THE NEW Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre has picked up two regional RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) East Midlands Awards, adding to recent success for Edwinstowe-based Woodhead Group.

The centre — which was designed by JDDK Architects for the RSPB and built by Woodhead — was presented with Community Benefit and Tourism and Leisure awards at the ceremony.

The wins followed on from a trio of prizes at the East Midlands Celebrating Construction Awards, where the contractor was recognised for its work on the National Space Centre Launch Pad and the University of Nottingham’s highly-innovative Research Acceleration and Demonstration (RAD) Building.

At that ceremony, Woodhead Group and its clients received a trio of awards for Integration and Collaborative Working and Value for the Space Centre project, while the RAD Building was recognised in the Sustainability category.

The Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre and National Space Centre were both procured through the Scape Venture framework, which is designed to ensure that privately-funded projects deliver positive community impact and value for money.

Tom Woodhead, business services director at Woodhead Group, said: “It has been a whirlwind few days, but we’re absolutely delighted to be bringing this latest batch of awards back on behalf of the team.

“The Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre has been a very important local project for us over the last couple of years, and we are very happy that it has been recognised with two RICS East Midlands Awards.”

RICS judges commented that the visitor centre was “iconic” and worked “cleverly within the restrictions of a nature reserve”.

Tom added: “Our work at the National Space Centre has been one of our most successful projects in recent years, having been recognised by the Considerate Constructors Scheme as an Ultra Site, as well as gaining these awards.

“The Integration and Collaborative Working award is a big achievement for us — working collaboratively to deliver value for our partners and clients is something we pride ourselves on, so to receive recognition for that is especially pleasing.”

Mark Robinson, Scape Group chief executive, added: “It is fantastic to see these projects recognised for the outstanding work undertaken by Woodhead Group, creating two of the most iconic centres for leisure and tourism in the East Midlands.

“Through our Venture framework, the entire team supported by strong local supply chains have delivered on-time and on-budget, whilst embedding significant socioeconomic value by keeping local communities engaged throughout.”