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    Teesdale House,
    Galgate,
    Barnard Castle,
    DL12 9EL

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A New Home for The Box

24/05/2010

Barnard Castle Vision has announced today that The Box will shortly have a new home. 

The glass Box, designed by xsite and currently situated on Galgate in the centre of Barnard Castle, has been used as a centre for Bluetooth communication, a radio studio, digital information point, digital art gallery and WiFi point.  

Planning permission for The Box on Galgate is due to expire in July 2010. It was always the intention that The Box would move to an alternative location in the local area once planning permission for the structure on Galgate had come to an end.  It has now been announced that on leaving Galgate, the Box will move to a new location at Teesdale School. 

“This is a very exciting development and we look forward very much to the Box’s arrival,” comments Headmaster of Teesdale School Paul Harrison. “We have many ideas for how it can be used on site and are already looking into the possibility of enabling the Box to become a dedicated radio recording studio in co-ordination with Radio Teesdale and the TCR Hub. We shall be shaping these ideas more fully during coming weeks.”  

Peter Dixon of Radio Teesdale added:

“We have proved that the Box can be used for outside broadcasts through our own regular broadcasts there and have worked with Teesdale School on a number of projects, not least during the run-up to the recent election. We look forward to working with pupils to give them an insight into the radio industry and in broadcasting the programmes they create.” 

During its time on Galgate, the Box has successfully put Barnard Castle on the digital map, enabling the town to build important links with other flagship digital innovation projects Codeworks and Digital City in Middlesbrough. This in itself has led directly to Barnard Castle Vision being able to acquire funds for the Digital Dale project, bringing super high speed broadband to the whole of Teesdale by the end of 2011, and Newgate Studios (NeST), a hub for the town’s creative community set to open in the centre of town this summer.  

The Box also won 'best use of mobile phone technology within the Digital Innovators section of the North East Digital Awards 2008 and has been the subject of significant plaudits in the Architects’ Journal. 

Anne Allen of Barnard Castle Vision says: “The Box was designed with next generation connectivity in mind and to be a symbol for innovation and new ideas. Although some people have found the modern look of the Box hard to accept, it has been hugely successful in terms of the Vision’s perception with external funders, and in demonstrating the organisation’s active commitment to innovation, regeneration and positive change. We’re delighted that Teesdale School will be the next recipients of the Box and look forward to seeing it in its new location.” 

The running costs which the Vision is currently spending on the Box, such as utilities, cleaning costs, Bluetooth and WiFi, will be reallocated to NeST on Newgate when it opens in the summer. There will also be a flexible radio broadcasting point established there too.