September 21 marked the start of the autumn equinox, and doesn’t it feel
like the summer months are a distant, albeit warm, memory.
Autumn is one of my favourite seasons – it’s the time of year when nature
makes its colourful transition towards the colder winter months. Wiltshire, in
particular, becomes a glorious canvas of rich autumnal shades as the trees
shift from vibrant greens to yellow, gold and warm glowing fiery reds. The
transition is quite breathtaking and reminds us all just how beautiful the
place we live and work in really is.
I have always said that we have so much to celebrate in our county from our
beautiful countryside steeped in history, to the modern world of science and
engineering that we are leading the way in.
Our tradition of technical brilliance stretches way, way
back - as far as the West Kennet Long Barrow in 3500 BC, right up to Dyson in
2018 AD.
This awesome legacy came to mind last week at the official
opening of Porton Science Park, near Salisbury, which is a new state of the art
centre dedicated to the advancement of health and life sciences, which has been
a decade in the planning.
I am proud that Wiltshire Council led the way in finding the
funding for this project – working with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Public Health England and the
Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
Even before I had the honour of unveiling the plaque to
officially open the centre, three-quarters of the units have been occupied by
pioneering enterprises who are pushing back the frontiers of science and
re-engineering the 21st Century and creating prosperity and jobs in
the county.
It’s humbling to think that in the not-so-distant future,
the world will welcome scientific discoveries that were conceived right here in
Wiltshire.
That’s why it’s so good that we will be hosting the Science
and Engineering: What Wiltshire has to Offer exhibition in County Hall next
month (16 October).School and college students, along with teachers,
recruiters, leading scientists and engineers and business bosses will
participate in presentations and practical, hands-on experience of engineering.
The aim is simple - to inspire children to pursue engineering and science as a
rewarding, stimulating and satisfying career.
It also offers us a great chance for us to discuss how we
can work with them to nurture the next generation of engineers – including our
industry-leading apprenticeship programme, which has already set many
youngsters on the path to an exciting future.
I’d love to think that the innovators of tomorrow will be as
a result of stimulating their interest at this event fuelling an ambition to
shape the future and that they will have come from our wonderful, historic and
progressive county.
Jane
