By Henry Green
Sherwood Observatory’s new planetarium will help in getting more young people into STEM subjects, a senior councillor has said.
The £6.8 million project, built on an old Victorian reservoir at the Coxmoor Road facility in Sutton, opened its doors to visitors today (November 25) with the planetarium’s first show selling out.
Work began back in August 2023 with the project offering an immersive experience that brings the universe to life on a ten-metre screen.
Cllr Matt Relf (Ash Ind), cabinet member for growth, regeneration and local planning at Ashfield District Council, was one of the people at the launch, and he said it’ll be a key project for the district and the region.
He told Notts TV: “People sometimes think of science and engineering as being for a certain class of people but actually, it’s all about creativity and problem-solving.
“Opening up people’s minds to that as a career path for them I think will be hugely important.”
Dr Steve Wallace is the chairman of the project and the Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society.
He highlighted the importance of educating young people about the universe.
“It important for schools to come here learn about space, learn about astronomy, space science and hopefully excite them enough to get careers in science and technology,” he said.
“When you think of the world around us, it’s entirely dependant on technology and if we don’t have people who can help develop and understand that technology we will not do well as a country.”
Cllr Relf also spoke about how the planetarium will help with the sites research projects.
“The observatory team are already linked in with various organisations around the world doing research and doing radio telescope work,” he said.
“Also the optical telescope here being the largest public access telescope, it really is important to open that up for more people to come in,” he added.
Dr Steve Wallace added about the site’s collaboration with Newcastle University to make the planetarium more accessible to people with visual impairments.
“We are working with a lot of different groups in the area to improve the areas aspirations”, he said.
About £2m has been invested into the project through Ashfield District Council’s £62.6m Towns Fund pot, which was secured from the Government in 2021.
A further £3.1m was provided through the Levelling Up Fund in January last year, while the remainder of the budget has been funded through donations and contributions from other organisations.
For more visitor information you can visit the Sherwood Observatory website here.
