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

Derbyshire farm shop Croots boosts its parking facilities to cater for demand

Steve Croot in the new car park.

Popular Derbyshire farm shop Croots has doubled the size of its car park to cater for increasing numbers of customers.

As it gears up for Christmas and its busiest time of the year, the farm shop near Duffield has opened a second car park to create additional spaces.

The new hardstanding area has effectively doubled the number of car parking spaces at the farm shop in Wirksworth Road to around 56.

“Croots Farm Shop & Café has become a popular destination for shoppers and diners, and we wanted to make sure that our visitors could park – whether they were coming to shop, visit our café for coffee, lunch or afternoon tea, or to use our children’s play area,” said Steve Croot, who runs the shop with wife Kay Croot.

“We’re situated at the end of a 500m drive and many of our visitors come by car, so this will make it easier for customers to find a space, especially as we are now heading towards our busiest time of the year when we expect a lot of visitors to the Christmas events we have planned, as well as those coming to do their shopping or join us in the café.”

The new car park is near the top of the drive, just a few metres away from Croots Farm Shop & Café.

Croots, which opened in June 2008, is an award-winning family run farm shop – well known for its wide array of quality food and drink, homemade produce and gifts. It has an extensive butchery counter and a well-stocked cheese display, making it a big favourite for foodie fans in Derbyshire.

It also sells a range of bakes created exclusively for Croots by Great British Bake Off contestant Val Stones who is the sister of Steve Croot.

Earlier this year, Croots Farm Shop won the People’s Choice in the Midlands Award in the Family United Business Awards.

“We’ve expanded the shop and the café since we opened, and improved the drive, so it’s logical to also extend the car park,” added Steve. “We have additional improvements in the pipeline too, as we continue to boost our facilities and customer experience.”

Croots Farm Shop, based at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, near Duffield, is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (Shires Eatery until 4.30pm) and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays. Croots runs Fresh Fish Thursdays between 9am and 1pm on Thursdays.

For more information, visit http://www.croots.co.uk. Find Croots on Twitter @crootsfarm_shop or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Croots-Farm-Shop

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

J Tomlinson appointed on £7.25 million M&E student accommodation contract

J Tomlinson awarded student accommodation contract

J Tomlinson has won a £7.25 million contract to provide mechanical and electrical engineering services for a new 922-bed student accommodation scheme.

The company has been appointed by main contractor Galliford Try to undertake the M&E work on the £52.5 million development in Paradise Street, Coventry.

The new halls will be built across three blocks of three, 12 and 14 storeys on the site of a former garage close to the city centre, with an additional two low-rise house blocks. Further landscaping will also be created including a recreational area for the students, as well as office and maintenance facilities for the proposed management company AXO Student Living.

J Tomlinson has been secured to design, supply, install and commission the mechanical, electrical and plumbing services for the project by Galliford Try’s Building East Midlands business, which has been appointed by The Elite Group to develop the scheme.

“J Tomlinson has wide experience of providing both integrated building services or standalone mechanical and electrical and plumbing services for clients, across many sectors, and we are very pleased to have been appointed by Galliford Try on this student accommodation development,” said Tony O’Toole, J Tomlinson’s managing director – mechanical and electrical.

“This is a key contract for our M&E team and throughout the bid we used our ‘One Team’ approach for all items, working collaboratively alongside our customers and suppliers. We have a good working relationship with Galliford Try and are delighted to be part of the team bringing this scheme to life.” 

The project is due to start shortly, with completion expected in August 2019. J Tomlinson’s project manager will be Phil Paddock.

Nottingham-based J Tomlinson, which also has an office in Canwell, Sutton Coldfield, operates primarily across the East Midlands, West Midlands and Yorkshire. The company provides a range of integrated building solutions including construction, refurbishment, repairs and maintenance, mechanical and electrical services (M&E), and facilities management.

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

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

Derbyshire Shire Horse Association hands over donation to palliative care unit

Derbyshire Shire Horse Association at Croots

Derbyshire Shire Horse Association has presented £500 to the Nightingale Macmillan Unit, a specialist palliative care unit at the Royal Derby Hospital, following the group’s annual open day.

The money was raised from admission fees, raffle tickets, a tombola and sponsorship from local companies – and was handed over during a ceremony at Croots Farm Shop.

Staged at Farnah House Farm, just outside Duffield, and the home of Croots Farm Shop, the show is an annual event which attracts pedigree Shire horses from across Derbyshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire.  

“We have held our annual event at Farnah House Farm for several years and plan to hold it there again on the first Sunday of next August. We are delighted to have raised £500 for the Nightingale Macmillan Unit,” said Sheila Shardlow, treasurer of the Derbyshire Shire Horse Association.

Approximately 30 Shire horses took part in the show, dressed in all their finery – attracting crowds of visitors.

Farnah House Farm is the home of Jim Yates, President of the Derbyshire Shire Horse Association, and his wife Sue, who have been breeding and rearing Shire horses for many decades. Jim is also the chairman of the executive committee of the Shire Horse Society, the only national charity that is dedicated to the protection, promotion and improvement of the Shire horse.

Their daughter Kay Croot, who runs Croots Farm Shop with her husband Steve, said: “We thoroughly enjoy hosting the annual open day run by Derbyshire Shire Horse Association, and are pleased that the event raised so much money for a local good cause.”

Photo caption, front row, left to right, Simon Livesey, who is chairman of Derbyshire Shire Horse Association, Janet Sanders, from the Nightingale Macmillan Unit, Jim Yates, president of the Derbyshire Shire Horse Association, and committee member Kay Croot, from Croots Farm Shop, with other committee members of the Derbyshire Shire Horse Association.

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

Focus completes project management role at Grade I listed hall

Kelmarsh Hall

A previously inaccessible area of a Grade I listed hall is being opened to the public following a conservation project which has been managed by Focus Consultants.

The scheme at Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens in Northamptonshire - entitled ‘Tunnelling through the Past’ - has conserved the former stable yard, laundries and the servants’ areas in the basement of the house.

Thanks to a £1.3 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and funding from Daventry District Council grant scheme, along with the charity’s own fundraising efforts, the history of the lives of the servants at the hall will now be showcased to visitors.

Nottingham-based Focus Consultants, which specialises in delivering high quality heritage projects across the UK, has been involved with the project from the end of 2015 until completion, undertaking a project management role.

Project manager at Focus Jo Hardwicke said: “The main opening of this exciting new interactive visitor experience will be on 1^st April 2018, when the hall reopens to the general public, but there will be an exclusive preview of the spaces next month as part of the National Lottery ‘Thank You’ week to lottery players, when Kelmarsh Hall holds a Christmas Fair on 17^th December.

“As a company, Focus has wide experience of conservation, restoration and other projects within the heritage sector, and we have been thrilled to have played a role in conserving and opening up these previously inaccessible areas at Kelmarsh Hall to give the public a glimpse into the history of the servants who lived behind the scenes at this wonderful hall.”

Currently just the main living spaces in the grand Grade I listed hall are open to visitors, and guided tours provide in-depth insight into the history of its famed past residents, such as designer Nancy Lancaster. But following the conservation project, undertaken by contractor Stone Edge, and after the introduction of the latest technologies, a full sensory experience of what life was like for those who formerly worked and lived at the property will be available. Tablet devices will help visitors to interpret the rooms in detail, whilst augmented reality will bring the spaces to life with period characters appearing to tell their story.

Lesley Denton, general manager for the Kelmarsh Trust said: “The conservation of the laundry and basement which are connected by a fantastically preserved tunnel has been a long road. It has been over six years from my first meeting with the HLF to the handover of the capital works by Stone Edge. The Kelmarsh Trust has been so fortunate to work with each and every one of the professionals involved, from our accountants and architects to the designers and interpretation experts. However, none of it would have been dealt with so professionally if we had not appointed Focus Consultants as our project managers. Jo and Steve have ensured we got where we are today by solving the problems, and there have been some, in a reassuring and effective manner. I cannot thank them enough.”

Focus, which has its headquarters at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, and branches in London, Leicester and Boston in Lincolnshire, offers a range of services, which include securing funding packages and project management. Since its creation in 1994, Focus has helped to secure more than £953 million of grant assistance for a range of projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.3 billion of projects and programmes – making it one of the most successful companies of its kind.

Focus also 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