A pioneering initiative to rejuvenate an ailing industrial factory in Stourbridge has proved an extra-ordinary success. The Ruskin Mill Further Education Centre (rmfec) has taken the declining Royal Doulton Crystal Factory and created a thriving educational site through its innov-ative Glasshouse Project.

The rmfec is a unique further education college for students aged 16 and above with learning difficulties. The centre provides a therapeutic, experiential curriculum based on craftwork and the environment. In the past, requests for places at the college’s main site at Ruskin Mill, near Stroud, have consistently exceeded the number available. To help meet this demand and with loan finance from Triodos Bank, the rmfec purchased the Stourbridge site in June 2000. Students and staff were closely involved in the renovation, cleaning, demolishing, repairing and rebuilding.

The Glasshouse Project is now into its second year with steadily increasing student numbers. Edu-cational provision has been enhanced by the launch of the Ruskin Glass Centre earlier this year. The centre combines a wide range of craft workshops, including two of the leading British studio glass comp-anies, and a visitor trail for the public.

The craft workshops also offer work experience and training for students. A structured emphasis on training for work skills gives students genuine opportunities of employment when they leave.
The Glasshouse Project has received enthusiastic backing from the local community too. Neighbours who witnessed the decline of the factory are delighted to see this new lease of life. The next phase of development will be the Ruskin Arts Centre, with a theatre, gallery, shops and cafÈ, and a full cultural programme of performance, lectures and eurythmy.
FURTHER INFORMATION : The Glasshouse Project on Tel: 01384 399 400