Rockcastle, UK: Located in the North East of England, Rockcastle is an ex-mining town with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. The government has identified Rockcastle as a centre for regeneration and has allocated £20 million in funding to inject growth into the local economy and create jobs. Projects already underway include a new bridge to link both sides of the town and a leisure centre, complete with shops, restaurants and a cinema.
The founder of Geode, Henry Daysh, was born and raised in Rockcastle and throughout his life worked closely with the town’s mining people. Continuing Henry’s legacy, Geode’s Corporate Trust is currently carrying out an environmental impact assessment designed to measure the impact of the new bridge upon the River Rock. Our town planners, geologists and GIS specialists are also involved with the construction of the new leisure facilities, producing reports and presentations on the impact of old mine workings upon the building plans.
Nyanza, Kenya: Our current focus in Africa is upon the Nyanza Province of Western Kenya, where there is currently no access to clean, sanitised water in some rural communities. Recent erratic weather associated with climate change has left parts of this province drought-ridden and struggling to cope, threatening the lives of the 4 million inhabitants. Achieving water security in this region requires new solutions in an integrated and globalised world, where problems are often intertwined.
While NGOs are ideally equipped to address the drought problems caused by short-term fluctuations in water supply, the Geode Corporate Trust’s aim is to carry out extensive research into the longer term problems associated with providing water security for the region. We are currently working with stakeholders (including local people, their community groups and the regional government) to investigate the viability of community-led plans to divert water from the nearby Lake Victoria. Our staff are currently carrying out an environmental impact assessment and a full feasibility study of the proposed large-scale engineering project. Whatever the outcome, we will be there every step of the way to advise and assist the people of Nyanza in their quest for a sustainable future.