Work on the new national coastguard training centre in Hampshire officially started as His Royal Highness, Prince Michael of Kent, cut the first sod of turf for the new centre at Daedalus Airfield.
The purpose-built centre, to be constructed by Ringwood-based Raymond Brown Group, will provide coastguard rescue officers with essential training and skills to help them deal with emergency situations on the UK coastline.
Facilities will include an eight-metre high ‘cliff face’ to train teams in cliff rescue. The climbing wall will descend four metres into a pit to enable coastguards to gain experience working in enclosed spaces. The site will also be the new base for the Hill Head Coastguard Rescue Team.
Sir Alan Massey, chief executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), said: “This modern, innovative training centre will enable us to give our coastguard rescue officers the skills they need to respond to any kind of emergency on our coast. These are dedicated, selfless volunteers who are prepared to put themselves out to ensure the safety of others, and they deserve the very best of training and equipment to support them in their tasks.
"This is an exciting time for the Agency, as we take bold steps to modernise our search and rescue capabilities throughout the UK. We aim to be the best maritime safety organisation in the world, and providing modern, highly-effective facilities like the Daedalus training centre is another important step towards realising that vision.”
Kelvin White, group chief executive of Raymond Brown, commented: “This is our fourth project with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and we are delighted to continue our strong relationship with them.
"Providing the best facility is of paramount importance to ensure that they are able to undertake vital training for their frontline personnel. With an excellent track record in delivering these projects, I am confident that our project team will construct a first-rate training hub.”
The entire project is set to cost around £2.5 million and is scheduled for completion in 2015.
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