We are very pleased to announce Market Cross UK’s sponsorship of the Dorset Museum in Dorchester.
The sponsorship has been made in order that the museum can complete a major renovation project due to be completed in May this year. Please visit the museum’s website here. Or, better still, visit the museum itself when it opens. There you will see a wall mounted plaque in the Weston Building signifying Market Cross UK’s contribution.
The first day of the 2020 term started with Michael from Market Cross providing the team at the Grove Pre-School, Dorchester with safety management and risk assessment training. Michael noted that the team all had a great attitude to safety.
The training included an overview of managing safety and all the team, pictured here, got hands on with completing a risk assessment. Jo from the Pre-School said ‘It was very informative and we enjoyed the training. We are already implementing it within our daily practice’.
Market Cross’s Annual General Meeting 2019 was held recently at Dorset Innovation Park. As part of our AGM a presentation was made regarding something we call our Social Accounts.
These accounts are proof of our committment to local communities and the industries in which we operate and we are pleased to publish the latest verson here on our blog:
MX Social Accounts 2019
We believe that all businesses should have a positive impact on local communities and this is why we have our community committments built into our Articles of Association (our raison d’être, if you like).
Social Accounts are an effective way to show a positive community impact and demonstrate that our members carry out their committments in a range of ways. When you consider the pool of talent in our membership (blog writer excepted, of course) then the volunteer work, scientific presentations, safety training, sponsorship/donations and specialist risk assessments freely carried out by our members for the local communities really have an impact. Please see further down our blog for further details.
Market Cross supported a special “Learn to be an Astronaut event” in Dorchester on 21st July. We shared a marquee with a number of innovative locally based science companies and organisations. We also had a walk-in layout of the ISS right behind our stand which included modules representing different subjects, activities and handouts. There was “Radiation on Earth” in the Zarya Control Module, “Radiation in Space” in the Columbus Laboratory, “Radiation Protection – Time, Distance, Shielding” in the Kibo Research Module and “Radiation Protection – Magnetic Fields” in the Destiny Laboratory.
The layout was proportioned to-scale and for a bit of extra fun we had an emergency activity involving Solar Particle Events (or proton storms). When the SPE alarm went off everyone had to evacuate to the “shielded” Zvezda Control Module. In the end we had to stop doing the emergency activity because the ISS became too popular and there were too many people to fit into the Control Module!
The Big Bang fair, promoting science, technology, engineering and maths to young people, came to Dorset on 13th March 2019. The Big Bang events are designed to bring science and engineering to life for young people. They provide a valuable opportunity for pupils to experience science and technology hands-on, and interact with inspiring demonstrations (see www.thebigbangfair.co.uk).
Around 2000 pupils from Dorset schools attended the event. Dorchester Middle School sent 48 pupils aged 12 and 13. As part of its programme to support community-based science and engineering projects for young people, Market Cross paid for transport to the event for Dorchester Middle school. This enabled the trip to be all-inclusive, for children of all physical abilities. A representative from Dorchester Middle School said “The event was a huge success for both staff and pupils who had a thoroughly enjoyable day.”
As part of its programme to support local science and engineering projects for young people, Market Cross UK Limited has donated equipment needed for an important research project based in Dorset.
The new centrifuge will enable more efficient DNA extraction and profiling of the Borrelia bacteria from ticks. The Borrelia spirochete bacteria is responsible for Lyme disease in humans which is the most common tick-borne disease in the Northern hemisphere. There are around 3000 new cases of Lyme disease each year in the UK according to Public Health England.
Sixth form students at the Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester, Dorset, have been collecting ticks from around Dorset with the aim of developing a risk map of the county and a greater understanding of the epidemiology.
The research, also supported by Exeter University and the Royal Society, has enabled sixth form biology students at the school to develop scientific research skills in preparation for university and a career in science, as well as being part of a significant research project that could help save lives in the county and across the UK.
Pictured below is Michael Reed, current Chairman of Market Cross UK Limited, presenting the new centrifuge to Simon Lewis at Thomas Hardye School.
Further information can be found below.
https://www.thomas-hardye.net/pages/news/2017/05_17/Ticks/Ticks.php
To see support provided by Market Cross for other schools please click here.