A survey of Build UK members has found that the shortage of skilled labour has become more severe since Brexit, despite the EU referendum outcome not having an immediate slowdown in work for UK contractors overall. The survey shows that in the three months following the referendum, labour costs are
The preferred bidders for the first three contracts to build the £55.7 billion HS2 rail line have been chosen. It is understood that joint ventures between Costain / Skanska, Morgan Sindall / Bam Nuttall / Ferrovial and Laing O’Rourke / Murphy have been chosen as the successful bidders for the
SIG Roofing ’s ONE Warranty for pitched roofing has gone from strength to strength following its launch in October 2015, with many contractors now taking advantage of this single package warranty. To provide even further benefits, additional industry leading products have been included to give contractors, property owners and specifiers
Considerate Constructors Scheme crowns Most Considerate Companies and Most Considerate Supplier at 2016 National Awards The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the national scheme established by the construction industry to improve its image – has recognised the Most Considerate Companies and Suppliers at this year’s National Awards. Four companies were presented
BIM – THE CATALYST IN PROVIDING THE NHS WITH 21ST CENTURY BUILDINGS The NHS is facing additional challenges as it moves towards delivering a 24/7 service. With patient welfare at the top of everyone’s agenda, building for the future has never been as important as it is now. An increasing
Power Control has appointed Greenville Electrical as its key Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) representative in Northern Ireland. Greenville will offer PCL’s range of UPS systems to its customer base. Greenville is now trained across PCL’s complete product offering of three phase solid state, modular and single
25 June 2016 – by Alexander Peace The uncertainty created by the EU referendum has provided a welcome distraction from many of the problems facing the UK residential market. But slowing global demand, tax changes, liquidity and affordability issues have not gone away. It is time to get back to
The latest research from Co-operative Insurance has revealed that more than 2.5 million households in the UK – over half (66%) – have been the victim of green fingered thieves in their gardens at least once. Nowadays, it’s not just a few stems of your prized roses that may be
Willerby Lifestyle, a division of Willerby Innovations, has signed new deals with four holiday home dealerships. The agreements are set to bring its wide range of off-site modular solutions to holiday parks throughout the UK from next year. After a successful show season, Southern Counties Leisure, Harrison Leisure, Salop Leisure
Hard working learners throughout the North East have been recognised at the North Tyneside Adult Learner Awards. Organised by North Tyneside Council, the ceremony celebrated the achievements of adult learners and praised their hard work. A total of five awards were available, with the winners taking home a glass trophy
A survey of Build UK members has found that the shortage of skilled labour has become more severe since Brexit, despite the EU referendum outcome not having an immediate slowdown in work for UK contractors overall. The survey shows that in the three months following the referendum, labour costs are on the rise and there has been a significant increase in the number of contractors unable to bid for jobs because they cannot afford the workforce. At the end of June, the UK voted in favour of leaving the European Union in a referendum and while it will be at least two years before the UK actually leaves the EU, there is still uncertainty about what the impact will be in the end. Trade deals will need to be put in place that will determine the extent the UK will continue to support the free movement of people and goods. Build UK’s state of trade survey for Q3 of 2016, covering the months straight after the referendum (July to September) show that while members of Build UK saw their workloads increase immediately after the vote, there were more and more difficulties in recruiting skilled operatives. However, the survey does not shed any light on whether the result of the referendum may have in any way contributed to the recruitment problems recently experienced by the construction industry. An unrelated report from brokers Willis Towers Watson on the implications of Brexit for the UK construction industry states that the industry is currently relying on foreign labour from within the EU, with migrant workers currently filling around 12% of the 2.9 million UK construction jobs. The Build UK survey does show that labour shortages stopped a quarter of contractors from bidding for work during the third quarter of this year, a number that has increased from 16% in Q2.
The preferred bidders for the first three contracts to build the £55.7 billion HS2 rail line have been chosen. It is understood that joint ventures between Costain / Skanska, Morgan Sindall / Bam Nuttall / Ferrovial and Laing O’Rourke / Murphy have been chosen as the successful bidders for the three phase one enabling packages worth a combined total of £900 million. Last December, the shortlist for the £300 million enabling packages was revealed, with five consortiums battling it out for each of the North, Central and South sections of the line. It is understood that Costain / Skanska has won the southern section of the line, Laing O’Rourke / Murphy has scooped the northern section and Morgan Sindall / Bam Nuttall / Ferrovial’s Fusion JV will take on the central section. The procurement process is now set to go into a period of standstill, with official contracts set to be awarded in the next few weeks if there are no challenges. Major joint ventures between Balfour Beatty / Vinci and Carillion / Eiffage / Kier missed out on all three lots, while Bouygues / Sir Robert McAlpine / Morrison Utility Services / VolkerFitzpatrick and Galliford Try / Hochtief / Dragados missed out on one each. Included in the work will be site clearances, structural reinforcements, demolition, drainage and other associated work. The work is due to get underway early next year. The award of the enabling contract has come almost two months later than scheduled, with companies having initially expected a decision to be made on HS2 in August. Last week, companies submitted bids for the first of the seven civil packages, worth a total of £11.8 billion. Bids for the remaining six packages will be submitted between now and Christmas. HS2 expects to award the civils packages in the spring, which have a combined value of £11.8bn.
SIG Roofing ’s ONE Warranty for pitched roofing has gone from strength to strength following its launch in October 2015, with many contractors now taking advantage of this single package warranty. To provide even further benefits, additional industry leading products have been included to give contractors, property owners and specifiers alike yet more choice and flexibility. ONE Warranty is designed to support the build-up of the roof from batten to roof coverings. The warranty covers the performance of all products involved in the build-up for 15 years under one single package warranty that is easy to use and understand, and all at no extra charge. As the strapline simply says; ONE Roof, ONE Name, ONE Warranty! Additional manufacturers to ONE Warranty include; Klober, Welsh Slate, SIGA Heritage, Dupont Tyvek, JLM, Young Black, Paslode, TIL-R and TIL-R Classic. These leading manufacturers’ products include; underlays from Klober’s Permo® Air and Dupont’s Tyvek® Supro and Supro Plus. Coverings from Welsh Slate and SIGA Heritage’s latest addition Reproduction Reclaimed Slate, along with a range of Klober’s pitched roof ventilation products, Jamestown Metals Ltd’s Zinc Ridge, Slate Hooks from Young Black and Batten Nails from Paslode are also featured. These latest products add to the existing coverings from industry leading SIGA Natural Slate, SIGA Heritage Reproduction Stone and SIGnature Clay Tiles, along with a range of market leading accessories including; SR Timber’s Premium Gold Batten, TIL-R’s pitched roof underlays, and a wide range of flashings, fixing and ridges from ALM, TIL-R and Red Bank – to name just a few. ONE Warranty has been extremely well received Janine Brady, Marketing Manager for SIG Roofing, explained: “ONE Warranty has been extremely well received and the number of contractors registering is literally growing by the day. We are really pleased to be able to increase the value of ONE Warranty by including additional industry leading products. By working with these manufacturers, contractors can enjoy an even wider range of products that are all of a high standard and highly sought after, so not only will the property owner have peace of mind knowing their roof is covered, the contractor can rest easy, knowing that they’re using top quality products.” Contractors wanting to take advantage of ONE Warranty simply have to register online at www.sigroofing.co,uk/onewarranty – once registered they will receive membership details and marketing materials to use for their customers. Following purchase and installation of the relevant products, contractors can easily register their project online in order for ONE Warranty to take effect. With 70% of contractors having had to replace a roofing product through a warranty claim and the removal of the frustration and time that contractors face when having to deal with multiple suppliers for a roof warranty claim, SIG Roofing is confident of the value that ONE Warranty brings. Whilst the scheme provides a number of valuable benefits; the key advantage is its simplicity. Users are able to take advantage of the warranty and a full service provided by SIG Roofing with no additional costs, whilst being able to enjoy a reduced and simplified administration process For more information visit www.sigroofing.co.uk/onewarranty or contact a local SIG Roofing branch.
Considerate Constructors Scheme crowns Most Considerate Companies and Most Considerate Supplier at 2016 National Awards The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the national scheme established by the construction industry to improve its image – has recognised the Most Considerate Companies and Suppliers at this year’s National Awards. Four companies were presented with the coveted top award of ‘Most Considerate Company 2016’, they are: Connect Plus Services (annual turnover: £10m and over); Rydon Maintenance – Islington (annual turnover: £3.5m to <£10m); Linfoot Country Homes Ltd (annual turnover: £250k to <£3.5m) and Solent Industrial Roofing Systems (annual turnover: Under £250k). HSS Hire Service Group Ltd triumphed as the ‘Most Considerate Supplier 2016’, making them the first registered supplier to win this prestigious title since Supplier Registration was introduced in 2014. The Considerate Constructors Scheme’s National Awards are one of the most respected accolades in UK construction. By registering with the Scheme, companies and suppliers demonstrate a strong commitment to improving the image of the industry. The awards recognise the highest performing companies and suppliers which have demonstrated excellence in relation to the community, the environment and their workforce. The prestigious awards ceremony took place on 10 and 11 November at the Four Seasons hotel in London. In total 21 Gold, 32 Silver and 43 Bronze Awards were presented to registered companies, and two Gold, one Silver and four Bronze Awards to registered suppliers. Of the Gold Award winners, seven companies were shortlisted and received the ‘Most Considerate Company Runner-up’ and one supplier the ‘Most Considerate Supplier Runner-up’. Connect Plus Services undertakes planned and reactive highway maintenance works to sections of the M25 motorway and its arterial link roads through a 30-year contract with Highways England. This enthusiastic and safety-conscious team was applauded for its constant refinement of depot and site safety, and consideration of its workforce. Linfoot Country Homes Ltd is a family-owned business located near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, specialising in high quality new and converted homes in the South Midlands for over 20 years. In constantly striving to achieve yet higher standards, this company projected an image which was a credit to all those involved. Rydon Maintenance (North London Region) is in the 13th year of a long-term contract with Islington Council for the repair and maintenance of more than 6000 properties. This potentially intrusive work demands a high degree of care and consideration and this was clearly demonstrated by Rydon through its community work. Based in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Solent Industrial Roofing Systems specialises in providing roofing services industry-wide. One recent project was for a storage building on a military base in Wiltshire and the company spared no effort in ensuring the development was sensitive to the client’s operations security standards. Undertaking inner London deliveries is no easy task, but HSS Hire Service Group Ltd, whose head office is based in Mitcham, south west London, has robust policies and procedures in place to ensure professional, safe and efficient operations. Proud to honour the great achievements Considerate Constructors Scheme Executive Chairman Isabel Martinson said: “Congratulations to all award winners. The Scheme is hugely proud to honour the great achievements of top performing registered companies and suppliers. Over 900 companies and suppliers registered with the Scheme in the past 12 months, representing significant growth on the previous year, and making competition even tougher. With such high demand for construction activity across the UK, it is essential that the industry works collaboratively and continues to raise standards.” Click here to see each of the winners in the categories of Runners-up to the Most Considerate Company Award, and Runner-up to Most Considerate Supplier Award, as well as each Gold, Silver and Bronze Award winner. Visit Twitter @CCScheme #ccsawards and the Scheme’s LinkedIn company page to see more from the awards ceremonies.
BIM – THE CATALYST IN PROVIDING THE NHS WITH 21ST CENTURY BUILDINGS The NHS is facing additional challenges as it moves towards delivering a 24/7 service. With patient welfare at the top of everyone’s agenda, building for the future has never been as important as it is now. An increasing and ageing population, coupled with escalating costs, are putting a huge strain on healthcare budgets. Building Information Modelling (BIM), together with offsite construction techniques, affords quicker, informed decisions about building for the future. With many NHS trusts across the UK in debt and facing unprecedented financial challenges, the introduction of BIM offers some hope for estates managers looking to deliver savings, whilst lifting building quality, as Jim Gowan, design manager at Actavo | Building Solutions, explains: The BIM treatment Simply put, BIM is an NHS estate manager’s dream. The holistic answer to the construction industry’s unrelenting question of how to build everything and anything more safely and faster, BIM achieves higher quality standards more cheaply and, when coupled with offsite construction, creates even greater efficiencies. BIM relies heavily on better planning and design, so a building can perform to the highest standard throughout its lifecycle, from concept to demolition. In one model, BIM pulls everything together – stakeholders’ opinions, optimising environmental performance, supply chain management and identifying clashes early in the construction process. What’s more, the government is leading the way – a main contractor builder tendering for a public building must have BIM Level 2 fully engrained into their business. BIM4Health in practice The NHS has a responsibility to account for its assets and the launch of BIM4Health, in November 2014, was a key step towards greater transparency. BIM4Health’s focus is on BIM Level 2 and getting the supply chain to shift from a culture of independence towards one of collaboration – which is what BIM is all about. Combining the expertise of every party through one 3D, integrated, digital model to optimise a building’s performance, BIM results in a greater whole-life cost value of the asset, from a building’s primary use to how that may change over time. The upfront cost is clear and the savings to be made in the future are transparent. 3D visualisation of what a new build will look like, its environmental performance and savings made throughout a building’s life, enables estates managers to see beyond bricks and mortar and the possibility of modular methods. Time is of the essence in the healthcare sector and we will see a shift from traditional building methods to the quick design and delivery using offsite construction. For example, a small outpatient or specialist treatment facility can be operational after just one month’s onsite works, whereas a traditional build programme generally takes upwards of 26 weeks. BIM brings real opportunity to personalise buildings to meet not just sustainability and environmental targets. but also the needs of today and the future. BIM – fits offsite construction better than traditional Offsite or modular construction methods have often been seen as expensive compared to traditional build – but BIM is a game-changer. Modular buildings can now be built to any specification – BREEAM, PassivHaus or AECB. As BIM helps extend design life, it can exploit advances in materials and improvements in sustainability and energy efficiency. Although initial costs are broadly similar, the speed of build and reduced time onsite delivers tangible benefits for modular over traditional build. The whole-life cost and efficiencies weigh in favour of offsite. Buildings manufactured in factories and assembled onsite make the construction industry safer due to their more controlled environments. They are also faster – just four weeks, in some cases – making it easier for estate and facilities managers to plan and re-direct resources. The capabilities of offsite more than match traditional build. Patient wards, theatres, A&E departments and cleanrooms can all be designed, built and delivered in 12 weeks, reducing the impact on bed availability and the need for interim short-term hire. Actavo | Building Solutions was one of the first offsite construction companies to meet BIM Level 2 and it has been fully integrated into the business since July 2015. Instrumental in winning new business, Actavo can showcase the true benefits of offsite build as a quick, cost-effective and high-quality solution.
Power Control has appointed Greenville Electrical as its key Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) representative in Northern Ireland. Greenville will offer PCL’s range of UPS systems to its customer base. Greenville is now trained across PCL’s complete product offering of three phase solid state, modular and single phase UPS solutions. To support Greenville’s product knowledge, the company will be fully supported by PCL’s service and maintenance teams and has 24 hour access to the company’s technical and project support departments. The two companies have already supplied and commissioned Borri Ingenio 50kVA & 100kVA UPS solutions. Commenting on the new alliance, Greenville’s business development manager, Simon Murray, said: “As suppliers of critical equipment, much of which form the basis of electrical infrastructure, we have been looking for a power protection partner to complete our portfolio. PCL is the perfect fit for us. Delivering on performance, efficiency and resilience, the company’s UPS technologies and expertise are incredibly desirable for the Irish market. “In addition, PCL offers an unparalleled level of technical and service support and I have already been thoroughly impressed with the expertise and professionalism demonstrated by the complete PCL team from product sales through to engineering and maintenance. “Greenville is extremely excited about this new partnership and we are confident that we will be able to help PCL become a leading UPS authority in Northern Ireland.” Source link
25 June 2016 – by Alexander Peace The uncertainty created by the EU referendum has provided a welcome distraction from many of the problems facing the UK residential market. But slowing global demand, tax changes, liquidity and affordability issues have not gone away. It is time to get back to worrying about the regular problems. Pricing and affordability The pricing and affordability of assets lies at the heart of many of the housing market woes. From rising land costs to mortgage regulation, slowing demand for UK housing from across the world and stretched affordability, different aspects are affecting individual markets around the country. In London, weakening sales to international buyers and buy-to-let investors are taking a toll on new-builds. “One of the greatest threats to investment and development stems from the sustainability of prices being paid in some markets and how much further there is to run on sustainable yield compression,” says Richard Donnell, director of research at analysts Hometrack. Outside of London, while house prices are more reasonable, slow wage growth and mortgage regulation are still stretching the bounds of affordability, which Susan Emmett, residential research director at Savills, sees as a risk to future growth. “What we need is to wait and see whether the interventions announced, like starter homes or the beefing up of shared ownership and Help To Buy in London, will help address that,” she says. Meanwhile, land prices and construction costs are pushing up the price of building – for all modes of development. While build-to-rent might be booming, viability is not just a concern in London. “Land supply remains a huge challenge, not least because, as build-to-rent developers, viability is modelled differently from housebuilders,” said Tony Brooks, co-managing director at developer Moda Living. All the content from this weekís magazine, including this article, is available in the new app. Policy Amid wavering demand, policy changes, rather than inspiring the market, have added to the uncertainty. “There is a lot of policy that has a big effect on the market, regardless of what happens with the vote,” says Emmett. “Changes affecting buy-to-let investors are significant. If we see that part of the market calming, the question is will other parts of the market surge to replace it?” Concerns are not restricted to tax changes. Housing association regulatory changes announced over a year ago are now starting to bite in housebuilder models. According to Donnell, the knock-on effect of the 1% rent cut for housing associations and its impact on demand for Section 106 on schemes is a big issue. Similarly, how starter homes will affect viability is open to interpretation. By replacing all affordable housing with homes for sale, schemes are more vulnerable to shifting market sentiment and lose out on upfront contributions from housing associations for affordable units. “Government has not helped by putting all of its incentive eggs in one basket: for the for-sale model,” says Simon Rawlinson, head of research and insight at design consultancy Arcadis. He says the lack of diversity in the UK’s delivery model and the resultant cyclicality in the market is the source of many of the UK’s housing woes. “The fact we have only one housing development model for direct sale to owners is the biggest weakness, as it gives no other forms of delivery,” he says. Affordable housing Of course, concerns are not just centred around economics: other social issues are emerging as affordable housebuilding totals take a tumble. “Due to the widening of the definition of the term ‘affordable’, in recent years there has been a significant element of displacement activity with a major drop in the development of social rented houses, being replaced by the new ‘affordable rent’ housing,” says Tim Shaw, head of London development at Carter Jonas. In London, Sadiq Khan won the mayoral race with a ticket that put a heavy emphasis on the provision of real affordable housing. Other councils could start to do the same, as starter homes encroach further on affordable build numbers. Back to reality While the supply imbalance in the residential market remains, political, regulatory and financial factors can all still take their toll on the UK residential market. None are new threats, but they have been quietly pushed to the back burner ahead of the referendum. Now it is time to get back to reality. • To read more about the property industry and the EU referendum, click here. Source link
The latest research from Co-operative Insurance has revealed that more than 2.5 million households in the UK – over half (66%) – have been the victim of green fingered thieves in their gardens at least once. Nowadays, it’s not just a few stems of your prized roses that may be lifted from your garden, digging up entire garden plants, such as shrubs, trees, hanging baskets and even turf top the list of most sought after items, as a quarter (25%) of households admit to having these stolen, followed by garden machinery (18%), garden furniture and pots (16%), and even Chimeneas (7%) and Koi Carp (4%). You can get go to Globo Surf to replace these items or buy new ones for your garden. Top 10 garden items at risk of being stolen 1 Plants, shrubs, trees, hanging baskets, turf 25% 2 Garden Machinery, such as lawn mowers, strimmer’s and hedge cutters 18% 3 Garden furniture 16% 4 Pots 16% 5 Children’s toys, such as playhouses, slides, swings, battery operated cars 14% 6 Sculptures 8% 7 Barbecue 8% 8 Chimenea 7% 9 Sports equipment, such as goals, golf clubs, cricket set, fishing rod 7% 10 Koi Carp 4% With people investing more time and money in their outdoor spaces, it’s not surprising to see that since 2011 the average cost associated with a garden theft has risen by almost half (48%). According to Co-op claims data the average total claim now stands at £208, putting a total of £517m worth of garden items at risk. Despite this, over three quarters (77%) of adults didn’t claim for the items on their home insurance, whilst (5%) had no home insurance in place. As The Royal Horticultural Society warns that generation rent are neglecting their gardens, it seems they are also neglecting their home and garden’s security measures, as Co-op research also reveals that homeowners are more likely to take extra security measures, than those who rent accommodation. Over a quarter (26%) of renters admit to neglecting the security of the garden in their homes, by having no security measures in place at all, in comparison to (18%) of homeowners. Caroline Hunter, Head of Home Insurance at The Co-operative, said: “As summer approaches, now is the perfect time to spruce up your garden and clean off the outdoor furniture ready for enjoying the sun. However, relaxing days shouldn’t lead to lax security. Unfortunately garden items are desirable to thieves so make sure that things are locked away or taken inside when you aren’t in the garden. Also don’t leave items outside such as bikes which could entice thieves or items, such as ladders, which could assist a thief in entering your property. Nowadays, the garden is increasingly becoming an extension of the home. As people expand their living space outdoors, they are undoubtedly spending more on their gardens however many probably don’t consider just how much they are spending and we’d advise them to update their insurer about their al-fresco purchases.” Jim Maddan OBE, Chair of Neighbourhood Watch, said: “We want people to enjoy their summer without becoming a victim of garden theft. After a day in the garden it’s important to make sure all your valuable items are put away again and any sheds and garages are properly secured with a heavy duty padlock. Make sure you lock your garden gates too – particularly your side gates – as we know that thieves will always go for the easiest option when looking to steal and much prefer an unlocked gate.” If you have trees in your garden, get Riverside tree experts to check your trees. Analysing insurance claim stats from 20011 to 2015, July and August see a peak for such thefts which is almost twice as likely to happen (45%) than the month of February The Co-operative Insurance offers the following top tips for protecting your garden against crime: Check your insurance: Check you have adequate insurance cover and make sure you are clear on what is covered. Most household policies will be covered up to a certain amount, but insurers may specify that items should be locked in a shed, garage or brought into the house. If you have left your items unlocked and outside, insurers may refuse to pay out. Don’t advertise to thieves: Lighter evenings mean all your expensive power tools, bikes and children’s toys are more visible to opportunist criminals, be sure to keep any valuable items out of sight and wherever possible, keep them locked away or indoors. Mark your valuable items: If possible, tag items, such as patio furniture, BBQ’s, expensive pots and garden machinery with your postcode using invisible ink. In addition to this take photos of your valuable items should an insurer want proof of ownership. Remove climbable items: One of the most common pitfalls is making climbable items accessible to thieves, items such as ladders and wheelie bins can be used by burglars to get into a home, therefore it is important to store them where they can’t be seen or reached by thieves, or lock them up so they can’t be moved. Lock up your valuables: Secure sheds with a padlock attached to a strong hasp and staple. Ensure shed hinges are secured with coach bolts. Always ensure gates, garages and outbuildings remain bolted with a secure lock. If you have a tree or plant that is valuable, invest in an automatic alarm that wakes you, should anyone try to remove it. Source link
Willerby Lifestyle, a division of Willerby Innovations, has signed new deals with four holiday home dealerships. The agreements are set to bring its wide range of off-site modular solutions to holiday parks throughout the UK from next year. After a successful show season, Southern Counties Leisure, Harrison Leisure, Salop Leisure and Skegness Caravan Sales have all become dealers of Willerby Lifestyle products. All four were already dealers of Willerby Holiday Homes and the new Willerby Lifestyle products will complement the product range they already offer. Southern Counties Leisure is a sole distributor of Willerby lodges and holiday homes, and serves over 120 holiday parks across the South West from Devon and Cornwall to Gloucestershire and Somerset. SCL now offers the full Willerby Lifestyle range, which includes the brand new Rutherford and Hive Collection. Recently, Southern Counties Leisure has supplied Woolcombe Bay Holiday Park in Devon with the Reef from Willerby’s Hive Collection, to become one of the first holiday parks to offer the new glamping pod for short breaks from next March. Across the Midlands and Wales, Salop Leisure, which has expanded its offering in recent years to cater for a more varied range of holiday homes, has also added Willerby Lifestyle products to its range. The Salop Leisure team was impressed by the whole range, taking both Willerby’s Freeport and Montana units to demonstrate to holiday parks at its own trade show in September. Both Harrison Leisure, which owns several family operated caravan parks across the North West, and Skegness Caravan Sales will also be adding Willerby Lifestyle products to their core offering. Following the new deal, Harrison Leisure will be supplying Willerby Lifestyle products to holiday parks throughout the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales as well as Lancashire and North Wales while Skegness Caravan Sales will cover the east of England from Lincolnshire and Norfolk right down to Bedfordshire and Essex.
Hard working learners throughout the North East have been recognised at the North Tyneside Adult Learner Awards. Organised by North Tyneside Council, the ceremony celebrated the achievements of adult learners and praised their hard work. A total of five awards were available, with the winners taking home a glass trophy and shopping vouchers. Cabinet member for Children, Young People and Learning, Cllr Ian Grayson, commented: “North Tyneside has a great reputation for offering high quality adult education and helping people to reach their full potential. “I am delighted we have been able to recognise the achievements and efforts of these learners and I’d like to say congratulate everyone who was nominated in this year’s awards.” This year’s winners included: Sandra Girvan Adult Learner of the Year (aged 19 years and over): Emma Wilson studied Functional Skills English. Emma achieved this award by overcoming many challenges in her personal life. She showed outstanding motivation during the course and supported her peers with difficult tasks. Dean Ash was also nominated and won this category after studying a Diploma in Practical Horticulture level 1. He was nominated because he had grown in confidence during the course and had selflessly supported other learners on programme. Young Learner of the Year (aged 16 to 18 years): George Dixon who undertaking a business admin apprenticeship with North Tyneside Council. George won this category due to his determination to challenge himself above and beyond the requirements of the programme. Apprentice of the Year: Sarah Godlington is working towards a business admin apprenticeship with the council too. Sarah won the category due to her being an outstanding role model for other apprentices. Group/Class Learners of the Year: This category was won by the Introduction to Hospitality group. The group was nominated by their tutor who said the group worked hard to overcome a variety of challenges to develop an outstanding work ethic and demonstrated the importance of working as a team. Volunteer of the Year: Paul Ward was nominated by the tutor he supported, who said that Paul worked with young people in the construction department.