A housebuilding consortium comprising Davidsons Homes, William Davis Homes and David Wilson Homes has now broken ground on the first phase of 574 homes, open space and infrastructure at the Thorpebury development to the North-East of Leicester. Developer CEG, the landowner and the consortium exchanged contracts earlier this year to
Actis regional sales director and Women in Construction ambassador Jemma Harris has been inspiring young women to reject stereotypes and follow their dreams of a career in a male-dominated profession. Jemma, who is responsible for sales growth in the UK Northern region, was speaking to year 11 students at a
Bellway’s Berry Hill development in Mansfield is on the verge of selling out, with just five of the 146 homes still available to buy. Over 95 per cent of properties at the site have now been purchased since the first homes went on sale in 2019. Located off Sherwood Way
A team of students from Coventry University have developed a concept for a house that can float whenever a flood approaches and shelter people for at least six weeks during catastrophic weather. ‘The Floating House’, can also be used as storage for food, water, medicines, and sanitation products and is
It’s often said that you either adapt to the changes taking place or are eliminated. With the new dawn of technology, the phrase has been inevitable, especially in the business world regarding marketing. Marketing is the backbone of any business that aspires to do well, which is essential to invest
Whatever the size of your business, hiring a professional cleaning service is just common sense, both from a time perspective and financially. If you reside in the San Jose territory, Anita’s Housekeeping could provide you with the finest cleaning services you’ve ever had. But there are many additional benefits to
A housebuilding consortium comprising Davidsons Homes, William Davis Homes and David Wilson Homes has now broken ground on the first phase of 574 homes, open space and infrastructure at the Thorpebury development to the North-East of Leicester. Developer CEG, the landowner and the consortium exchanged contracts earlier this year to bring forward much-needed homes, including affordable housing, in Charnwood. This phase of the development, known as Thorpebury-in-the-Limes, will provide a comprehensive mix of housing, high-quality landscaping and green spaces including sports pitches, play areas, parkland and new walking and cycling routes. A new haul road and temporary bridge have been delivered to facilitate construction with access from Hilltop Road avoiding local villages. Earthworks, infrastructure and utilities will be delivered between now and the end of the year with work starting on housing construction in the new year. The first homes will be ready for occupation in late Summer 2022. Transport initiatives will also be delivered in nearby Barkby and Barkby Thorpe to reduce speeds and make travel through the village safer. There will also be financial contributions made for new education provision and other transport improvements. Will Martin, area manager at CEG, explains: “Three high quality housing partners have been selected to deliver the first phase. Along with the high-quality landscaping and open space, this will ensure an exemplary and characterful development.” CEG and the consortium have worked closely with Charnwood Borough Council to deliver a strategic approach to the design of this first phase, which will provide a mix of homes ranging from 2 to 5 bedrooms, including affordable homes. John Reddington, Managing Director at David Wilson Homes East Midlands, said: “We’re pleased to have this opportunity to deliver high-quality properties to Leicestershire homebuyers and invest in this growing community in Charnwood. “Exciting plans are in place for the development and we’re looking forward to seeing this community progress.” Jason Glover, Operations Director for Davidsons Homes, said: “We are delighted to work alongside CEG to deliver 217 one to five-bedroom homes at Thorpebury-in-the-Limes, including 43 affordable properties. This is set to be a flagship development in a fantastic location, including plenty of green open space, brand-new facilities and, of course, high-quality housing.” Guy Higgins, Managing Director at Loughborough-based William Davis Homes, said: “As regional builders, we’re passionate about creating high-quality homes and thriving communities in Leicestershire. We’re delighted to be involved in this very important development.” As a Charnwood business, William Davis Homes is already a major local employer and user of local suppliers. This includes the recruitment of Leicestershire teenagers to the company’s award-winning apprenticeship scheme. Adjoining the city, Thorpebury is close to existing employment, services and public transport links. Thorpebury will make a significant contribution towards meeting the Borough’s housing needs over the next 15 years. This private sector led development is forecast to create 3,500 construction jobs and 3,200 permanent jobs within the development, benefiting the local economy. Over the course of the development, which could be around 30-years, Thorpebury will ultimately deliver three distinct neighbourhoods comprising: A package of early interventions and traffic calming in Barkby and Barkby Thorpe. A multimillion-pound package of further transport improvements including a north-west link road between Barkby Lane/the A607 with a bridge across the railway line to reduce vehicle movements in the villages and a southern link road with an extension and improvements to Hamilton Park. Approximately 4,500 residential units, including family, first time buyer, affordable and Extra Care accommodation for the elderly Approximately 13 hectares of employment land Shops and services, healthcare facilities and new primary schools, within the main district and two local centres and a reserved site for a secondary school 48 hectares of parks, 61 hectares of natural green space including allotments, parks, play areas and open space. This will deliver biodiversity benefits through the delivery of new habitats 29 hectares of outdoor sports activities, including playing pitches and tennis courts New footpaths/cycleways, including connections to existing communities such as Thurmaston
Actis regional sales director and Women in Construction ambassador Jemma Harris has been inspiring young women to reject stereotypes and follow their dreams of a career in a male-dominated profession. Jemma, who is responsible for sales growth in the UK Northern region, was speaking to year 11 students at a school in Hull, and shared her own career path working in two very traditionally ‘macho’ environments – the Royal Navy, where she worked as a weapons engineer, and construction. She talked about the additional obstacles she, along with many women, faced to get to the top of the career tree – with advice on how to overcome them. She added that a depressing Gender Gap Index report report stated that it would take 108 years for society to close the global gender gap. She told them: “It sounds pretty boring selling insulation, but there’s actually a lot more to it than that. You get involved with the whole design and build process in construction and the eco side of things – saving the planet. “However, I have had to put the hard work in and overcome many obstacles, particularly as a woman in the industry that I currently work in and during my service in the Royal Navy. “I had to work that bit harder than the boys, particularly on board a ship. I was promoted later than others because I was a girl. I was overlooked for certain positions. These obstacles didn’t deter me from my goals. They made me more determined to succeed and prove myself to be just as good.” Her naval career also saw her receiving a medal for her role in the Gulf War, play football and win a physical fitness award. The talk inspired the young women to rethink their pre-conceived notions of the world of work, with 87.5% of them interested in pursuing a career in sales or business, as a result of what Jemma told them. Responses included: “Jemma’s talk gave us a chance to show young women that they can do anything that they actually want to do and that they don’t have to do the stereotypical ‘girl jobs’ and that girls are just as good as boys and that everything should be equal.” Another attendee said: “It helped open young minds that they shouldn’t listen to people who tell them that they can’t so something because they are a girl and that this is a ‘guy job.’”Jemma added: “Diversity and inclusion are always something industries should strive for. I’d like to think that, along with other women in the industry, we are making an impact and difference in inspiring the next female generation to get involved in construction.”
Bellway’s Berry Hill development in Mansfield is on the verge of selling out, with just five of the 146 homes still available to buy. Over 95 per cent of properties at the site have now been purchased since the first homes went on sale in 2019. Located off Sherwood Way East, at the southern edge of the town, Berry Hill features a range of three and four-bedroom detached and semi-detached houses. Bellway is expecting all homes to be sold by the beginning of the year, with construction work on this development due to come to an end in June 2022. “Sales at Berry Hill have been consistently strong ever since we first launched the development back in February 2019. The mix of three and four-bedroom house designs have proven extremely popular with buyers, while many people have been attracted by the prospect of living in a newly created village neighbourhood with a range of community facilities and outdoor space,” said Julie Wild, Sales Manager for Bellway East Midlands. “Although there are only five homes still to be sold, the properties yet to be purchased include a variety of different house types, offering plenty of choice for prospective buyers. There are currently two homes available to buy, with the final three plots – including our two four-bedroom show homes which are still open for viewings – due to be released onto the market soon.” Berry Hill is part of a wider neighbourhood of up to 1,700 new homes being created on the edge of Mansfield, including plans for a new primary school, health centre, shops, cafes and pubs. The two homes currently available to buy are both three-bedroom semi-detached properties, with prices starting from £232,000. The final three properties yet to be released, which include the two showhomes, are all four-bedroom houses with prices yet to be confirmed.
A team of students from Coventry University have developed a concept for a house that can float whenever a flood approaches and shelter people for at least six weeks during catastrophic weather. ‘The Floating House’, can also be used as storage for food, water, medicines, and sanitation products and is designed to enhance disaster resilience within a local community at family level. The Floating House is attached to four anchoring steel pilings which fix the structure in one place. Multiple recycled plastic barrels are then tied underneath the ground floor, and the walls and roof are constructed using galvanised metal sheets. In the event of a flood, the plastic barrels underneath the ground floor will give the house a raft-like capability to float above the rising waters. The team from Coventry Business School, comprising of Duc Toan Nguyen, Oluwadamilola Gbuyiro, Jesse David Mamodu, and Pauline Nalumango, with Dr Mehul Chhatbar as their academic lead, entered the concept in the HUMLOG Challenge global disaster preparedness competition alongside some of the world’s top business schools and made it into the top six. Their rivals included MIT’s Sloan School of Management and Australia’s Queensland University of Technology. The HUMLOG Challenge is an international virtual competition hosted by the Global Business School Network (GBSN) in partnership with the HUMLOG Institute and is focused on tackling humanitarian logistics and supply chain problems. The competition saw 37 team submissions from 16 countries on six different continents, representing 21 business schools. It focused on community disaster resilience in recognition of how the Covid-19 pandemic has tested communities across the world on preparedness and resilience. The HUMLOG Challenge recognises that these areas are essential to reduce the potential impact of humanitarian crises on a community’s most vulnerable. “The whole journey of participating in the HUMLOG challenge was both extraordinary and exciting for us. The four-week programme has not only enlightened us with a new concept of humanitarian logistics but also enabled our entrepreneurial skills to generate innovative solutions for those in need. Although our team did not win, the competition has significantly enhanced our teamwork skills, which is very important for our future careers,” said Duc Toan Nguyen, Team Coventry member. “Most importantly, I know for sure that my teammates Pauline, Jesse and Dami will be my friends for life no matter where we are long after our graduation.” Professor Sukanlaya Sawang, Associate Dean for Global Engagement, Coventry Business School, and GBSN Ambassador, said: “It’s wonderful to see our business school students being selected to the final round, alongside world-leading business schools such as MIT. This shows how Coventry Business School has been growing in reputation, especially in the global context.” Colorado State University Business School took the first prize, worth US$5,000, for their solution addressing local community involvement on mitigation and response for climate-induced natural disasters in Mozambique via a resilience kit.
It’s often said that you either adapt to the changes taking place or are eliminated. With the new dawn of technology, the phrase has been inevitable, especially in the business world regarding marketing. Marketing is the backbone of any business that aspires to do well, which is essential to invest in high-quality marketing to ensure the perpetual prosperity of any business. Many proprietors have opted to use marketing agencies as it’s a new promising trend. How do Marketing Agencies Work? Marketing agencies analyze the market and help their clients strategize marketing methods and implement them. To be more precise on what the marketing agencies do, below is a breakdown of their roles. Pinpoint promising marketing strategies- when the marketing agency helps the client identify a sound system, it is easy to achieve the target of pulling many fans towards your business page, resulting in increased sales and expansion. Manage marketing campaigns- After coming up with the strategies, the ball needs to be set rolling by executing the plan so that the client can analyze the results and weigh the business performance later on. Analyze marketing results- If the business performance is constant, the marketing agency develops new strategies to ensure that sound business performance is progressive. It’s vital to note that choosing the right marketing agency should be done gradually and carefully since the company’s success depends on them. One ought to select an agency that deals in your company’s specifications among the many agencies in the pool of marketing. Most effective agencies invest more time in content creation as it’s ”king” in marketing. Enticing content is the basis of any successful digital marketer. Content creation works hand in hand with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) which ensures that content is visible to a specific target audience. The goal of SEO is to make the right piece of content visible to the right person. It’s essential to note that SEO is not effective without content because it’s only with content that the search queries can be answered. Most marketing agencies make their work effective by maximizing the use of SEO with correct content for appealing results. If your website is not already optimized for search engines, work with a digital agency that specializes in SEO campaign management to get started. Steps Followed By Marketing Agencies During Content Creation • Setting goals When heading somewhere, it’s essential first to know where you are heading to. Similarly, the agencies note down their client’s set goals, then set theirs and strategize on how to attain them through content creation. The agent should know whether they aim to gain loyal customers, increase sales, or lead generation to discern the content to create. • Learn about the target market To create appealing content, marketing agencies know the kind of audience being addressed, and it’s therefore easy for them to cater for their needs which gives the audience satisfaction. The website is considered reliable and convenient. • Choosing the format This is important since it is easier for the agencies to plan on their budget. The format depends on the expertise of the agents. With less content, they start with simple structures and then build up as time progresses. • Creating a strategy After the goals are set, the target market is identified, and the format is chosen, the marketing agency gets organized by creating a strategy for writing the content. This includes choosing topics to cover, assigning tasks to writers and the media team. • Weighing Performance To keep track of their performance, marketing agencies can analyze their performance data like online platforms, which they make compelling by ensuring their data runs throughout. This is a way to help them monitor their activities. Benefits of Using Marketing Agencies 1. It’s Relatively Cheap – Hiring a marketing agency is affordable because there is only more to gain than lose after hiring them. This is because the business maximizes on its sales, and the profit being plowed back increases. 2. Agencies are well known for their expertise in emerging trends in the market- For best results, one has to hire the best. Agencies are well vast with the latest trends in the marketing world in technology and data analysis. Performance-driven agencies use the knowledge to deliver the right content to the right audience and in the appropriate season. 3. Have experience and valuable talent- Experience is only mastered after a long period of practice. With experience, there is an assurance of good performance delivery since there is the ability to handle many tasks. After a long period of training, there is the betterment of skills, and there is talent. 4. Ability to scale demand- Agencies can scale the targeted audience demand depending on the change of seasons and preferences. It is hard to get an individual familiar with this field which is why agencies are a recommendation. 5. A broad set of skills- Skills of the company’s staff are complemented, and the more the skills, the more the productivity. It makes work easier since every team specializes in their best qualification as the agency deals in marketing. 6. New ideas and fresh perspectives- Bringing a marketing agency to the company is a plus since they complement the already used views by coming up with new ones, which might be the answers to the company’s shortcomings. 7. Marketing campaign strategies are streamlined- Having a marketing agency ensures that marketing is done effectively, new plans are made to make the campaigns effective and productive. 8. Agencies quantify results – It’s essential to keep a clear track of a company’s performance so that it’s easy to improve on the weaknesses and improve the strengths. Marketing agencies use project management tools to analyze performance data, and through this, they are able to come up with new plans for improving results. Wrap-up To stand a chance of beating your competitors, one is advised to go an extra mile in what they do. There is a lot of competition in the business world where
Whatever the size of your business, hiring a professional cleaning service is just common sense, both from a time perspective and financially. If you reside in the San Jose territory, Anita’s Housekeeping could provide you with the finest cleaning services you’ve ever had. But there are many additional benefits to outsourcing these tasks to an experienced and reliable team beyond simply freeing up your time; from making your workspace more environmentally friendly to reducing absences in your staff. These are some of the advantages that professional cleaning services can deliver. Services Tailored to Your Individual Requirements Each business is different, and the same can be said of your business premises too. Professional cleaning services give you the opportunity to tailor and customise the services you receive to suit your specific needs. For example, you may be particularly concerned about allergens and dust, you might have carpeted floors and want more time spent on maintaining them or you might have curtains instead of blinds and need a professional team to carry out upholstery cleaning. Whatever your needs, a flexible team will be able to adapt their services to address and prioritise what’s important to you. Air Quality is More Important than Ever With the pandemic still a vital factor in how businesses operate, air quality is something that more of us are thinking about than ever before. Investing in professional cleaning services can help you maintain a cleaner, more hygienic work environment that contributes towards cleaner air. Sanitation is always essential, but it’s even more critical during these challenging times and professional cleaners will be able to carry out cleaning jobs to a much higher standard, providing a better first impression for visitors but also a safer space too. Create a More Productive Environment Cleaning services not only create a more hygienic space but also a tidier one, which means your employees don’t need to waste time tidying up before they can get on with their work. An organised work environment can positively impact productivity by enabling employees to concentrate more effectively, and fostering a stress-free space that’s conducive to producing great work. Additionally, studies have shown that polluted indoor air quality can lead to a drop in productivity, since it’s believed that it diminishes cognitive function, while also being impactful to our breathing and overall health. Maintain Environmentally-Friendly Standards With the planet in crisis, we’re all being urged to do more for the environment and rethink how we operate, both on a personal level and commercially. As a result, more businesses are seeking ways to be sustainable and eco-friendly, and that can filter through to cleaning supplies and methods too. Professional cleaning companies are legally required to ensure that they conduct their business according to certain codes and regulations, such as disposing of waste materials safely and in a way that doesn’t impact the environment. For environmentally-aware businesses, this provides confidence that they aren’t impacting the planet in a negative way and that the premises you work in are adhering to strict standards. Boost Morale Within the Team In the same way that customers won’t want to spend time in a store or restaurant that’s messy and unclean, your staff won’t want to work in an environment that suggests their employers are indifferent to their wellbeing. With our awareness of hygiene heightened, it’s understandable that no-one will want to come into work when they know they’re going to be surrounded by germs and dirty surfaces. It sends the message that you don’t value your team, and that can have a big impact on morale. Investing in professional cleaning services shows that you care and that you want to provide a healthy, comfortable workspace for your team, and this can help to boost morale and staff happiness. Free Up Additional Storage Space Another benefit of investing in professional cleaning services for business owners that often gets overlooked is that there’s no need to store cleaning supplies and tools on-site. For virtually all businesses, finding additional space is always a challenge and easy solutions will be welcome. A professional cleaning team will bring their supplies and cleaning materials with them, which means that you can put each area of your work premises to better use. It also means that you don’t need to work around dirty mops, wet cloths and strong-smelling chemical cleaners. The Advantage of Hiring an Experienced Cleaning Professional Cleaning is one of those tasks that takes time, and when you’re running a business, it’s not the best use of those limited hours. However, it is essential for your brand’s reputation and for the wellbeing of your staff and customers. In addition to saving you time and money, investing in professional cleaners has a broader range of benefits for your business. They help by creating a healthier space for staff, that can reduce absences through sick days, to helping your business adhere to eco-friendlier practises and creating a more productive workforce.
