'Living archive' display to mark nuclear milestone

People with a connection to the world's oldest civil nuclear plant are being invited to dig out their memorabilia to mark 70 years since its opening.

Calder Hall in west Cumbria was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 17 October 1956 and was the first nuclear power station to provide domestic electricity.

The site stopped producing energy in 2003, but to this day Sellafield directly employs more than 10,000 people to decommission the site, making it one of the biggest employers in the county.

A week-long community exhibition is being held at The Beacon Museum in Whitehaven from Monday to celebrate the milestone.

People are asked to bring photos and share their memories to create "a living archive" of Calder Hall.

As part of the event, senior project manager at Sellafield Jason Bone will give a talk on the demolition of the site, which was a firm feature of the Cumbrian skyline.

All events are free to attend but booking for the talks is essential and more information is available on the museum's website.

Sellafield's CEO Euan Hutton said Calder Hall "changed the world" when it opened.

"It pioneered civil nuclear power. It helped establish west Cumbria at the centre of the industry. It continues to play an important role today."

As part of the clean-up of the site all reactors have been defueled and redundant plant structures removed, but operations are expected to last several decades.

Earlier this year, a £1m project was launched by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to look at how land at Moorside, near Sellafield, could be developed.

Known as Pioneer Park, the 400-acre (161-hectare) site would be used to support new nuclear and clean energy opportunities.

Plans to open a plant at Moorside by NuGen failed in 2018 when parent-company Toshiba decided to wind up its UK nuclear business.

Chief executive of BEC, one of the companies behind the development of Pioneer Park, Michael Pemberton said a "clear framework" would be set out for the site, including how it could be developed and how it could attract up to £12bn private sector investment.

"Pioneer Park presents an incredible opportunity to harness the skills, infrastructure and supply chain that already exist here and use those strengths to attract new investment, new industries and new opportunities for our communities."

Workington and Whitehaven MP Josh MacAlister, who is supporting the Pioneer Park project, said decommissioning "cannot be our only future".

"We need to build on that proud legacy and ensure the next generation has the same opportunities the nuclear industry created for generations before them."

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