Returning to Eden: an inside track on sustainable education and regeneration

Left-Right: Sara Duddy, David Douglas, Myra McAuliffe, Gerard Deane and Paul from the Holywell Leadership Collective

One of the perks of being part of the Holywell Leadership Collective is being able to explore other places that have faced economic and social challenges. The parallels between Cornwall and the north west of Ireland might seem limited at first glance - although tourism, deprivation and distance from decision-makers are things we certainly have in common!

It's nearly two decades since I last visited the Eden Project, although that time I wasn't privileged enough to be granted a private tour nor a chance to find out much more about the inner workings of the place. It was great to be able to spend time with Dan James (Eden's Development Director) and other key members of his team, and they were incredibly generous with their time.

What could have been. Model of the giant acorn that was to be the centrepiece of Eden Foyle

We were observing the Project with a particular lens, recalling the efforts a few years ago to establish Eden Project Foyle whilst considering other aspects of Eden's philosophy and practical measures we could adopt locally to promote biodiversity, sustainability and an improved quality of life.

Two things especially caught my eye: the Eden Dock project within Canary Wharf (wouldn't it be great if the redevelopment of Derry's riverfront incorporated some of this thinking?) and Nature Connections (given our city's profound challenges with mental health and worklessness?), although Eden's broader focus on land-based and other forms of all-age education also caught my eye and reminded me of another key area of lost potential lost when Eden Project Foyle failed to secure the buy-in it needed from Stormont and the local council (even though the Irish government was more than happy to stump up most of the cash!). Cornwall College's University Centre currently occupies a whole floor of Eden's Foundation Building, and there are classrooms located in the Core Building that are in near-constant use.

The focus on adult learning - obviously - caught my eye, as did the emphasis on biodiversity and sustainability being everyone's business. One of the behind-the-scenes things we got to see was the Eden Geothermal - a geothermal well that provides heating for the biomes and (with further drilling planned) a much larger contribution towards sustainable energy.

Eden's impact - in figures

We were there just a few days before Eden celebrated its 25th birthday - not bad for an old clay pit that the Lottery initially refused to fund!

And having stayed in this part of Cornwall several times during my childhood, it was nice to be able to explore the area around Par, St Blazey, Charlestown and St Austell once again. But aside from the pasties and cream teas (jam first, of course!😀) there was plenty of food for thought to carry back to Derry.