Shortlist for East Midlands fbe Awards 2017 revealed

The organisers of an awards ceremony that recognises some of the best construction projects in the East Midlands and some of the industry’s brightest young stars have unveiled the list of finalists.

Among the shortlisted projects for the East Midlands fbe Awards 2017 are a number of university and school developments, as well as a museum and a renovated 18^th Century hall.

“We’re delighted to reveal the finalists for our 2017 awards ceremony, and look forward to announcing the winners at the East Midlands fbe Chairman’s Dinner & Awards night, held at the City Rooms in Leicester on 12^th October,” said Eddie Mewies, regional chairman of the East Midlands fbe and MD of M-EC Consulting Development Engineers.

“The event is an excellent opportunity to highlight the great work that goes on in the construction and development sector in the East Midlands and to network and catch up with acquaintances and meet new contacts. We would urge anyone who is keen to attend to snap up a ticket, as in previous years the event has sold out in advance.”

Around 150 professionals from the construction, development and property sector in the region are expected to attend the awards evening, which is being compèred by former England international rugby player and ex-Leicester Tiger player Peter Wheeler.

The shortlisted projects are:

Residential:

·       A Rural Housing Exception Scheme located on the edge of the village of Brant Broughton in Lincolnshire, providing affordable housing consisting of affordable rent and shared ownership tenures to meet an identified local need, nominated by architects Halsall Lloyd Partnership

·       A scheme to regenerate a once disused and overgrown 13.2 acres of land off Heathcott Road, Saffron Lane, Leicester, into a £7m community of 68 eco-homes that have been built to Passivhaus standard - one of the biggest Passivhaus affordable housing scheme in the country - nominated by architects rg+p

·       Six and seven-storey student accommodation development in London Road, Leicester, creating 132 bed spaces for Abode, incorporating a Fusion panel system – an offsite light gauge superstructure – which has brought a range of benefits to the scheme, including swift and efficient build time. Nominated by civil and structural engineer BSP Consulting

Non-residential:

·       Birkett House SEN School, Wigston, Leicestershire, a co-educational special school for 175 pupils aged four to 19, with a range of learning needs. This new facility - secured via Scape Procure - facilitated a collaborative approach from the start of the scheme. The new build consisted of additional support facilities to adjacent education campus, including hydrotherapy pool, new tennis courts and part refurbishment of the existing Academy. Built for Leicestershire County Council, it was nominated jointly by civil and structural engineer BSP Consulting and Willmott Dixon Construction

·       The £3 million redevelopment of Constance Stewart Hall at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln consisted of: phase 1 – the conversion of the existing catering facility into state-of-the-art teaching rooms, and phase 2 – a striking contemporary addition built over the existing building. It was nominated by architects LK2

·       Loughborough University STEMLab - a gateway development in a highly prominent position on the Loughborough University campus. It is the cornerstone of a £25m ‘student Learning Zone’ that will transform the West side of the campus. The £12m scheme involved the construction of a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths facility. It was nominated by Henry Brothers Midlands Ltd

Regeneration:

       The £2.3 million refurbishment and renovation of the Grade II listed Bridgford Hall, West Bridgford, near Nottingham, to create a luxury aparthotel and a civil wedding venue. Situated in West Bridgford’s heart, overlooking Bridgford Park, the former mansion had most recently been used as council offices and needed renovating, having been vacant since 2014. The scheme, which has breathed new life into this iconic building, was nominated by civil and structural engineer BSP Consulting and Robert Woodhead Ltd

       The Engineering Building at the University of Leicester, which in 2016 to 2017 underwent major work to replace the 2500 pieces of glass to the roof and façade and create an internal environment fit for modern-day teaching needs. One of the most architecturally important buildings of its era, the Engineering Building is utterly distinctive and the scheme was nominated by Pulse Associates Ltd

       New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester, which has received a grand new entrance following a six-month programme which encompassed the redevelopment of the ground and first floor and also included the foyer to the Grade II listed building. It was nominated by consulting engineer BSD.

The finalists in the Rising Star category, which recognises individuals working within the construction sector in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire or Nottinghamshire who are under 30 years of age and who have shown outstanding achievements in their field, whether that be in construction, design or associated professional or support services for the industry, are:

Civil engineering technician Jake Poulton, from M-EC, trainee M&E quantity surveyor Joe Gent and bid manager Tom Sowerby, both from J Tomlinson, and senior consultant and chartered surveyor Tom Spink from Pulse Associates Ltd.

Sponsors for the evening include the main sponsor, building company DW Hicks, consulting engineer BSD, which is sponsoring the drinks reception, consulting development engineer M-EC, which is sponsoring the Non-Residential Award, insurance expert Arthur J Gallagher, which is sponsoring the Regeneration Award, integrated building solutions firm J Tomlinson, which is sponsoring the Residential Award and accountants, business and tax advisor Duncan & Toplis, which is sponsoring the Rising Star Award.

This year, for the first time, the ceremony will be supporting the Wooden Spoon charity, an organisation dedicated to providing rugby coaching for disabled, or disadvantaged, children. The charity aims to positively transform the lives of young people across the UK and Ireland.

For the remaining few tickets for the awards evening and more details, visit http://www.fbeonline.co.uk/derby/events/fbe-east-midlands-chairmans-dinner-and-awards-2017.htm or contact Mary Daw on 07883 033552.

The fbe is a national organisation, with branches across the UK and is the longest established networking group for the property, development and construction industries. As well as running the annual awards scheme, the East Midlands branch also organises a number of social and other events. The East Midlands branch covers Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

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

Building services company J Tomlinson releases time lapse video of new ambulance station

A time lapse video showing the construction of a new community ambulance station for West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) has been unveiled by construction services company J Tomlinson.

The 90-second video shows the building at Etruria Valley, Stoke-on-Trent, taking shape over 32 weeks.

Appointed by St. Modwen to build the station, J Tomlinson recently handed over the 18,865 sq ft development. WMAS has since re-located from Penkhull to the purpose-built hub facility and community ambulance station, allowing the expansion of the service to meet the needs of Stoke’s growing population.

Martin Gallagher, managing director (construction) at Nottingham-based contractor J Tomlinson, said: “J Tomlinson was very pleased to have been appointed by St. Modwen to build the new ambulance facility serving the North Staffordshire community. This is the latest emergency services building that we have constructed and follows an award-winning new fire station in Nottingham completed last year for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service. It is also the third scheme we have constructed for St. Modwen.

“In addition, it also continued our existing relationship with West Midlands Ambulance Service, for whom we currently maintain 92 sites in the region. We are delighted to have now handed over the facility.

“It’s fascinating to watch the project taking shape from start to finish in just 90 seconds in our time lapse video.”

The new station is being used mainly for the maintenance and preparation of ambulance vehicles, including the repair, cleaning, re-stock and storage of ambulances and supplies, ensuring that ambulances are stocked and ready to go at the start of a shift. Part of the building also provides offices along with training space and facilities for staff.

The facility is located at St. Modwen’s Etruria Valley Business Park development, and joins major companies including Vodafone, DPD and Bet365. Etruria Valley is strategically located off the A53 dual carriageway and within 400 metres of the A500 urban expressway, linking Stoke to junctions 15 and 16 on the M6. 

Euan Lindsay, Development Manager at St. Modwen, said: “It’s great to see the project completed and WMAS now operational at Etruria Valley; like our other occupiers, they have found an ideal location, with easy access to the A500, the comprehensive facilities at Festival Park and the city centre.

“We are seeing significant ongoing investment in Etruria Valley and look forward to further developments coming on stream.”

J Tomlinson, which is based at Beeston near Nottingham, and operates 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 details, visit www.jtomlinson.co.uk

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

Former rugby international announced as compère for East Midlands fbe Awards 2017

Peter Wheeler

Rugby legend Peter Wheeler is to be the compere at the East Midlands fbe Awards 2017 ceremony.  

The former England international rugby player and ex-Leicester Tigers player has been revealed as the MC for this year’s awards, which take place on 12^th October.

Around 150 professionals from the construction, development and property sector in the region are expected to attend the awards evening and tickets are now on sale for the event.

This year, for the first time, the ceremony will be supporting the Wooden Spoon charity, an organisation dedicated to providing rugby coaching for disabled, or disadvantaged, children. The charity aims to positively transform the lives of young people across the UK and Ireland. 

Peter is Honorary President of the Wooden Spoon charity for Leicestershire.

“We are excited to welcome Peter, a well-known figure not only within the world of rugby but also across the East Midlands, to this year’s fbe awards. It promises to be a great evening,” said Eddie Mewies, regional chairman of the East Midlands fbe and MD of M-EC Consulting Development Engineers. 

Peter played 349 games for Leicester Tigers in a long and successful playing career during which he captained the team and also England.  He has been associated with Leicester Tigers for over 40 years with roles as a player, a coach and a director.

The evening will take place on 12^th October 2017 at the City Rooms in Leicester. Tickets are on sale and in previous years have sold out in advance.

“Not only does the evening acknowledge some of the best development projects across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, it promises to be a great opportunity to renew and build acquaintances in the construction sector within the East Midlands,” added Eddie.

Sponsors on board include the main sponsor, building company DW Hicks, consulting engineer BSD, which is sponsoring the drinks reception, consulting development engineer M-EC, which is sponsoring the Non-Residential Award, insurance expert Arthur J Gallagher, which is sponsoring the Regeneration Award, integrated building solutions firm J Tomlinson, which is sponsoring the Residential Award and accountants, business and tax advisor Duncan & Toplis, which is sponsoring the Rising Star Award.

For tickets and more details, http://www.fbeonline.co.uk/derby/events/fbe-east-midlands-chairmans-dinner-and-awards-2017.htm or by contacting Mary Daw on 07883 033552.

The fbe is a national organisation, with branches across the UK and is the longest established networking group for the property, development and construction industries. As well as running the annual awards scheme, the East Midlands branch also organises a number of social and other events. The East Midlands branch covers Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

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

Frozen food specialist Central Foods unveils delicious new cappuccino roulade

New cappuccino roulade from Central Foods

A stunning new cappuccino roulade has been launched by frozen food distributor Central Foods for foodservice dessert menus.

The delicious hand-rolled, soft, marbled coffee and chocolate meringue roulade, is filled with mild coffee-flavoured real dairy cream and chocolate flakes.

Free from wheat and gluten, and therefore suitable for coeliacs and those on a gluten-free diet, the cappuccino roulade is also suitable for vegetarians – providing a tasty treat that’s perfect for a range of dietary requirements.

It is the latest roulade in the popular Menuserve range of desserts supplied by Central Foods, one of the UK’s leading frozen food suppliers, and joins mouth-watering flavours that include lemon, mango and passionfruit, banoffee, raspberry and white chocolate, raspberry and hazelnut, Black Forest, and salted caramel.

“The Menuserve roulades are among our most popular products for many reasons, including their appealing presentation, delicious taste, home-made look, and the fact that they are suitable for a variety of diners, including vegetarians and those who avoid gluten,” said Gordon Lauder, managing director of Central Foods.

“With growing numbers of consumers following specific diets, for health, religious or lifestyle reasons, it’s important that foodservice operators cater for all and a product such as the Menuserve roulade is ideal. Frozen straight at the peak of quality and consistent every time, it’s sure to be a winner on any menu, whether that’s in a restaurant, hotel, pub, café or other food service outlet.”

The cappuccino roulade, which comes in a twin-pack with each roulade serving ten portions, contains no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. Each slice provides a generous plate coverage, giving excellent value-for-money.

The cappuccino roulade has a defrosted shelf-life of two days, if kept chilled.

Central Foods, which is based at Collingtree near Northampton, supplies more than 220 independent wholesalers, as well as larger national and regional wholesalers. It also supplies to foodservice caterers across the entire foodservice industry, including pubs, hotels, restaurants, staff canteens, schools, hospitals, coffee shops, football grounds and universities.

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.

The company has steadily grown since it was founded 21 years ago, and recently was named for the first time in a report by Grant Thornton as being in the top 100 companies in Northamptonshire. The company was also a finalist in the Family Business United Family Business of the Year Awards 2017 for the Midlands.

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

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