Copperleaf Donates Pro Bono Services to Improve the Accessibility of Lucy’s Mill Bridge in Stratford, UK
Vancouver, BC, August 20, 2019—Copperleaf® is pleased to be working with the Operational Research (OR) Society and the Friends of Lucy’s Mill Bridge (FoLMB) Community Interest Company (CIC) on a footbridge accessibility project as part of Copperleaf’s Random Acts of Delight (RAD) initiative. The project will evaluate the costs and benefits of adapting the well-used footbridge in Stratford, whose stone piers date back to the Elizabethan era, in order to make it accessible to all.
As part of Copperleaf’s RAD initiative, the Copperleaf Customer Experience (CX) team in Europe will collaborate pro bono with charity partners on developing a Copperleaf Value Framework to quantify the social, environmental, and economic benefits of upgrading the bridge. While the primary aim will be to perform a cost benefit analysis of adding accessibility ramps to the existing bridge structure, the Copperleaf C55™ Decision Analytics solution will be used to evaluate other options as well, including aesthetic refurbishment of the bridge.
Lucy’s Mill Bridge is a popular footbridge dating from Shakespearian times, that is currently only accessible by steep steps on each side. The bridge is part of a 1.6 km Riverside Heritage Trail along the banks of the River Avon which connects some of Stratford’s key tourist attractions such as Holy Trinity Church which houses Shakespeare’s grave, as well as the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. It also acts as a vital link to the town centre for residents of Stratford. The Friends of Lucy’s Mill Bridge want to see the bridge made fully accessible to wheelchair users, those with mobility difficulties, parents with pushchairs, and cyclists.
“Having recently been to Stratford to see the bridge, I saw firsthand the difficulties families, cyclists, and those with mobility issues are experiencing,” commented Keri Bunnell, Copperleaf CX Senior Consultant who will be leading the project. “It’s exciting to be able to apply our experience and technology to an issue that can make a real and tangible change to peoples’ lives at a local level, and I’m very pleased to be able to support this project.”
“The Copperleaf project team will evaluate and measure the social, medical, and economic benefits of the proposed ramps that will open up bridge access to so many people,” added David Morgan, Business Development Consultant, FoLMB. “We are so grateful to Copperleaf for being part of the pro bono OR expert base—and to Keri Bunnell for volunteering her time and expertise. Over this summer and autumn, we will support their work and engage all local council representatives to include their input into the report.”
Copperleaf is delighted that the FoLMB CIC project is its first RAD project and looks forward to welcoming and working with many other charity partners in the future.
About Copperleaf
Copperleaf provides decision analytics to companies managing critical infrastructure. Our enterprise software solutions leverage operational and financial data to help our clients make investment decisions that deliver the highest business value. Copperleaf was recently named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies and winner of Canada’s Most Admired™ Corporate Cultures. In 2018, Copperleaf made the Growth 500 ranking of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies for the fourth consecutive year, as well as the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ ranking of the fastest growing tech companies in North America. Copperleaf is a member of The Institute of Asset Management (IAM) and actively participates in shaping the future of asset management standards, including ISO 55000. Headquartered in Vancouver, our solutions are distributed and supported by regional staff and partners worldwide. We are committed to building a better world, one decision at a time.
About the Friends of Lucy’s Mill Bridge
The Friends of Lucy’s Mill Bridge is a not-for-profit organisation, established in 2013 to bring together people to promote the benefit of urban or rural regeneration in Stratford-upon-Avon and the surrounding area through the maintenance, improvement or provision of Public amenities, the preservation of buildings or sites of historic or architectural importance and the provision of recreational facilities for the public at large or those who by reason of their youth, age, disability, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances, have need of such facilities. Their main objective is to raise funds for a new architects review to present to the Warwickshire County Council for them to take in to consideration during their next review of Lucy’s Mill Bridge access upgrades. http://www.lucysmillbridge.co.uk/
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