Christ’s College in Pennywell has marked the opening of its brand-new restaurant space with the unveiling of an inspiring public artwork designed by a local Pennywell artist and sculptor, in collaboration with students from the school.
The Lighthouse is a beautiful, multi-purpose dining space for students and staff. Designed by architects Howarth Litchfield and constructed by T Manners & Sons Ltd, it includes a full kitchen, servery, accessible toilets and seating for over 800 students, across 3 lunch sittings. The £2millionfacility was officially opened on Wednesday by recently-retired and much-loved member of staff, Kevin Bowdrey, who unveiled a spectacular new copper plaque designed and made by Christ’s College’s students working alongside local artist Ron Lawson.
Julie Normanton, Principal of Christ’s College, is delighted with the new space. “The Lighthouse has already been a fabulous addition to our school premises, giving us a beautiful and contemporary room to have lunch, and a multipurpose space to benefit the school and wider community. We have already used it to host community events, parents’ evenings and coffee mornings, as well as welcoming two local community groups for weekend use. The marvellous work of the architects, engineers and construction team has combined to create this extension which complements the historical façade of our school. I am also honoured that our students have been able to work with local artist, Ron Lawson, in designing and creating a plaque for the building to mark its opening today. This building will be a beacon of light for the community for many years to come, and has already proved to be transformative in the way that we cater for our students’ daily needs.”
Ron Lawson worked with students to create the new plaque, and he was present on the day to see the artwork unveiled. “It’s been a real pleasure to work on this collaborative piece of art with the pupils of Christs College Sunderland. The Key Stage 1 art group and Year 10 art students showed amazing talent helping to create the design. The 2m x 1m Copper Plaque to commemorate the opening of The Lighthouse was made using a traditional repousse technique of hammering the copper sheet from both the front and back to raise the design. This artwork took over a million hammer blows to complete.”
“For a young lad from Pennywell with ambitions in the 1970s to become an artist, It has been a proud moment for me to create this artwork in my old stomping ground.”
The Lighthouse also offers a new venue for community use during evenings and weekends, and guests from both Northern Star Theatre Arts and Riverlife Church – groups that already use the space – were also at the opening event.
Geri Feeney, Principal at Northen Star Theatre Arts, said, “We’ve really enjoyed using The Lighthouse for our weekend Northern Star Theatre School performance classes. We moved our theatre school here in January and the transition has been very smooth. The space is bright and airy, with lovely natural light coming through, creating a welcoming and inspiring environment for our students. We’re very grateful for the ongoing support from the school, who have been helpful and accommodating, helping our weekends run smoothly.”
Rebekah and Barrie Watson, Pastors at Riverlife Church, were also at the opening event. “”We are delighted to use The Lighthouse as part of our Sunday service at Christ’s College. The welcoming, modern facility is perfect for helping us connect with and serve the local community.”
The event brought together a range of community representatives, including volunteers from Roker Pier, who enjoyed talking with young historians about Roker Lighthouse and the local history of the area, as well as CEO of local charity Hope4Kidz, Vivienne Watts OBE.
