Rochdale students win national award for innovative Wheatsheaf revamp plan

Monday, 23 June 2025 10:44

By David Murphy

left: Scarlett Crossley, Gabby Ogden, and Ffion Williams

A group of sixth form students from Rochdale have scooped a national award for their visionary proposal to breathe new life into the town’s disused Wheatsheaf shopping centre.

Four students from Rochdale Sixth Form College, Ffion Williams (17), Gabby Ogden (17), Scarlett Crossley (16), and Anjuma Ali (17) won the Special Award for Nature and People Positive Innovation* (sponsored by the JBA Trust) in the Institution of Civil Engineers’ (ICE) CityZen competition.

The CityZen contest is a UK-wide programme designed to inspire 16–18 year olds to consider careers in civil engineering. This year, over 100 teams from across the country submitted proposals, each focused on solving a real-life problem in their local area.

Rochdale’s winning team envisioned transforming the Wheatsheaf site, a now-vacant retail centre, into a vibrant community hub. Their proposal featured rooftop allotments, a social club, a bowling alley, performance venues, art installations, and intergenerational spaces where younger people could engage with older residents through shared activities like knitting and digital skills sessions.

Student Ffion Williams said: “The principles we learnt in the game taught us to consider the impacts of our project on the surrounding community and encouraged us to incorporate sustainability into all we do. We are greatly pleased with the unique experience and enjoyed completing the project.”

Emma Antrobus, ICE’s North West regional director, praised the team’s efforts. “The CityZen competition encourages students to think about the challenges that civil engineers face. By proposing to re-purpose existing infrastructure and develop spaces that are sustainable and community-friendly, it’s clear this group learned how to overcome some of those challenges.”

The students were mentored by ICE member Piet Wojcik and earned £250 each, plus another £250 towards STEM resources for the college. They will also travel to ICE’s headquarters in Westminster to meet senior vice president David Porter and other national winners during a celebration lunch on Thursday 26 June.