Oakmere Solutions Ltd

19 February 2012

2012-02-19T16:01:00.002Z

Oakmere Solutions Ltd is delighted to have been appointed project lead for the Ipswich Town Football Archive Project working with the ITFC Charitable Trust.

This exciting new project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund will catalogue the Club's extensive archive and use it to promote learning and engagement. The project will engage learners of the ITFC-CT, primarily aged between 6 -17 and their tutors; adults with an interest in local history; elderly local residents through reminiscence work and volunteers.

The project will be based at the ITFC Charitable Trust offices within the Club’s Portman Road stadium complex and run between February 2012 and August 2013.

Commenting on the appointment Oakmere Solutions Director Dr Peter Funnell said:

“Football plays a significant part of the lived experience of many people. This transcends the spectacle of sport to impact on the social and cultural lives and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

In Ipswich (and more widely), Ipswich Town Football Club has been at the centre of the social, cultural and commercial life of the community since its origins in the late 19th century. In the modern era the Club has won major English and European trophies and been the home of two globally successful England managers Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson.

The core of this project rests with the unique collection of football artefacts, programmes, trophies, historic documents, visual images and other memorabilia owned by the Club. The archive, once catalogued will be a source of inspiration for a wide range of learning and participation activities.”

2 February 2012

2012-02-02T11:15:00.002Z

Excitement at launch of the Hudd Music Hall Archive Project

The glory days of the Music Hall were brought to life on Monday 23 January 2012 with the launch of the Hudd Music Hall Archive Project in Ipswich.

This exciting new project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) will catalogue and organise the unique collection of over 20,000 items of Music Hall and Variety song sheets, acts, programmes, posters and associated audio and video materials owned by the Suffolk based actor, performer and historian Roy Hudd. The project will use the archive to create an initial programme of community, educational and performance activities and exhibition alongside an effective curation plan and options for its future sustainability.

Looking forward to the launch Roy Hudd said:

“I have been collecting the archive for over 50 years. Each item, each song sheet or poster tells a unique story which is as relevant today as when it was performed. I want the archive to live and to be enjoyed; this project will make that happen.”

Oakmere Solutions Ltd is leading the project, which is directed by Suffolk New College and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Project Leader Dr Peter Funnell, Director at Oakmere Solutions Ltd said:

“The Hudd archive has enormous potential to help people understand the importance of the Music Hall in current popular culture and its key role in the everyday lives of people during its heyday between 1830-1930. We will do this by drawing on Roy’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the Music Hall and his passion to make the magic and excitement of the Music Hall available to a new generation.”

The project runs until 31 August 2013 and is based at Suffolk New College, Ipswich.

For further information visit: http://www.suffolk.ac.uk/hudd_music_hall_archive
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-16688128 http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/features/roy_hudd_s_archive_preserves_a_lost_world_1_1191670

4 November 2011

2011-11-04T15:53:00.002Z

The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) has appointed Oakmere Solutions to produce an HLF stage 2 activity plan and associated robust and evidenced business plan to support the future role and purpose of the St Nicholas’ Chapel, Kings Lynn both in the local community and beyond. Commenting on this exciting project Oakmere Director Dr Peter Funnell said:

“We are delighted to be working with the CCT, the Friends of the St Nicholas’ Chapel and a wide range of stakeholders to support thinking and action about the future use of this exceptional building. Our work acknowledges the historical significance of the building, its unique charm and characteristics and its place in the history of Kings Lynn, whilst exploring options to support its future sustainability as a vibrant community and cultural centre”

For further information visit
http://www.visitchurches.org.uk/AboutCCTourwork/Latestnews/2011-03-28/St-Nicholas-Chapel-Kings-Lynn-successful-HLF-bid/

24 August 2011

2011-08-24T14:57:00.001+01:00

Congratulations to Oakmere Solutions clients the Britten Pears Foundation who have received funding of £1.4m from the Heritage Lottery Fund to address their imaginative plans to mark and celebrate the centenary of Benjamin Britten. The award will support the redevelopment of The Red House where Britten lived and worked with his partner Peter Pears from 1957 until his death in 1976. Britten is one of the UK’s most celebrated 20th century composers and it was at his home in Aldeburgh, Suffolk that he created many of his most important and famous works, including Noyes Fludde and the War Requiem.

Since the death of Peter Pears in 1986, the Red House, and its collections have been cared for by the Britten-Pears Foundation. These include an archive containing Britten’s manuscripts, correspondence and photographs, the eclectic art collection Britten and Pears put together over 50 years and original designs for set and costumes.

Timed to celebrate Britten’s 100th birthday in 2013, the project will create a new educational space and fund a learning officer who will lead workshops and outreach activities for local schools, allowing even greater public access to this remarkable collection.

Britten is the most performed British composer, and together the holdings at Red House represent the most comprehensive single composer archive in the world. The 2013 centenary presents an unrepeatable opportunity to transform the internationally important Red House so that it can be accessed and enjoyed by all.

Commenting on the award Oakmere Solutions Director Dr Sharon Goddard said:
“We are delighted to have contributed comprehensive activity plan consultancy to this success and the future development of the Red House. The Red House and its archive are of international importance and through a range of learning and participation approaches supported by the HLF and delivered by the BPF and its committed band of volunteers these will now be more accessible for all to enjoy”.

Robyn Llewellyn, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund East of England, said:
”Throughout his life, Benjamin Britten pioneered the idea that music-making should not be the preserve of the privileged few, but should involve people from across the community - whether they be amateur or professional, adult or child. It is this idea that is carried forward with this project, creating new opportunities for everyone to explore, learn about and enjoy the wonderful legacy of Britten’s work and collections.”

Richard Jarman, General Director of BPF:
”As momentum builds ahead of Britten's centenary in 2013, we are delighted that HLF is backing our plans to introduce new audiences to the man and his music. Britten's journey - from Lowestoft schoolboy to the twentieth century's consummate musician - is such an engaging one, and his music includes some of the most appealing classical works of the twentieth century. With HLF's generous help we will now be able to open up The Red House and its fascinating collections as never before, and to link them to the Suffolk communities and landscapes that inspired Britten throughout his life.”

28 March 2011

2011-04-05T13:00:00.002+01:00

Oakmere Solutions to undertake HLF evaluation studies.

Oakmere Solutions has been commissioned by the Heritage Lottery Fund to undertake a series of evaluation studies, including the provision of case studies, for a sample of skills focused HLF funded projects. Commenting on the work Director Dr Sharon Goddard said:
"We are delighted to be supporting HLF evaluate its skills focused work and the sector more generally to learn from experience."

The evaluation studies are expected to be completed by June 2011.

22 March 2011

2011-04-05T12:39:00.005+01:00

Oakmere Director presents at Scandanavian conference. Dr Peter Funnell, Director of Oakmere Solutions Ltd presented a paper at the Norgesuniversitetet Svalbardkonferansen 2011 in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, Noway on 22 March 2011.

Based on experience and research over the past 20 years the paper argued that the skills and competences developed by work experienced adult learners whose learning is facilitated by ICT are those very same skills and competences sought by employers to promote competitiveness and by workers to gain greater job satisfaction and further their careers. The paper concluded that: "The workplace of the 21st century offers a context for establishing and delivering a liberating education which supports employers, empowers workers, builds social capital and delivers a social good. The educational challenge is to facilitate and deliver this through the new technologies which are themselves revolutionising the way we work and the social lives we lead. It represents a profoundly educational challenge, one that must start from a recognition of the fluidity and uncertainties of the modern world".

A copy of the paper is available at:
1)http://www.ideawebsite.co.uk/latest_news/chief_executive_promotes_idea_at_an_arctic_conference
2)
http://norgesuniversitetet.no/svalbardkonferansen/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=91

9 February 2011

2011-02-09T10:25:00.003Z

Oakmere Solutions develops options in Lincoln.

Following successful earlier work to develop a business plan for the proposed Heritage Skills Centre in the grounds of Lincoln Castle, consultancy company Oakmere Solutions has been invited to develop this through further business planning and options appraisal analysis. This work also builds on the successful production of a training plan for hertiage skills bursaries for Lincolnshire County Council and Lincoln Cathedral which resulted in a £250,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The bursary scheme, which will recruit its first intake in spring 2011 provides a range of opportunities in skills such as stone masonry and leadwork. Trainees will be based in the magnificent Lincoln Cathedral and benefit from training from their highly skilled staff.

Speaking about the link with historic Lincoln Oakmere Director Dr Sharon Goddard said:

"We are delighted to have made a contribution to addressing the skills agenda in Uphill Lincoln. This is an area of international significance which will be further enhanced by the opening of the Heritage Skills Centre. Lincolnshire County Council and the Historic Lincoln Partnership should be congratulated for identifying the importance of heritage skills and placing training opportunities at the heart of their recent and planned developments".

For further information about Uphill Lincoln visit: http://www.visitlincolnshire.com/site/discover/city-breaks/historic

31 January 2011

2011-01-31T10:23:00.004Z

Oakmere Solutions supports successful myplace application.

Oakmere Solutions received an early Chritmas present in December with the news that its client the Square Chaple Arts Centre had been successful in its £3.8m application to myplace to develop the Orangebox Young People Centre within the historic Piecehall in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Oakmere Solutions produced the detailed five-year business plan for the applicant which included detailed financial and risk analysis. Commenting on the success Oakmere Solutions Director Dr Peter Funnell said:

"Orangebox is an ambitious scheme which converts exisiting buildings in an area of historic importance to provide an exciting and contemporary world class facility for young people. The business plan for the new centre needed to reflect the schemes ambition and the overarching intention of placing young people at the heart of the development. I am delighted that Oakmere Solutions has been able to contribute to this successful outcome".

For more information about the Orangebox project visit: http:www.myspacesupport.co.uk

17 September 2010

2010-09-18T11:58:00.005+01:00

Oakmere Solutions client receives prestigious European award.

Oakmere Solutions are celebrating the success of one of its clients who has received a prestigious Europa Nostra Laureate Award - a European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage. The award was made to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) for its innovative 'Faith in Maintenance' project at an event in London on 17 September 2010, following an earlier announcement mdae at the European Heritage Awards Ceremony in Instanbul in June. In the award the citation the Jury recognised"... the exemplary initiative of SPAB in creating an inspection network for the maintenance of places of worship by volunteers, who have been specially trained.... The monitoring and care for these buildings by committed volunteers plays a crucial role in the conservation of old places of worship and is an inspirational model for many similar projects....".

Oakmere Solutions Ltd has been the external evaluator of the five-year 'Faith in Maintenance' project since its inception and is delighted to have contributed to this success. Speaking about the award Oakmere Solutions Director Dr Sharon Goddard said:

"We are delighted by the success of the 'Faith in Maintenance' project and that our evaluation reports have been instrumental in providing evidence of the many successes of the project. The project is innovative and builds on the best traditions of volunteer activity in the heritage sector. The Europa Nostra Awards use the 'power of example' to promote high standards of conservation practice and the trans-frontier exchange of knowledge and practice in the heritage sector. In this context the 'Faith in Maintenance' project is a very worthy winner."

For more information about the 'Faith in Maintenance' project visit: http//www.spabfim.org.uk/

For more information about the Europa Nostra Awards visit: http//www.europanostra.org/

5 August 2010

2010-08-22T11:08:00.005+01:00

Oakmere Solutions Director Dr Peter Funnell has been appointed as chair of Health Ambitions Suffolk, a multi-agency public/private sector partnership working to make Suffolk the healthiest county in the UK by 2028.

For further information visit:

http://www.healthyambitionssuffolk.nhs.uk/NewsandEvents/HASNews2010/Newchairmanappointedtodrivehealthinitiative/tabid/243/Default.aspx

28 June 2010

2010-07-13T14:23:00.005+01:00

Oakmere Solutions director Dr Peter Funnell has been elected President of the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce at the Chambers' 126th Annual General Meeting on 28 June 2010. Commenting on the appointment Dr Funnell said:

"I am delighted to have been elected by the membership of the Chamber as its President for the next two years. Chambers of Commerce are the 'voice of business' both nationally and locally and have a critical role to play in supporting the economy move out of recession and in establishing new and robust business practices that support achievement and success in ethical and sustainable ways".

Further information about the appointment can be found at:

www.suffolkchamber.co.uk/news/chamber_news/suffolk_chamber_elects_new_president_and_vice_president

28 February 2010

2010-02-28T17:34:00.001Z

Oakmere Solutions has been commissioned by the National Trust of Western Australia to support its work in establishing a robust methodology for determining the social and economic value of the heritage.