Crown court comes to college: recycling project inspires legal careers
An innovative recycling project has helped to create a new mock courtroom allowing law students to get a taste of the Crown court.
A new mock courtroom is giving law students a taste of crown court life thanks to an innovative recycling project.
Staff from Equans, who provide facilities management services to courts across England and Wales, have refurbished and installed genuine courtroom furniture and fittings at Richard Huish College in Taunton.
The furniture, which had been in storage, was in a poor state of repair and would otherwise have gone to landfill.
Donated by HM Courts and Tribunals Service, the items include a judicial dais, jury seating, defendant dock and desks for prosecution and defence teams.
The volunteer team from Equans dedicated around 280 hours to restore the furniture and transform the classroom space, with most of the work completed during a five-day period. Their efforts included painting the room and fitting wood panelling to the walls.
Richard Huish College aims to offer students greater opportunities to pursue careers in law and it’s hoped that the mock courtroom will give them the experience of how a real courtroom operates.
Staff from HMCTS, Equans and other contractors who worked on the project joined teachers and pupils at the college to officially unveil the new facility.
Tom Spalding, Deputy Director of Facilities Management and Technical Services at HMCTS, who attended the opening ceremony said:
This initiative demonstrated HMCTS’ commitment to sustainability while providing law students with an authentic environment for their practical legal education.
Hearing the students’ first-hand accounts of the positive benefits this outstanding new facility is delivering was enlightening and Equans should be commended for their remarkable efforts and their commitment to corporate and social responsibility.
Equans Sector Director Jacob Snellings said:
At Equans we have 2 volunteering days a year per employee as part of our commitment to Social Value and we were really pleased to be able to harness this whilst aligning with the objectives of one of our accounts; HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
We hope that providing this mock court room will attract young people in the early development of their career journeys into all aspects of what HMCTS do.