Wakefield College - A special award for a special Wakefield building
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A special award for a special Wakefield building

Wednesday, 21 October, 2020

Press Release Corporate Hospitality & Catering

Principal Sam Wright, Director of Estates Jon Howard and Kevin Trickett from Wakefield Civic Society

Wakefield Civic Society announced the results of their annual Restaurant of the Year Award and Design and Environmental Awards online recently.

This year the judges made a special award to recognise the quality of the work and scope of the project undertaken by Wakefield College on The Beaumont Building, and last week Wakefield Civic Society President Kevin Trickett MBE presented the award to Sam Wright, Principal and Jon Howard, Director of Estates at Wakefield College outside the former registry of deeds building on the corner of Margaret Street.

 Wakefield College acquired the former registry of deeds building on the corner of Margaret Street and undertook a programme of restoration and conversion work to turn the 1930s property into a modern and accessible education facility.

Now named the Beaumont Building after Wakefield suffragist Florence Beaumont who lived near the old Registry of Deeds, it was also given a blue plaque to honour its legacy. 

The judges were impressed by the quality of the conversion work and how the building had been made accessible, particularly to people with mobility needs by creating a new lower ground floor ramped entrance which involved landscaping works to lower the level of the land alongside the new building.

Nominated by the public, developers and the Society’s own members for projects completed during 2019. The judges agreed that the project deserved recognition.

College Principal, Sam Wright said: “We are delighted to have received this award from the Civic Society and it is a true testament to the hard work of our Estates Department and the transformation they have achieved.

“Staff and students have embraced the new facilities and I have no doubt they will benefit our learners and the community for many years to come.”

The Beaumont Building is home to the award-winning Gaskell’s Restaurant, currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, the building houses a fully modern, state of the art training restaurant where students can learn about the hospitality and catering industries in a real work setting. The student-staffed restaurant hosted the champagne reception for the official opening of the Beaumont Building in 2019 and has previously won the Wakefield Civic Society Restaurant of the Year award on three separate occasions.

Head of Hospitality and Catering, Darren Sharpe said: “It’s wonderful we are celebrating 20 years of Gaskells Restaurant, a name that has become synonymous with quality dining and service. Our catering provision continues to go from strength to strength and our students thrive in such a real-life working environment.

 

 

 

 

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CONTACT: For more information email info@wakefield.ac.uk, or telephone 01924 789789.
DATE: 21 October, 2020

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