richard Watts to say a few words and then unveil the plaque. Richard Watts highlighted how highly the sponsors regard the awards and how they continue to provide support and also spoke on how the initiative was so important in benefiting the younger generation with skills and opportunity.
Following the unveiling Bill Reeve thanked the team for inviting him along, revealing that he had close ties to the location, as he hailed from Redruth, and he then spoke on the importance of retaining and maintaining not only infrastructure but also the skills required to maintain facilities. He also referred to the close historical links of Cornwall to the development of steam traction in the earliest days of the railways.
Duncan Mitchell then spoke about how the MPower Kernow organisation came about and spoke about the personalities who make it work and the importance of the relationship it has locally to develop education and opportunities through the STEM system. This was followed by a practical demonstration of the turntable in action aided by some of those who have been helped and supported by the organisation.
With the familiar locomotive shed in the background, the unveiled plaque is seen on position on the turntable at St Blazey with, from the left, Richard Watts, Richard Watts, Director of Rail at award sponsors BAM Nuttall, Duncan Mitchell, founder and director of Mpower Kernow CIC, Bill Reeve, Director of Rail at Transport Scotland (who had been guest of honour at the 2023 ceremony in London), and Andy Savage, Chairman of the NRHA.
The restored turntable at St Blazey – a worthy winner of the BAM Nuttall Partnership Award at the 2023 National Railway Heritage Awards.