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Gravity expands its partnership with Bridgwater United FC

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This is Gravity is proud to support Bridgwater United Football Club (BUFC) with the Gravity brand now displayed pitch side at Fairfax Park.

The Gravity – BUFC partnership is focused primarily on creating community social value through the delivery of the Gravity Sphero STEM initiative which launched in October 2022. The Sphero initiative prioritises the engagement of young people to raise aspirations through the development of robotics and coding skills through the medium of football – in a way that is accessible to all.  

Gravity is working closely with BUFC on the implementation of local leisure facilities that would replace elements of the 37 Sports & Social Club and integrate new facilities into the community.

This academic year BUFC has partnered with East and West Huntspill schools to introduce the Sphero After School Clubs. In the recent term, our collaboration with East Huntspill saw the successful roll-out of weekly Sphero sessions, engaging approximately 12 students per session over a six-week period.

Past collaborations include sessions with Woolavington, and the integration of Sphero activities into local Sports Camps, monthly student outreach has consistently reached between 100 and 150 students.

This is Gravity’s Director – Planning & Economic Development, Claire Pearce, commented: “Forging closer local partnerships at a grassroots level are key to delivering the genuine social value that we set out to achieve through our environmental and social governance policy. We are proud of the reach that Bridgwater United Sports & Community Trust has achieved in the year since the STEM Sphero initiative launched. Going forward we expect our connection to Bridgwater United FC to grow and we look forward continuing to work with them”.

Bridgwater United FC Head of Community, Dan Rogers, commented: “The support Gravity have given us on our Sphero project has allowed Bridgwater United to expand and enhance its delivery and become the first English non-league football club to deliver the Sphero programme within its locality.

We have seen rapid uptake in STEM interest amongst the children that are working with, so much so that the young people are showing the coaches’ new ways to use block coding!

We are excited to continue our relationship with the Gravity team and cannot wait to get the ‘ball rolling’ on our plans.”

Gravity sponsors ‘Environmental & Sustainability Award’ at Somerset Business Awards 2024

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Gravity, the UK’s first commercial smart campus, is pleased to announce its continued sponsorship of the ‘Environmental and Sustainability Award’ at the Somerset Business Awards. This marks the fourth consecutive year of their support.

Organised by the Somerset Chamber of Commerce, the Somerset Business Awards celebrate the remarkable achievements of local individuals and businesses. They commend the significant impact these entities have on environmental protection as the world progresses towards a net-zero future.

Following the impressive entries and the eventual winner of 2023, ‘PVA Hygiene Limited’, Gravity’s Programme Director and award judge, Paul Lowndes, eagerly anticipates well-rounded and evidence-based submissions of Somerset companies this year.

This year’s award entries opened on September 12th and will conclude on November 24th. The ceremony is scheduled for March 22, 2024. Participation in the awards is free, and businesses are not required to be members of the Somerset Chamber to participate. This year, the awards have introduced two new categories: the Manufacturing and Engineering Award, and the Business Resilience and Growth Award.

Click here for more information on the Environmental & Sustainability Award.

Click here for entry information.

About Gravity

Gravity will be the UK’s first commercial smart campus and a blueprint for a ‘cleaner’, smarter future. It aims to attract the world’s most innovative companies working in the ‘clean growth’ sectors.

Expected to create up to 7,500 jobs, the 616-acre Enterprise Zone will be designed to shape connections between people and the places they work, supporting a culture of innovation and wellbeing. It will include diverse, flexible workspaces and resilient technologies along with enhanced transport links to, and within, the surrounding area.

Gravity congratulates Bounce Forward on its partnership with the Harry Kane Foundation

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Gravity congratulates Bounce Forward on its partnership announcement with The Harry Kane Foundation

This is Gravity is proud to share the World Mental Health Day announcement that Bounce Forward has entered a far-reaching partnership with the Harry Kane Foundation. Their shared mission is to inspire and transform a generation’s thinking about mental health and how to nurture and build psychological fitness.

The partnership will provide free psychological fitness training and educational resources, designed to nurture and build mental resilience, and emotional wellbeing, proven to have a positive impact. These resources will be available in schools, workplaces, and to a broader audience through Harry’s influence, platforms, and networks, with the goal of promoting positive mental health across generations.

The partnership kicks off with 17 schools across nine regions in England gaining access to Bounce Forward’s Healthy Minds teaching resources, featuring bespoke content co-authored by Harry and his wife, Kate Kane.

Gravity introduced Bounce Forward to Bridgwater in 2021 as an integrated part of its transformational strategy to create a new era of employment. During the pandemic, Gravity worked with Bounce Forward to support local schools and young people and initiated a ‘Gravity Young People’s Design Competition’ in collaboration with MOBIE.

To date, Bounce Forward has trained 229 teachers across 10 schools, including; Bridgwater & Taunton College, Bridgwater & Taunton College Academy, Quantock Education Trust (4 schools), Puriton Primary, North Petherton Primary, Willowdown, North Newton Community Primary. Bounce Forward has also reached 215 local families through their ‘Raise Resilience’ online course.  

In parallel with Bounce Forward, Gravity is driving further social value outcomes through its ‘Sphero’ initiative with Bridgwater United Football Club (BUFC) Community Trust, promoting STEM opportunities by using football as a medium to develop skills in coding and robotics.

Bridgwater and Taunton College Trust is one of the 17 schools involved from the outset of the Bounce Forward & Harry Kane Foundation partnership, it is the only Multi-Academy Trust at launch. Bounce Forward will work with all 6 schools within the trust (3 secondaries and 3 primaries) through a central strategy.

Gravity looks forward to exploring how our community stakeholders can achieve the optimum outcomes for young people through these exciting initiatives with Bounce Forward and BUFC.

This is Gravity, Director – Planning & Economic Development, Claire Pearce commented: “This announcement is a huge step forward for Bounce Forward and with a supportive institution such as the Harry Kane Foundation I’m sure that it will enable them to reach more young people and help equip them with skills needed to live happier healthier lives, the whole team at Gravity couldn’t be more pleased for them.

To have a local trust included in their launch given our introduction into their area is a huge boost and look forward to seeing what other initiatives local schools can be part of going forward.

Ensuring local young talent develops in a secure and nurturing environment that stimulates emotionally intelligent adults will be part of jigsaw of the requirements for a fulfilled and productive workforce at Gravity for years to come.”

Clare Lewis, Personal Development Lead at Bridgwater & Taunton Trust commented: “Healthy Minds will become an integral part of our Personal Development programme as we build our student’s confidence, resilience and knowledge so that they can keep themselves mentally healthy. The Bounce Forward programme will help to facilitate the development of skills and qualities that will enable our students to become independent and thrive in society.”

Bounce Forward CEO, Lucy Bailey commented: “When it comes to mental health, prevention is so much better than cure, and our psychological health is as important as physical health. It is increasingly challenging to navigate our changing and complex world. For adults, it is hard, for children it is even harder. We need to teach our children, as part of their core education, and there is no better way than with Healthy Minds. Teaching our children about the brain, the role of positive emotions and the value of optimism and human connection is vital learning for the world we live in. We need to help young people not only to deal well with the setbacks they will inevitably face throughout life, but also equip them to embrace opportunities around them. Its impressive evidence base includes improving attendance, which is of growing concern for schools reducing fixed term exclusions as well as improving health and wellbeing outcomes.”

Harry Kane commented: “I’m proud of the work my foundation has achieved over the last year and am excited that we will extend our reach and impact through a new partnership with Bounce Forward. Kate and I have worked closely with Bounce Forward to strengthen their curriculum. Together we have designed lesson plans that support young people to explore how resilience can help them recover from setbacks, deal with challenges and make the most of opportunities. We are supporting Bounce Forward because they are experts in their field and have developed evidence-based resources that align perfectly with our aim of promoting the benefits of positive self-belief and the connection between physical and mental health.”

Look Ahead – October 2023

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The Gravity team continues to work across many workstreams to ensure that the site is ready for mobilisation and implementation of a large-scale advanced manufacturing facility. All workstreams listed in our Summer 2023 Look Ahead document are still ongoing.

Our primary update is to notify local communities that in accordance with our planning permission that on on-site works will be taking place on Saturdays 8am-6pm across the month of October, from Saturday the 7th through till Saturday the 28th.

Saturday working (7th, 14th, 21st, 28th)

  • Due to fluctuating weather conditions throughout the year, Gravity aims to maximise the use of the remaining fair weather.
  • All on-site activities strictly comply with Condition 2 of the planning permission ref: 42/22/00007. No work is being conducted within 500 meters of any residential property.
  • Somerset Council is fully informed about the temporary adjustments to the working hours on-site for October.
  • No HGV deliveries or imports are scheduled during these days. Work will be halted if weather conditions are not favourable.

On-site works

  • Ongoing processing of onsite materials
  • Breaking up of concrete in the ground and cutting and filling to achieve plateau levels
  • Site preparation activities remain ongoing
  • Site maintenance works comprising site security, road cleaning, grass mowing, fence repairs are continuing as required.

View as PDF

Somerset Lord Lieutenancy visits Gravity Smart Campus

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SOMERSET 6 September – The Gravity Smart Campus was pleased to welcome Somerset’s Lord Lieutenant, Mohammed Saddiq, Vice-Lord Lieutenant, Edward (Ted) Allen and Deputy Lieutenants Denis Burn and Martin Thatcher on their fact-finding visit to Gravity.

The Gravity team, accompanied by representatives from Stantec, Bridgwater & Taunton College and Bridgwater United Sports Community Trust welcomed the Lord Lieutenant before providing strategic updates on the progress made on site to date as well as a guided tour of the 616-acre Enterprise Zone.  

Conversations on sustainability, workforce development, social value initiatives and legacy opportunities beyond Hinkley Point C were at the forefront of the visit. Gravity’s low-carbon journey was highlighted by its material management strategy which prioritises re-use, recycling and re-purposing which has significantly reduced the requirement of imported quarried stone.

Andy Berry & Simon Brewer from Bridgwater & Taunton College discussed the college’s infrastructure and their role in the strategic development of new education pathways that would lead local students into jobs at Gravity.

The Lord Lieutenant was involved in a live demonstration of the huge popular Gravity Sphero initiative from Bridgwater United Community Sports Trust, which is has engaged with over 500 local young people since its launch in 2022. This was followed by an introduction into Stantec’s STEM outreach programme which uses Gravity ‘Green Bridge’ as an example to engage children across the key stages about the principles of engineering.

Somerset Larder was in attendance, demonstrating the value of legacy business opportunities beyond Hinkley Point C.

Gravity Director – Planning & Economic Development Claire Pearce commented: “The team was thrilled with the opportunity to host the Somerset Lord Lieutenancy; it was a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the breadth of work that has been undertaken in preparing Gravity to attract large-scale occupiers and specifically showcase the social value initiatives underway in collaboration with our local stakeholders and communities.

We would like to thank the Somerset Lieutenancy for taking the time to visit our site and our consultants and partners who are committed to delivering our respective ESG ambitions on the ground and who made the visit such a success.”

Somerset Lord Lieutenant, Mohammed Saddiq commented: “A wonderful visit that left me inspired and informed about the remarkable sustainability ambitions for the Gravity site. The visit reinforced my belief in the power of sustainable initiatives and their potential to help grow the local economy.”

About Somerset Lord Lieutenancy

The Lord-Lieutenant and all Deputies are volunteers and the titles are honorary. Aside from royal duties, Lord-Lieutenants promote and encourage voluntary and charitable organisations and take an interest in the business, urban and rural and social life of the county. They have wide discretion in how they carry out their tasks and also in those they choose to undertake.

As the sovereign’s representative in his or her area, the Lord-Lieutenant remains non-political and does not hold office in any political party. It is their foremost duty to uphold the dignity of the Crown. In so doing, they seek to promote a spirit of co-operation and good atmosphere by supporting voluntary and benevolent organisations and by the interest they take in all aspects of business and social life of their counties.

About Gravity

Gravity will be the UK’s first commercial smart campus and a blueprint for a ‘cleaner’, smarter future. It aims to attract the world’s most innovative companies working in the ‘clean growth’ sectors.

Expected to create up to 7,500 jobs, the 616-acre Enterprise Zone will be designed to shape connections between people and the places in which they work, supporting a culture of innovation and wellbeing. It will include diverse, flexible workspaces and resilient technologies along with enhanced transport links to, and within, the surrounding area.

Gravity – Look Ahead Summer 2023

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The Gravity team continues to work across multiple workstreams to ensure that the site is ready for mobilisation and implementation of a large-scale advanced manufacturing facility.

Recycling Material

  • The site team continues to recycle concrete ‘won’ or found on site and this is being crushed to be re-used on the site during construction.
  • The Kelson Sparks team are working with Gravity to recycle the material from the National Grid Hinkley C connection project temporary haul roads to store on-site for use in construction. This ensures many lorries of aggregate are being taken off the local roads.
  • Haulage routes utilise Enterprise Way as well as the secondary access to the East of the site, to avoid unnecessary impacts on local communities. In 2023 alone, Enterprise Way has removed over 6,500 HGV journeys from local village roads.

Other on-site activities

  • Site maintenance works comprising site security, road cleaning, grass mowing, and fence repairs are continuing as required.
  • Site preparation is ongoing. Approximately half the site has been cleared of bramble and other brash so that ground works can commence.
  • Ecological management continues on a daily basis to monitor badger activity at the boundaries of the fenced site. Our ecologists translocated the water vole population last spring and Gravity continues activity to ensure that the site rhynes are clear and do not present new habitat opportunities whilst construction is ongoing.

Link Road landscaping

  • The landscaped area along the link road is under Gravity ownership. The landscaping works are part of the Alun Griffiths Contract and the contractor has an obligation to maintain the landscaping and replace any failed planting for a period of 2 years after completion.
  • The implementation of new landscaping is often challenging on any scheme and the unpredictable and extreme shifts in the weather have made this more so, therefore the landscaping will be monitored and replaced as required.

Village enhancement scheme – Woolavington cycle & footpath

  • A timeline for the delivery of the Cycle and footpath linking Puriton with Woolavington will be generated upon the issuance of the formal ‘completion certificate’ for Enterprise Way from Somerset County Council. Click here to view the planning submission for the proposed path.

What to expect

  • Hosting of visitors to the site.
  • Increased levels of activity on site.
  • Increased HGV deliveries to the site, vehicles will be using the purpose-built access road ‘Enterprise Way.

Contact us:

• In event of queries please contact Gravity directly at info@thisisgravity.co.uk
• To view our planning documentation please click here.

Claire Pearce joins panel as part of the Festival of Economics with Bristol Ideas

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This is Gravity’s Director – Planning & Economic Development, Claire Pearce, will be joining the Talking Economics: Brunel’s Vision for 2050 panel discussion, part of the wider Festival of Economics hosted by Bristol Ideas between 13th-16th November.

The annual Festival of Economics now entering its 12th year brings together economists and experts from around the world to debate – both with one and other and their audiences – on some of the key economic questions of our time.

Claire will be joining an esteemed panel including Dr Chris Colvin, an expert on economic history and the interwar economy; Barra Mac Ruairi, Chief Property Officer at the University of Bristol; Zoe Metcalfe, Client Director at Atkins Global, and Co-Founder, Ethos Wilder; and Ed Conway, Economics and Data Editor for Sky News.

The panel will discuss the infrastructure needs of Bristol and the wider county, how these should be funded and what governments should prioritise – whether that be transport links, digital networks or building communities.

Event details

Festival of Economics

  • Talking Economics: Brunel’s Vision for 2050
    • Thursday 16th November, 12:00-13:15
    • Watershed 1 Canon’s Road Bristol BS1 5TX
  • Tickets can be purchased here

The Gravity Zipwire is open

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Gravity is proud to have supported Puriton Parish Council in the funding of a brand new zip wire to complement the new village assault course, located at the Puriton Sports Centre.

The new adventure area opened to the public on Wednesday 16th August at a ceremony attended by Claire Pearce, Gravity’s Director – Planning & Economic Development and Paul Lowndes, Gravity’s Programme director.


The adventure area consists of a durable and sustainably built wooden assault course with a variety of organic and challenging obstacles for local older children to enjoy, accompanied by the Zip wire called ‘Gravity’.

Claire Pearce, reflecting on the assault course opening “The Gravity team is thrilled with the final outcome of this adventure area including the assault course and zip wire. We are immensely proud to contribute the matched funding required to help the sports centre team and parish council deliver these facilities. We would also like to thank our consultants Keystone and Ecology Solutions who provided voluntary services to help make this happen. A great team effort.

This play area is part of our ongoing commitment to creating social value locally, ensuring that our legacy initiative continues to ensure the 37 Club facilities are replaced and embedded in the wider area.”

Simon Langley, Puriton Parish Council “This would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication from the project team who worked tirelessly to make this dream a reality. We also want to thank Bristol-based Touchwood for designing, manufacturing and delivering our vision in a sustainable manner.

We truly hope that everyone enjoys the great outside adventure areas we have installed, this really makes a visit to the Puriton Sports Centre a worthwhile trip. The Parish council are extremely proud of this latest accomplishment to our ever-expanding “places to go, learn and places to play” in our community.”

Gravity Smart Campus honoured at the Planning Awards 2023

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The Gravity Smart Campus, a 616-acre enterprise zone expected to generate up to 7,500 jobs, has been recognised at the 2023 National Planning Awards. The awarding ceremony, in its ninth year, was hosted at the renowned IET Savoy Place on June 8th.

This is Gravity Ltd, supported by consultants Stantec and the wider team received a Highly Commended commendation for the Gravity Local Development Order (LDO) under two critical categories:

  • Planning Permission of the Year Award
  • Promoting Economic Growth Award

These commendations highlighted the design, development of the planning application, and the successful adoption of the Gravity LDO, enabling strategic outcomes for the UK as well as local communities.

The LDO serves as a potent marketing instrument, attracting international inward investment and high-paying jobs, new supply chain opportunities, all underpinned with world-class training and education. Moreover, the adaptive planning framework facilitates the delivery of custom occupier requirements within set strategic and flexible parameters.

This is Gravity also extended heartfelt congratulations to Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP for their distinguished Planning Award accomplishments. The firm clinched the ‘Planning Law Firm of the Year Award’, a testament to their outstanding legal contributions to the Gravity LDO and Compulsory Purchase Order, as well as other significant planning projects for other clients.

The judges commented, “…The scope of legal work and the complexities involved across these high-profile projects is genuinely astounding.”

Claire Pearce, This is Gravity’s Director – Planning & Economic Development, said, “We are delighted to have received ‘Highly Commended’ recognition from the Planning Awards 2023 in these two vital categories, especially amidst such strong competition. This is Gravity wish to extend sincere thanks to all who played a role in the development and adoption of the Gravity LDO. The process required vision, leadership, robust evidence, innovated assessment tools and multi-disciplinary team work to shape solutions to regenerate and transform a contaminated site into a transformational opportunity”.

We strongly believe that the major, international, advanced manufacturers we are currently engaging with, would be less likely to establish their operations at Gravity in the South West of the UK, had it not been for the adoption of the Gravity LDO by the progressive local authority, the former Sedgemoor District Council (now Somerset Council).”

About Gravity

Gravity will be the UK’s first commercial smart campus and a blueprint for a ‘cleaner’, smarter future. It aims to attract the world’s most innovative companies working in the ‘clean growth’ sectors.

Expected to create up to 7,500 jobs, the 616-acre Enterprise Zone will be designed to shape connections between people and the places in which they work, supporting a culture of innovation and wellbeing. It will include diverse, flexible workspaces and resilient technologies along with enhanced transport links to, and within, the surrounding area.

Gravity sponsors and attends inaugural Bridgwater Business Expo

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This is Gravity is proud to have sponsored and attended the first edition of the Bridgwater Business Expo, hosted in partnership between Bridgwater Chamber of Commerce and Bridgwater Town Council on Friday 9th June.

The event was a new platform designed to bring together potential customers and partners, to showcase local products and services and generate business opportunities within the community.

Gravity sponsored the workshops and seminar sessions that took place throughout the event, which covered diverse topics from digital marketing and international trade to cyber security and sustainable business practices.

Jeff Searle©

Gravity Programme Director, Paul Lowndes, joined the first-panel session of the day ‘Booming Bridgwater: Growth opportunities for Bridgwater Businesses’, where he discussed the scale of opportunities that would become available once Gravity secures a large-scale advanced manufacturing operator. Gravity, the 616-acre site located adjacent to J23 M5 near Bridgwater is anticipated to create up to 7,500 jobs on-site and more throughout the wider supply chain.

Paul Lowndes, reflecting upon the event, shared:“The Bridgwater Business Expo’s successful debut was a tremendous occasion, and I am grateful to those who welcomed Gravity to partake in this significant event. Local businesses have always been integral to our vision. As we continue developing the site, we encourage local businesses to express their interest in joining our supply chain through a dedicated form available on our website. I eagerly anticipate the prospects that the next Bridgwater Business Expo will bring.”

Supply Chain Form

About Gravity

Gravity will be the UK’s first commercial smart campus and a blueprint for a ‘cleaner’, smarter future. It aims to attract the world’s most innovative companies working in the ‘clean growth’ sectors.

Expected to create up to 7,500 jobs, the 616-acre Enterprise Zone will be designed to shape connections between people and the places in which they work, supporting a culture of innovation and wellbeing. It will include diverse, flexible workspaces and resilient technologies along with enhanced transport links to, and within, the surrounding area.

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