Ruswarp School children name roads at Anglo American's Woodsmith site, near Whitby

By Duncan Atkins
Published 26th Jul 2023, 12:54 BST
Updated 26th Jul 2023, 12:54 BST
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Children at Ruswarp School have played their part in helping to keep Anglo American’s Woodsmith Project on the road to polyhalite.

The pupils at Ruswarp, which is near the Woodsmith Mine site at Sneaton, were asked to come up with some suggestions for naming the roads at the mine.

And they didn’t disappoint, with Woodsmith Way, Polyhalite Way, Rocky Road and St Hilda’s Way some of the chosen names.

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As a thank you, some of the Woodsmith Project team visited the school, with Heather King, Community Relations Officer, showing the children some of the signs and presenting them with book tokens.

From left, Sarah Blackwell, Anglo American’s Customer Marketing Manager, Jess, Thomas, Miss Puckrin, Grace, Rumour, Phillipa Starmer, Area Manager, Shafts at Woodsmith, and Heather King, Community Relations Officer, with two of the road signs named by the Ruswarp School children.From left, Sarah Blackwell, Anglo American’s Customer Marketing Manager, Jess, Thomas, Miss Puckrin, Grace, Rumour, Phillipa Starmer, Area Manager, Shafts at Woodsmith, and Heather King, Community Relations Officer, with two of the road signs named by the Ruswarp School children.
From left, Sarah Blackwell, Anglo American’s Customer Marketing Manager, Jess, Thomas, Miss Puckrin, Grace, Rumour, Phillipa Starmer, Area Manager, Shafts at Woodsmith, and Heather King, Community Relations Officer, with two of the road signs named by the Ruswarp School children.

Phillipa Starmer, Area Manager, Shafts at the Woodsmith mine site, and Sarah Blackwell, Customer Marketing Manager, talked to the children about their jobs working on the Woodsmith Project, a unique development that comprises of a mine site at Sneaton and a 37km tunnel that will transport the naturally occurring mineral, polyhalite, to processing and shipping facilities on Teesside.

Miss Brown, Class Teacher at Ruswarp, said: “It was a great activity in which the children could work together and discuss what they felt was important to Whitby and the surrounding area, while incorporating the work of the mine.”

Phippa said: "It was great to meet and say thank you to the pupils for helping us name the roads at Woodsmith.

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"The kids were really engaged and asked loads of fantastic questions, which was great to see.”

Phillipa Starmer, Area Manager, Shafts at the Woodsmith mine site, speaks to the children during assembly at Ruswarp School.Phillipa Starmer, Area Manager, Shafts at the Woodsmith mine site, speaks to the children during assembly at Ruswarp School.
Phillipa Starmer, Area Manager, Shafts at the Woodsmith mine site, speaks to the children during assembly at Ruswarp School.

Sarah added: “They were all interested in the connection between polyhalite, as a natural source of nutrients, and how it’s used by farmers to grow healthy and nutritious food, such as their favourite vegetables – and pizza!”