Focus dives into leisure centre projects

Burgess Hall leisure centre bar

Focus Consultants is playing a key role in improving leisure facilities in Cambridgeshire.

The company was appointed to provide construction consultancy services for the fast-track refurbishment and alteration project to Burgess Hall Events and Conference Centre in St Ives.

The centre, run by One Leisure, the in-house leisure provider for Huntingdonshire District Council, has undergone a replacement of the bar, floor and toilets as part of a wider rebranding and redevelopment programme to provide modern leisure facilities. Huntingdonshire District Council has invested more than £10 million at a number of centres, including St Ives, in the past five years to provide high quality leisure centres to meet public demand.

“The refurbishment was carried out within a challenging programme with limited access due to ongoing events,” said Focus Consultants building surveyor Chris Smith.

“The project team worked together to successfully complete in time for a planned 90s night, featuring boy band Five. Positive feedback has since been received from the public, now that the work has finished.”

Now Focus has also been appointed to provide construction consultancy for the refurbishment and alterations to the One Leisure St Neots Swimming Pool in Cambridgeshire, which is due to start shortly.

“Focus has wide experience of providing construction consultancy services in the leisure sector, and we are delighted to be playing a role in upgrading and improving facilities in Cambridgeshire,” added Chris.

The work has been handled by the Boston office of Focus, which has its headquarters in Nottingham and branches in Leicester and London.

Focus offers a range of services to the property and construction industry, including building surveying, quantity surveying, project management, and sustainable development support.

For more information, visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Construction Leaders Club focuses on navigating through Brexit

Construction Leaders Club workshop.

Business growth organisation, the Construction Leaders Club, is running a series of workshops to help firms in the sector become ‘Brexit ready’. 

The East Midlands-based group has created a framework to help businesses protect themselves and plan for growth and development beyond Brexit.

Now the Construction Leaders Club is planning to share the ideas in a series of workshops to be run in the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire area – starting in February.

Business growth consultant Terry O’Mahony, who runs CLC, said: “Small business owners don't always have the time or resources to effectively lead and manage seismic changes in the marketplace and their business. We are heading into uncharted waters as the UK prepares to leave the European Union, and it’s vital that small and medium-sized businesses do what they can to prepare as much as possible for this.

“The team at the Construction Leaders Club has made it their mission to be on hand to help business leaders and managers navigate their way through and beyond Brexit.” 

The Construction Leaders Club, which is believed to be the only business growth, leadership and management development organisation for the construction industry to be awarded the new Chartered Building Consultancy status, was founded by Terry O’Mahony four years ago. It offers networking and business growth advice - supporting businesses and individuals related to or associated with the UK construction industry.

The workshops will be run by Terry and Peter Jubb, a business development and marketing consultant who has worked within the construction sector for many years, and will be held at Risley Hall Hotel, Risley in Derbyshire, near junction 25 of the M1 – starting on 9^th February 2018.

“In just one workshop, we will be offering advice on how to re-engineer businesses, accelerate profitability, reduce exposure to commercial risk and to leveraging every opportunity open to business leaders,” explained Terry. “We welcome small business owners, senior decision makers and leaders who want to develop their business and teams.”

The first half-day workshop runs from 9am to noon, and will focus on the importance of being Brexit ready, how to understand fully your current business situation; identify and evaluate the best way forward; and create an effective plan.

As well as running development programmes and workshops, the CLC also stages monthly networking events, with the next one scheduled for Thursday 8^th February at 10am at The Grill at Twenty Five, 25 Bostock’s Lane, Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire, NG10 4EP.

For more details about the workshops or networking events visit www.constructionleadersclub.com

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Trio of promotions at BSP Consulting

BSP Consulting promotes three members of the team.

Three members of the team at civil and structural engineering firm BSP Consulting have been promoted to new positions.

Chartered civil engineer Carol Ell and chartered structural engineer Monika Anszperger have become associates, while associate Tim Wilson has stepped up to associate director.

Carol, who works in BSP’s Leicester office in De Montfort Street, joined the company in July 2004, while Monika, who is based in the Derby office at Pride Park, joined in January 2014.

Tim, who has been with BSP since 2005, heads up the civil engineering team in Leicester.

BSP MD David Sumner said: “These changes reflect the much-increased responsibility levels that Tim, Carol and Monika now embrace and perform for the company. I and the BSP team congratulate them on their achievement.”

BSP, which is based at Oxford Street, Nottingham, provides a comprehensive range of consultancy services in civil, structural, geotechnical, transportation and environmental engineering to all sectors of the construction community, from architects, project managers and contractors to developers and estate agents. It was founded in 1999 and operates across the East Midlands and the UK.

For more information, visit www.bsp-consulting.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

J Tomlinson completes £6 million training hub for Volvo Car UK

Volvo training hub built by J Tomlinson

The construction team at J Tomlinson Ltd has completed a brand new, state-of-the-art training hub for premium car brand Volvo Car UK.

The £6m project also included the creation of 154 extra parking spaces for the multinational vehicle manufacturing company, at its site in Daventry, Northamptonshire.

The original centre, which had been delivering training to Volvo employees since 1980, had comprised two medium-sized facilities. However, after 36 years – a period which has seen Volvo’s own brand evolution, as well as technological advancements and the continuous development of training techniques and methods - the company no longer considered its original facility to be in line with its considerable growth and objectives.

Following a collaborative working relationship with Volvo, J Tomlinson has now handed over the new Training and Development Centre, equipped with modernised facilities including remote video and web-based technologies, stylish training rooms and an electric car charging area.

J Tomlinson worked closely with the brand to ensure all finishes were implemented in line with the Volvo Retail Experience (VRE) – Volvo’s corporate identity that focuses on creating inspiring spaces that are ‘cool on the outside, warm on the inside’. Some elements of the VRE within the new building include large exterior and interior glazing (promoting the brand’s transparent and open nature), a cosy cake and refreshments area, and a vibrant lounge complete with Scandinavian-designed furniture, which seeks to aid relaxation for all staff and visitors.

Martin Gallagher, managing director (construction) for J Tomlinson, said: “We are very pleased to have handed over Volvo’s new Training and Development Centre - a project we thoroughly enjoyed working on.

“It has been a pleasure and an honour to work alongside a business with such passion, ambition and a shared drive to provide the best experience for its staff and customers.”

Jon Wakefield, Managing Director, Volvo Car UK, said: “I’m very proud of our new training facility, which represents a significant commitment to both our operations in Daventry and our retailer network throughout the country.

“The site is a fitting accompaniment to Volvo’s transformation into a true premium car brand that is a technological leader, as well as the big improvements we are introducing to the customer

experience.”

Volvo Car UK is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volvo Car Corporation. Headquartered in Maidenhead, it sells, services and maintains Volvo cars through a dedicated network of franchised dealers. Volvo has been present in the UK since 1956. 

Nottingham-based J Tomlinson, which operates primarily across the East Midlands, West Midlands and Yorkshire, provides a range of integrated building solutions including construction, refurbishment, repairs and maintenance, mechanical and electrical services (M&E), and facilities management. 

For more information, visit www.jtomlinson.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

New gluten-free sausage roll launched by Central Foods

Menuserve gluten-free unbaked sausage roll
from Central Foods 

Frozen food distributor Central Foods has boosted its free-from range with the introduction of a gluten-free sausage roll.

The Menuserve unbaked, unglazed gluten-free puff pastry sausage roll is filled with lightly seasoned British pork and is ideal for a wide range of catering and hospitality outlets.

Perfect for a plated meal or a light lunch, as well as a grab-and-go or takeaway option, the sausage roll is the latest in a wide range of free-from items supplied by the distributor, which include both savoury and sweet products.

It has been introduced in response to increasing demand from consumers for gluten-free options, as well as the continuing interest in foods with provenance and consumers’ passion for British pork and other meats. It also fits well with the increasing trend for snacking, with surveys showing that some 67% of people snack daily, and 64% of people saying that snacks are chosen to satisfy a craving (*Technomic 2017 Trends).
“There is a plethora of delicious sweet gluten-free products available for foodservice now, but sometimes savoury items are overlooked,” said Gordon Lauder, MD of Central Foods.

“The Menuserve gluten-free sausage roll is perfect for coeliacs and those who opt for a gluten-free diet.

“Coeliac UK estimates that there are now over 1.3 million Britons or 3% of British adults following a gluten-free diet. In addition, 8.58 million, or 13%, are avoiding gluten in their diet, so it’s hardly surprising that we are seeing an increase in demand for gluten-free items.

“As a leading frozen food supplier to the wholesale and foodservice sector, Central Foods has been working with Coeliac UK since 2009 as part of our commitment to sourcing and supplying free-from foods, and we are very pleased to have added the sausage roll to the comprehensive range of gluten-free items we have available.

“We see the gluten-free sausage roll, filled with British pork, as a great product to fulfil a number of current trends, including the trend for snacking, the increasing demand for free-from items, the popularity of hand-held food products, and the interest in provenance, particularly of meat.”

Based in Northamptonshire, Central Foods has been supplying frozen food to the foodservice sector for more than 21 years. It currently supplies more than 220 independent wholesalers, as well as larger national and regional wholesalers, and foodservice caterers across the entire foodservice industry.

Offering a one-stop shop to the foodservice sector, Central Foods sources products from around the world and the UK, supplying more than 400 different lines, ranging from meat, bakery items and canapés through to buffet products, desserts and puddings.

For more information about Central Foods, visit www.centralfoods.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk