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Swindon Wide

Dan Gooch to

tour the town
A bust of Daniel Gooch was
Railway Cottage open unveiled at Arkell’s Brewery on 24
August, along with ‘Golden Gooch,’
for one weekend a new beer brewed in honour of the
Celebrating Heritage Open Days unsung hero of Swindon’s history.
and Swindon175, the Mechanics' Created by Fatima Alves, A’ level
Trust is opening the Railway graphic design and illustration
Cottage Museum, next to The student at New College, the project
Platform, on Saturday 10 and has been sponsored by Thamesdown
Sunday 11 September, 10.30am to Bus Company.
3pm. Entry is free. From photographs taken of the
The cottage is a unique example bust in Steam Museum, Fatima used
of what life was like living in college equipment to design and
Swindon's Railway Village in the cut 113 slices of marine plywood to
early 1900s. create a 3D model.
Under the management of the She volunteered to take on
Mechanics’s Trust since July, the the challenge in addition to her
cottage has been closed to the other coursework. It was also the
public for many years and the first time she had used computer
weekend is an opportunity to see aid design and manufacturing Bust on a bus. Caroline Black with Peter Oliver, Commercial Director,
inside again before it closes for technologies. Thamesdown Transport in front of the Sir Daniel Gooch bus
refurbishment and re-opening in Swindon175 project coordiantor
2017. Caroline Black said: “Fatima’s work Daniel Gooch: Life and Legacy
Village tours is a striking example of student A special Swindon 175 exhibition at Steam Museum marks 200 years since
Members of the trust will also be talent. The GWR was noted for its the birth of Sir Daniel Gooch, the GWR’s first Locomotive Superintendent.
giving guided tours of the Railway leading edge technology and the In 1840, he wrote a letter to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, outlining why he
Village at 11.30am and 2pm on skills of its worker; I’m sure Daniel thought Swindon was the ideal place to base the Great Western Railway’s
Saturday and Sunday. For more Gooch and all who worked in The engine repair facility. A year later, GWR directors gave the go-ahead for
information call 07516 477479. Works would have approved.” what became the world famous Swindon Works.
For details of heritage properties The bust will be touring premises Explore the fascinating life and work of this remarkable engineer
open across Britain in September, around the town to be viewed by as through objects, documents and photographs. Entry to the exhibition
see www.heritageopendays.org.uk many people as possible. is free with standard Steam admission tickets.
Swindon company at the cutting edge of a virtual world

The industrial revolution came to the Swindon area in 1841 when the Great Western Railway company decided to
build its locomotive maintenance shed on the green fields below the market town at the top of the hill. 175 years
on, Swindon specialist computer graphics company Rendermedia is at the cutting edge of the electronic revolution by
exploring the possibilities of virtual reality - and capturing major business across Europe.
On a flat screen entertainment is Miles. The business has grown from
displayed in two dimensions. Some his back bedroom to a large studio at
people will have donned special Groundwell Business Park and further
spectacles which provides the depth expansion is on the cards. Mark
of 3D. With virtual reality, users wear said: “We’re breaking new ground
a special headset which provides an by applying the VR technology
immersive 360 degree experience. on a ‘business to business’ level
VR has had a lot of attention in the by offering a realistic way of
entertainment and games industry, overcoming the very real challenge
but at the Farnborough Airshow in of how manufacturers demonstrate
mid-July Rendermedia broke new products to potential customers”
ground with Airbus Defence & Space Rendermedia provides its services
to win new customers. to businesses such as Adobe, Hewlett
Visitors to the Airbus stand Packard, Siemens and NEC Europe,
strapped on a VR headset to find out and more recently has forged a niche
what it would be like to soar 90,000 for bringing products to life across Mark and Nadine Miles of Rendermedia in North Swindon
feet above the earth, or sit in the the service sector and manufacturing
cockpit of an aircraft thundering a in aerospace and technology. make an impression using film and experience any product of any size
few hundred feet above the Brecon Working with Airbus opens up 3D graphics, but what we offer is and in any context, from a driverless
Beacons, as well as to land an A350. exciting opportunities said Mark. the ability to involve the user within car to a luxury liner.
In another computer simulated “There are estimates that the global the product, so that they come away “Imagine going into a high street
reality, users take part in a helicopter VR sector will be worth around £30 feeling they were actually there travel agent, putting on a VR headset
rescue mission in a disaster zone, billion a year by 2020, and we are discovering the products’ capabilities and immersing yourself in a hotel
using hand controls to carry out determined to be a major player. in absolute context. It has a longer or a tourist attraction to help you
specific actions such as opening the “There are few more competitive lasting impact than watching a film decide on your next holiday?
door once the helicopter has landed, business environments than on a TV screen.” “This is the shape of the future for
picking up boxes of supplies and aerospace and the rewards for those Mark believes the VR will be seen how we can deliver content across
passing them out to an aid worker. who win the contracts are immense. far more in everyday life. “The Airbus so many areas from marketing to
Rendermedia was started in 2004 “At Farnborough we saw many contract is the tip of the iceberg: education that really engages the
by North Swindon resident Mark businesses vying to stand out and we can allow prospective buyers to user.”
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