‘Meet the Builder Day’ at the Clifton Suspension Bridge

Local pupils had the chance to find out what a career in construction would be like during an open day at one of Bristol’s most iconic buildings.

In time for the celebrations of its 150th anniversary, the Clifton Suspension Bridge will have a new visitor centre built by Rydon providing much improved visitor facilities.

The Bridge team, working together with Rydon, were keen to involve the local community in the construction of the new visitor facility and invited several local schools to attend with groups of GCSE-aged pupils who had an interest in joining the construction industry.

Groups of up to 10 pupils were taken on a tour of the bridge itself by the team to understand the on-going maintenance requirements of the structure as well as its long history to date. They also provided a better understanding of why the new facility is required and the vision for the iconic bridge in the future.

Construction experts from Rydon led a discussion on the construction process from start through to completion. They highlighted the importance of health & safety and gave pupils the opportunity to try on some PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), which went down really well! Once they were all in their PPE they were given a tour of the new visitors centre under construction. The Rydon session was wrapped up with a careers master class where pupils were given an insight into what employers look for in a CV, the cover letter, as well as some top tips during interviews, including the kind of questions that might be posed to them and questions they may wish to ask prospective employers.

The sessions also included a talk given by architect Alec French Architects, who ran a presentation from the design and architectural perspective of a construction project.

The new Clifton Suspension Bridge Visitor Centre has been part-funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, and forms part of a larger injection of investment to modernise the Bridge’s facilities and support its long-term maintenance and preservation.

latest News

SEE ALL NEWS