Younger generations embracing DIY, but many lack the know-how to tackle electrical jobs Published: 26 May, 2016 New research by Electrical Safety First has found that under 35s are undertaking DIY projects three times as often as people aged 35 and older – with the former undertaking DIY, on average,
28 May 2016 – by Deirdre Hipwell Few tickets are more coveted than those for the opening preview gala night of the Chelsea Flower Show. This is the event that takes place after the Queen and her entourage have visited the gardens and occurs on the Monday night before the
14 October 2016 | Jamie Harris Propertyserve has secured a contract with Galbraith Property Services, a property management business. The service provider will provide planned and reactive maintenance services to Galbraith’s residential property portfolio across the Midlands, the South-East, Greater London and the South-West.
Construction work at a new wind farm on Teesside is set to take a big step forward with the forthcoming arrival of the first turbine components. Part of The Banks Group, Banks Renewables, started work on the Lambs Hill site in March this year and since then has been undertaking
The UK construction industry has launched a female mascot called Honor Goodsite, created by the Considerate Constructors Scheme, the national organisation established to improve the industry’s image. Honor Goodsite will promote everything that is good about the industry, helping to increase awareness and inspire young children to consider a career
A Liverpool based architect firm has won an international design competition to create a more sustainable future for the most remote inhabited island in the world. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced that a team led by Brock Carmichael Architects has won the design ideas competition for the
Blackpool Pleasure Beach has confirmed that it is to build a brand new £16.25m rollercoaster. During its development, the project has been given the code name ‘Construction 2018’. The rollercoaster will be made by Mack Rides at its factory in Waldkirch, Germany and will open in Blackpool in Spring 2018.
A report published by Carbon Clear has found that for the third consecutive year, BT Group are setting sustainability standards for FTSE 100 companies. The telecommunications giant has shown a comprehensive approach to carbon and sustainability reporting, firmly cementing their position as one of the best practice leaders of the
Veolia, on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) is planning to develop a site for the disposal of all Hertfordshire’s domestic waste at Ratty’s Lane in Hoddesdon. The firm gave a presentation to Broxbourne Council last week providing details of why it was needed, the way it would operate, the
Younger generations embracing DIY, but many lack the know-how to tackle electrical jobs Published: 26 May, 2016 New research by Electrical Safety First has found that under 35s are undertaking DIY projects three times as often as people aged 35 and older – with the former undertaking DIY, on average, 56 times a year while individuals aged 35 and over limit their DIY activities to just 16 times a year. Despite just a third of under 35s reporting that they could change a light fitting (and just over a quarter reporting that they could wire a plug), nearly half would consider taking on electrical DIY themselves, compared to 37% of over 35s. “Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube tutorials are inspiring younger DIYers,” explains Phil Buckle, director general of Electrical Safety First. “And there are, undoubtedly, some DIY jobs that people can do themselves. But given that well over a quarter of a million people are seriously injured by electricity each year – and over half of all fires in UK homes are caused by it – electrical work should really be left to the professionals. “Previous research found that around one in 12 had caused significant damage to their property, or had to pay for costly repairs because of botched DIY, after following advice found online, and a recent survey of registered electricians discovered that 15% of them had been called in to repair DIY jobs that had caused an electrical fire, with a third reporting that such work had caused clients to experience an electric shock. So while the internet is a great resource, it’s no substitute for the real thing – a professional who can do the job safely and effectively.” Image courtesy of Shutterstock/ Syda Productions Source link
28 May 2016 – by Deirdre Hipwell Few tickets are more coveted than those for the opening preview gala night of the Chelsea Flower Show. This is the event that takes place after the Queen and her entourage have visited the gardens and occurs on the Monday night before the gardens open to the public on Tuesday. It is where, if you are a chief executive, banker or consultant worth your salt, you need to be seen. This year, I managed to snaffle a ticket. Arriving at the event and walking through the London Gate, I was flanked by Sir John Ritblat on one side and Donald Mackenzie, co-founder and co-chairman of CVC Capital Partners, and Sir Roger Carr, chairman of BAE Systems, on the other side. All the content from this weekís magazine, including this article, is available in the new app. They were just the start of what became, for me at least, a “spot the bigwig” competition and within the first 10 minutes I had spied Stephen Hester, the former boss of RBS and current head of RSA (and a keen gardener); Tidjane Thiam, chief executive of Credit Suisse; and Sir Martin Sorrell. I may have been imagining it, but Sorrell, the founder and chief executive of advertising and public relations giant WPP, still seemed rather flush with the success of being awarded a £62.8m share package last month – one of the largest pay cheques in British corporate history. The great and the good were also out with their spouses to view the gardens, with Ritblat rubbing shoulders with Nick Leslau, Chris Grigg from British Land, Ian Hawksworth from Capital & Counties and Chris Ireland, UK chairman of JLL, among others. Click here to read the full story Source link
14 October 2016 | Jamie Harris Propertyserve has secured a contract with Galbraith Property Services, a property management business. The service provider will provide planned and reactive maintenance services to Galbraith’s residential property portfolio across the Midlands, the South-East, Greater London and the South-West. This marks the first time Galbraith has outsourced its facilities management operation. Chris MacDonald, managing director at Propertyserve, said: “This win also sees Propertyserve making inroads into the residential property sector – an area we are seeking to expand in the coming years.” Source link
Construction work at a new wind farm on Teesside is set to take a big step forward with the forthcoming arrival of the first turbine components. Part of The Banks Group, Banks Renewables, started work on the Lambs Hill site in March this year and since then has been undertaking a number of site preparations, construction and infrastructure development activities. Components for each of the wind farm’s four turbines have started to arrive this week, with erection work set to get under way on October 4. They will be shipped into the region through Teesport and will travel along the A19, A689 and A177 before being taken through Stillington to the site at Lambs Hill. Community relations manager at The Banks Group, Lewis Stokes, commented: “Work on the Lambs Hill site has progressed well over the summer and we’re excited to reach the point where the turbines will begin to rise. “Modern, efficient onshore wind farms such as Lambs Hill are acknowledged as providing the lowest cost form of carbon-free renewable energy generation for the UK, and we firmly believe they have a central role to play in the UK’s future energy mix, as well as in generating more of the energy that we all use via renewable means.” Contracts worth in excess of £1 million have been awarded to North East sub-contractors as part of the creation of the Lambs Hill Wind Farm, which will have an installed capacity of up to 10MW. Stokes added: “The Lambs Hill wind farm has already brought a range of tangible economic, employment and supply chain benefits to the local area, and we are getting ever closer to being able to generate clean green energy from it.” The multi-million pound offshore wind farm is to be built off the coast of Northumberland, and will safeguard hundreds of jobs in the region.
The UK construction industry has launched a female mascot called Honor Goodsite, created by the Considerate Constructors Scheme, the national organisation established to improve the industry’s image. Honor Goodsite will promote everything that is good about the industry, helping to increase awareness and inspire young children to consider a career in the construction industry when they grow up, while also delivering important messages about children’s safety in and around construction sites. Honor Goodsite is a structural engineer, which is an important profession within construction, but one that is still very much underrepresented by women. Just 6% of the parents surveyed by the Institution of Engineering and Technology said that a career in engineering would be attractive to their daughters; the challenge they face is to help change these perceptions among both parents and children. She will join the highly successful industry mascot Ivor Goodsite, a site manager who was introduced by the Scheme in 2003 and since then has visited hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren throughout the UK. Honor Goodsite’s first outing was at the Victoria Station Upgrade project – a £700 million project that has transformed one of the busiest stations in the capital. The Taylor Woodrow BAM Nuttall Joint Venture delivering this project hosted the launch of Honor Goodsite, with the assistance of 19 children. Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive, Edward Hardy, commented: “The Scheme is delighted to be launching the UK construction industry’s new mascot, Honor Goodsite. Honor has a hugely important role to improve the construction industry’s image with future generations. “As a role model for promoting gender diversity and equality in construction, Honor will encourage schoolchildren to understand the wide range of careers available, while helping to change perceptions of the sector as male-orientated.” Considerate Constructors Scheme Director Caroline Barker added: “I am delighted that the industry now has a female mascot. As the first female engineer to be recruited at a leading construction organisation in the 1980’s, I know first-hand how exciting an industry it is for everyone.”
A Liverpool based architect firm has won an international design competition to create a more sustainable future for the most remote inhabited island in the world. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced that a team led by Brock Carmichael Architects has won the design ideas competition for the main island of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic. The team also includes Oval Partnership, Arup International Development, Multi QS and Dr Gerda Speller from the University of Surrey. Tristan is located 1,750 miles south-west of Cape Town. Life there is largely dictated by the weather, with the island only being accessible by sea for around 60 days per year because of the severity of the ocean swells and limitations of the harbour facility. Tristan da Cunha is actually made up of four islands – Tristan (the main island), Nightingale and Inaccessible, which together form a group, and Gough Island that lies 220 miles to the south-east. Tristan is the only island with a permanent community, known as Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, which has a population of approximately 270 people. The competition, run by RIBA Competitions on behalf of the Government of Tristan da Cunha, sought design ideas for the island community of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas. The competition encouraged innovation and cost-effective proposals for the redesign and consolidation of Tristan’s government buildings and community infrastructure. The brief encouraged initiatives to improve the performance and standard of residential properties, along with improvements to grazing and the year-round growth of fresh produce. Also included in the shortlist were design teams led by: Lateral Office (Toronto, Canada); John Puttick Associates (New York, USA); Scott Brownrigg (Cardiff, UK) and Javier Terrados and Fernando Suárez (Seville, Spain). Tristan da Cunha administrator and head of government, Alex Mitham, commented: “On behalf of the community of Tristan da Cunha I would again like to thank everyone who participated in the competition, and particularly the five shortlisted teams who further refined their proposals during the second, design development phase.”
Blackpool Pleasure Beach has confirmed that it is to build a brand new £16.25m rollercoaster. During its development, the project has been given the code name ‘Construction 2018’. The rollercoaster will be made by Mack Rides at its factory in Waldkirch, Germany and will open in Blackpool in Spring 2018. A double launch will see thrill seekers propelled forward at high speed at the beginning of the ride and at a second point half way through the two and a half minute experience. Riders will experience the same G force levels as those felt by the driver of a Formula 1 car while the launch of the ride will feature acceleration that is four times that experienced in a Lamborghini Gallardo. Construction 2018 will reach heights of 88.5ft with drops of up to 82ft. Deputy Managing Director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Nick Thompson, commented: “We have been working on this concept for five years now and are delighted to be able share news of our plans. “Construction 2018 will be fast, adrenalin fuelled and exhilarating but also smooth and comfortable – an entirely new ride experience. “It sees a significant investment in Blackpool Pleasure Beach. We expect to see thrill seekers flock to the park to experience this UK ride first.” Thrill seekers have been filled with further anticipation since Amanda Thompson posted images of herself on social media outside the headquarters of ride builder Mack. Earlier in the day she had teased followers by tweeting: “Sun is out the sky is blue and a big announcement is due.” Images have been posted on internet forums which appear to show two other tweets from Amanda Thompson one of which referred to a ‘double launch coaster’ due to open in 2018. Those posts are no longer on the theme park boss’s account. Earlier in the year plans for a major new ‘launch’ coaster, likely to be built by Mack, were posted on internet forums.
A report published by Carbon Clear has found that for the third consecutive year, BT Group are setting sustainability standards for FTSE 100 companies. The telecommunications giant has shown a comprehensive approach to carbon and sustainability reporting, firmly cementing their position as one of the best practice leaders of the FTSE 100. The sixth yearly report published by Carbon Clear ranks all of the FTSE 100 companies on their: carbon measurement and reporting; strategy and targets; emissions reduction; engagement with stakeholders; and, innovative approach to sustainability reporting. A copy of the full report which looks at trends for the FTSE 100 and names the top 20 companies can be downloaded here – info.carbon-clear.com/hubfs/Reports/Sustainability_Reporting_Performance_of_the_FTSE_100.pdf. Among the key findings of the report are five more firms setting carbon emission reduction targets based on climate science than in the previous year. The research shows that businesses that set ‘science based targets’ are more likely to achieve, or even exceed their initial aims. There has also been a 9% rise to 64 companies who use or purchase renewable energy in comparison to last year. The report suggests that the Paris climate change negotiations in December last year could have influenced the awareness of climate issues among FTSE 100 groups. The report finds that a variety of businesses within the FTSE 100 are showing that growth is enhanced by sustainable business practices, not limited by it. Marks and Spencer Group scored marginally behind BT to rank in second place. The business has been praised for its consistent and holistic approach to delivering meaningful carbon reductions, particularly in the way it works with both the supply chain and customers to cut down on emissions. Unilever ranked third and is the only business that scored full marks in the new ‘innovation’ section. The company has shown an admirable commitment to long term sustainability leadership.
Veolia, on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) is planning to develop a site for the disposal of all Hertfordshire’s domestic waste at Ratty’s Lane in Hoddesdon. The firm gave a presentation to Broxbourne Council last week providing details of why it was needed, the way it would operate, the timescales for construction and the issues most likely to concern local residents. HCC initially wanted a waste plant to deal with the county’s non-recyclable waste at New Barnfield in Welwyn Hatfield, however after a public inquiry, the Government concluded that this should not be permitted. Therefore, attention has turned to a site on the Hoddesdon Business Park, adjacent to the current gas fired power station. It would have the capability to burn some 350,000 tonnes of waste every year from throughout Hertfordshire. The presentation was requested by Broxbourne to provide all Councillors with first-hand information on the proposals. The primary issues covered related to lorry movements, visual impact, emissions and impacts on wildlife. A planning application is due to be submitted next month, with construction due to start next year. The goal is to have the plant operational by 2020. Leader of the Borough Council, Councillor Mark Mills-Bishop said: “The Council is grateful to Veolia in presenting its proposals direct to local Borough Councillors. Before reaching any firm conclusions about the proposal, we will have to wait until the full details are made available to us when the planning application is submitted in October. “However, based upon what I have seen so far, I have concerns about the sheer size of this building, which I understand would be much taller than the adjacent existing power station, and the volume of lorries which would be delivering rubbish to the site. Naturally we will need to take advice on these and other issues such as the potential effects of emissions on air quality and health, and on other environmental interests.”
