20 Lower Thames Crossing: investing in communities Katrina Foxton, MOLA, and Steve Sherlock MCIfA, Lower Thames Crossing and National Highways The Lower Thames Crossing will connect the M2/A2, A13 and M25 and will be the longest road tunnel in the UK, stretching 2.6 miles. In total, it will involve the construction of over 14 miles of new road and around 50 new bridges and viaducts. Well in advance of any construction starting, The Lower Thames Crossing is delivering an ambitious programme of wider investment in local communities and the environment. We have developed projects with a strong understanding of local needs and priorities, based on established relationships with stakeholders and delivery partners. As part of this work, National Highways has worked with Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) to deliver transferable skills training sessions with Welcome to the UK. Welcome to the UK is a charity set up to help families from overseas to positively engage in their community. New arrivals from eastern Europe, Russia and Sri Lanka attended sessions to help them learn English and transferrable skills such as IT and social skills, building confidence and teamworking, as well as learning about the heritage of the area. Following on from the skills sessions, which included classroom workshops and a site tour, the groups were tasked with documenting their experience by designing a flyer on local heritage for future groups, with top tips, travel information and points of interest. They also chose to set up a blog to tell others about their experience. These sessions and activities are part of a wider community archaeology and heritage programme we are delivering for Kent and Welcome to the UK English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) student in Bata Heritage Centre near Thurrock in Essex (All photos: MOLA)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzI0Mzk=