Nearly 90% of local authorities experienced increase in demand for allotments (APSE) 38% of local authorities now have waiting lists of 1,000 people or more (APSE) National Allotments Week (9-14 August) to highlight benefits of growing your own produce As National Allotments Week 2022 approaches, the value of the 18
A new urban sky park created on a disused railway viaduct in Manchester has been unveiled and will open to public visitors from Saturday, July 30. Castlefield Viaduct, a giant 330 metres long steel structure, has been transformed over the past five months into an elevated park with trees, plants
Story Plant is a specialist plant hirer to the UK rail industry which operates a diverse fleet of road rail vehicles fitted with SITECH® Trimble Technology to ensure quality, safety, and delivery in a sector where timescales are tight, and delays are costly. Based in Carlisle, Cumbria, Story Plant have a historic relationship of using SITECH machine
GMG Energy of Halladale in Sutherland has won the Best Natural Capital project category, sponsored by Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm, at the Scottish Highland Renewable Energy Conference (SHREC) Awards 2022. GMG Energy is an innovative, environmentally conscious business whose mission is to provide customers in the North with much-needed
A Yorkshire firm of engineers is seeing strong growth in the residential development sector as it continues to expand its operations and secure new work outside the region. RWO, based in Park Square in Leeds, has won undisclosed contracts to supply civil and structural engineering services to support the multi-million-pound
Harworth Group plc, a leading regenerator of land and property for sustainable development and investment announces the launch of “Project Spur”, a single family Built to Rent (“BTR”) portfolio of around 1,200 homes across 10 of its development sites. Harworth is today publishing marketing materials for the scheme, which represents
Willmott Dixon Interiors has completed the £47.35 million refurbishment of London South Bank University’s (LSBU) London Road Building. The national fit-out and refurbishment specialist contractor has redeveloped the university’s learning environments as part of one of the biggest transformation programmes in its history. The new learning hub features modern workspaces,
Story Plant is a specialist plant hirer to the UK rail industry which operates a diverse fleet of road rail vehicles fitted with SITECH® Trimble Technology to ensure quality, safety, and delivery in a sector where timescales are tight, and delays are costly. Based in Carlisle, Cumbria, Story Plant have a historic relationship
The London Construction Awards is an evening to celebrate all of the success, development and innovation of the construction industry over the last year. And a chance to celebrate all the different parties that make the industry what it is today from solution providers to architects to local authorities. With
SEGRO – the leading owner, manager and developer of modern warehouses and industrial property – and Groundwork – the federation of charities focused on mobilising practical community action – have worked in partnership to create a new outdoor green community space in Willenhall, Coventry The scheme has also provided support
Nearly 90% of local authorities experienced increase in demand for allotments (APSE) 38% of local authorities now have waiting lists of 1,000 people or more (APSE) National Allotments Week (9-14 August) to highlight benefits of growing your own produce As National Allotments Week 2022 approaches, the value of the 18 allotment planters at Quintain Living’s Canada Gardens in London’s Wembley Park during their first full growing season is becoming truly apparent. The allotment garden has become a hub for residents of all ages to get together and connect with nature, to socialise over shared growing tips and to enjoy producing fresh, seasonal food for the whole family. Taking place from 9 to 14 August, National Allotments Week 2022 is all about gardening with nature in mind, as well as raising awareness of the role of allotments in nurturing communities and supporting people to grow their own food, live healthier and more active lifestyles and connect with one another. Demand for allotments has soared since the pandemic. According to the State of the Market Report (Allotments) 2021 from the Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE), nearly 90% of local authorities experienced increased demand for allotments as a result of Covid-19. “Gardening and growing your own food can do so much to boost health and wellbeing – both physical and mental. This is why Quintain Living provides allotment beds at Canada Gardens. Our residents can get outside, connect with nature and enjoy the benefits of gardening – it’s particularly rewarding for those growing their own produce to eat. It’s a great way for residents to enjoy home-grown fruit and vegetables, whilst reducing their carbon footprint as well as to teach children where their food comes from.”Danielle Bayless, Chief Operating Officer, Quintain Living Sadly, the availability of allotments lags far behind demand for them. According to APSE’s data, 51% of local authorities have between 100 and 400 people on their waiting list; 38% have waiting lists of over 1,000 people (up from 20% in 2020). Over 34% of local authorities report that people are waiting an average of over 18 months for an allotment plot to become available. In the London Borough of Brent, the Council reports that, “There are more than 20 sites run by us but due to high demand they currently all have a 1-2 year waiting list. Applications for new people to join a waiting list for an allotment site are currently closed.” The figures throw into stark relief just what a privilege it is for Canada Gardens residents to have allotments beds available to use at their leisure. “We are delighted that the allotments at Canada Gardens have proven to be such a valuable community feature. The entire development, with its acre of gardens, large roof terrace and on-site clubhouse is all about family and nature. The allotments are a core part of that.”Danielle Bayless, Chief Operating Officer, Quintain Living In addition to the 18 planters, Canada Gardens, which is managed by Quintain Living – the award-winning management company overseeing the rental of more than 3,250 apartments in Wembley Park – has a storage shed for residents’ tools, pots and seeds as well as a greenhouse for use. The shed also contains useful planting and growing information, while residents have recently set up a WhatsApp group to do the same. The green-fingered community members also come together in person, with the most recent event organised by Quintain Living generating an excellent turnout. Residents enjoyed sharing their growing tips and hearing from the professionals about how to care for their crops. As the weather warms up, the Canada Gardens allotment beds are flourishing. Residents are growing a wide range of fruit and vegetables, including beans, tomatoes, carrots, cabbages, strawberries and blackberries, while a small herb garden is also coming along nicely.For more information on Quintain Living or to book a viewing, visit www.quintainliving.com, @quintainliving on Instagram or call 020 3151 1927.
A new urban sky park created on a disused railway viaduct in Manchester has been unveiled and will open to public visitors from Saturday, July 30. Castlefield Viaduct, a giant 330 metres long steel structure, has been transformed over the past five months into an elevated park with trees, plants and flowers in a National Trust project overseen by Salford-based MC Construction. Thousands of plants, shrubs and trees have been planted to ‘green’ the historic landmark. The park’s 3,000-plus plants and its design features take their inspiration from Manchester’s heritage, including the county flower, cotton grass and fern species once collected by Manchester suffragist and botanist Lydia Becker. It will be open for 12 months, during which time visitors will be able to explore part of the structure and find out more about the viaduct’s heritage, the city’s long relationship with plants and trees, and learn urban gardening tips. The National Trust hopes to inspire and capture visitor and community opinions to help shape the longer-term future of the Grade II listed structure. Russ Forshaw, Group Operations Director at MC Construction, said: “It has been a great pleasure partnering with National Trust and the key stakeholders involved in the project. “Regenerating the disused Grade II listed Viaduct that has stood above the historic area of Castlefield for over 125 years has been no easy task. I am thrilled with the end result and I am incredibly proud of the team who have worked tirelessly over the past couple of months to bring National Trust’s vision to life.” Unveiling the park today, Hilary McGrady, Director-General of the National Trust, said: “Today is incredibly exciting. The idea of transforming the viaduct has been around for a while, but it was always put in the ‘too hard to achieve’ box and set aside. “For that long-held vision to finally come to life is therefore testament to the strong partnerships we have formed and the hard work of many. “What I love about this space is that it encapsulates so much of what the Trust’s work is about: opening up our shared heritage for everyone to enjoy, creating beautiful spaces and bringing people close to nature. It’s about creating something new for the community, while also protecting an ironic piece of industrial history. “We hope hundreds of people will visit and enjoy spending time in nature among the trees, shrubs and wildlife that is already starting to make this space its home. We’ll also be able to learn from this project and really start to understand more about what and how we can bring more green spaces and wildlife to thousands more people across the country in urban spaces.” Visitors will experience a variety of planting displays as they walk along the viaduct, while enjoying the elevated setting above the historic cobbled streets. The plans for Castlefield Viaduct are part of the National Trust’s Urban Places work to increase access for all to nature, history and beauty in, around and near urban areas. In addition to creating a place where people and nature meet, the new experience will also celebrate the industrial heritage of Castlefield which has been reflected through all elements of the design. The design of the planters gives a subtle nod to the industrial architecture of the 330 metres long viaduct which was built in 1892 by Heenan and Froude, the engineers who worked on Blackpool Tower. The shape of the planters mirrors the curve of the viaduct and their width is the same as the railway tracks that once transported goods across the structure to the Great Northern Warehouse. A section of the viaduct has also been left untouched to provide a sense of how nature has reclaimed the space since the site closed in the late 1960s. Costing £1.8 million, the pilot has been made possible thanks to funding from Postcode Earth Trust supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, as well as public donations which will cover two-thirds of the build costs. One hundred people a day will be able to visit the viaduct from next Saturday. Entry on to the structure will be free, but a booking system will be in place to help manage numbers. As part of the experience, visitors will be able to join guided walks on the viaduct.
Story Plant is a specialist plant hirer to the UK rail industry which operates a diverse fleet of road rail vehicles fitted with SITECH® Trimble Technology to ensure quality, safety, and delivery in a sector where timescales are tight, and delays are costly. Based in Carlisle, Cumbria, Story Plant have a historic relationship of using SITECH machine control systems spanning over 15 years, so when an influx of new operators and a transition from the Trimble GCS900 system across to Trimble Earthworks meant they needed training support they approached the team at SITECH. Story Plant carry out works with multiple clients across the UK, and they are now growing their customer base within the Midlands which has led to an increase in their fleet and number of operators. Mark Bruce, head of technical development at Story Plant, said: “We rely heavily on our machines and the Trimble system to get things right and we currently have six dozer machines configured with the tech. “We found that different clients want to use different configurations of the Trimble system, often our operators would only use one system for a period of time and would then require a refresher when they needed to switch to a different configuration. “Solving that skill fade was important because we need our teams to have confidence in the system they’re using. Working within the rail industry you must get the work done right first time, because timescales are tight and as there’s a closure on the rail network there are severe consequences for delays. “As well as meeting tight timescales, we place significant importance on carrying out our work safely. This involves working in areas with restricted space, such as tunnels and viaducts, so having confidence in the systems they are using allows our teams to focus on safe delivery.” “We’re also in the process of transitioning from the old Trimble GCS900 system across to Trimble Earthworks, so we approached SITECH to see if they could create a series of quick reference videos as refreshers for our operators on things like setting up the system and simple fault fixes, which they can watch on their tablet or mobile phone. “The training videos are just one example of our good relationship with the team at SITECH, as they also supported us earlier this year when we bought a Caterpillar D6K2 dozer, the largest dozer on the UK rail infrastructure. Because of the restricted space it operates in, it has a unique folding blade fitted which the SITECH team analysed to ensure the mast is located in exactly the right position when the Trimble system is in use.” To find out more about the construction technology, software and services SITECH UK & Ireland offers, visit the website https://www.sitechukandireland.com.
GMG Energy of Halladale in Sutherland has won the Best Natural Capital project category, sponsored by Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm, at the Scottish Highland Renewable Energy Conference (SHREC) Awards 2022. GMG Energy is an innovative, environmentally conscious business whose mission is to provide customers in the North with much-needed timber-based products and to do so in a sustainable manner. Its business activities are characterised by an approach to sustainability which enhances the natural capital of the Highlands while at the same time meeting local needs as well as reducing unnecessary road miles. Established in 2016, GMG Energy operates a state-of-the-art sawmill on a farm in the Halladale Strath between Tongue and Thurso, producing kiln-dried logs, chip and sawdust for consumers and wholesalers. It makes door to door deliveries throughout the north Highlands and manufacture timber products for agricultural businesses, builders and consumers. It also supplies bark for garden centres, sawdust for livestock and dried chip for supply to local businesses and councils. The business is committed to replacing every log of timber it uses, planting about 20,000 trees in 2021. As a result, businesses across the North and the Islands can reduce their carbon footprint by sourcing locally. For founder director, Malcolm Morrison, being recognised for his company’s achievements has been a big boost for his team. He said: “It has been an honour to be recognised. We entered with goodwill as we are a fairly new business and we didn’t expect to win. But to have won is such an honour and will help us establish ourselves more as a renewable energy business within the region.” An integral part of GMG Energy’s business is to supply to local people and make sure that they have access to affordable energy. Malcolm and his business want to help tackle issues such as fuel poverty, so for him supplying renewable energy to the local community and helping them as best they can, is what drives his business. “We have such a vast source of renewable energy within the north of Scotland, so to ensure that our local community is benefitting from that and the systems that are set up for them to receive affordable energy is really important to us. “We want to help people and make sure that our business is giving back to the community. “I want to thank Harper MacLeod and Highland News and Media for holding the conference and awards. “It’s such an incredible opportunity for people to come together and look at the solutions to climate change and how we as a region can work together to overcome rising energy prices. I also want to thank the sponsor of the category as, without them, our award would not have been possible.” He continued: “The most important people are the people working in our business as they make it. They give us productivity, their time and, without them, this business would not run. Our team gets my utmost thanks and I am so grateful for each and every one of them.”
A Yorkshire firm of engineers is seeing strong growth in the residential development sector as it continues to expand its operations and secure new work outside the region. RWO, based in Park Square in Leeds, has won undisclosed contracts to supply civil and structural engineering services to support the multi-million-pound development of more than 900 new homes in North Yorkshire and the Midlands. The move will see the firm work on over 450 new-build properties for Avant Homes’ schemes in Bramcote and Awsworth in Nottinghamshire. Engineering services work is also underway on a development of 450 new two, three, four and five bedroomed and affordable properties for Taylor Wimpey at West Lane near Ripon. This work, which includes Section 278 highway engineering works to provide new site access roads, comes as RWO is already involved in a number of other residential schemes across the country. These include the provision of planning services, detailed civil and structural design and support services for Barratt Homes, Gleeson Homes, Vistry Partnerships, Caddick Developments and Countryside Properties to support the development of upwards of 2,000 new homes. Currently employing 30 people and targeting £2.75 million in sales revenue in the next 12 months, RWO continues to recruit additional staff to strengthen its team to meet the strong demand for construction engineering services. Andrew Fairburn, director of RWO’s Leeds office, said the company is expanding beyond the region as more national housebuilders look to use its services and expertise in other locations. He added: “Although we work across all sectors, we are building a strong reputation in the residential and affordable housing sector, winning and delivering projects for leading housebuilders and housing associations. Success is based around our ability to deliver services that add value and provide effective engineering solutions for complex problems. “Despite some tough challenges and economic uncertainties, we are positive about the future and will continue to build on our residential successes to date, adding more senior experience to our team to improve further services to both current and new clients.” Scott Robinson, technical director at Taylor Wimpey, said: “RWO continues to be a key partner for us. Working alongside our in-house team, its engineers ensure projects like West Lane are delivered on time, as we continue to invest and expand to meet the huge demand across the region for high quality new homes.”
Harworth Group plc, a leading regenerator of land and property for sustainable development and investment announces the launch of “Project Spur”, a single family Built to Rent (“BTR”) portfolio of around 1,200 homes across 10 of its development sites. Harworth is today publishing marketing materials for the scheme, which represents a unique forward funding and long-term investment opportunity for a prospective partner. Harworth announced plans to develop a single family BTR product in September 2021, as part of its strategy to grow its business to £1bn of EPRA NDV1 over five to seven years. This new product will be complementary to Harworth’s existing Build to Sell products developed by housebuilders at its residential sites and will support the Company’s ambition to double its residential plot sales to around 2,000 plots per annum over its strategic plan period. Project Spur will be an opportunity to acquire a single family housing portfolio of significant scale across 10 established sites in Yorkshire, the Midlands and the North West. The sites are in strong locations which are in close proximity to major conurbations and employment centres, as well as local amenities and transport connections. The sites have also benefited from Harworth’s investment, as well as its masterplanning and placemaking expertise, which have delivered extensive green space, recreational facilities and a well-deigned public realm. The introduction of the BTR product is expected to further add to the vibrancy and attractiveness of these communities. The housing type composition for the portfolio has been optimised for the single family BTR market, with a focus on two- and three-bedroom homes, all built to a high-quality design which is centred on sustainability. The project has an anticipated delivery timeline of three years, with phased handovers of the sites during this time. There will be the potential, subject to further agreement, for the partner to work with Harworth to introduce the single family BTR product to additional sites as part of future phases of development. Project Spur is being marketed by Allsop on behalf of Harworth. 1 European Public Real Estate Association (“EPRA”) Net Disposal Value: an adjusted net asset value metric that is one of Harworth’s Key Performance Indicators. “Harworth’s extensive portfolio is particularly well suited to delivering institutional quality single family rental homes at scale. Project Spur is part of our strategy to accelerate the development of our residential sites, providing a range of homes for local people and enabling diverse communities. We look forward to working with partners aligned to our purpose and ambitions, to continue delivering places where people want to live and work.” Lynda Shillaw, Chief Executive, Harworth Group “Project Spur is a rare opportunity to partner with one of the UK’s leading land and property regeneration specialists. Located in suburban communities across Yorkshire, the Midlands and the North West, these units provide a diverse and defensible portfolio of properties that benefit from close proximity and strong transport links to nearby employment and amenity centres.” James Crow, Head of Mixed Tenure, Harworth Group
Willmott Dixon Interiors has completed the £47.35 million refurbishment of London South Bank University’s (LSBU) London Road Building. The national fit-out and refurbishment specialist contractor has redeveloped the university’s learning environments as part of one of the biggest transformation programmes in its history. The new learning hub features modern workspaces, amenities and technology, designed to support individual learning needs and create new and different ways of engaging students. LSBU staff and students will benefit from 191,000 sq ft of dedicated learning spaces, including a new state-of-the-art library and learning resource, as well as improved Academy of Sport facilities, with a fully equipped gymnasium. There are new open access computer rooms with updated equipment, private rooms for group work and study, additional lecture capacity and new and improved places to eat. The transformation has also completely overhauled the arrival experience at the London Road Building, with a new entrance lobby, staircases and lifts greatly improving accessibility. Willmott Dixon Interiors has delivered the BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rated space to maximise natural daylight, removing existing facades and installing skylights in the library and concourse areas. It features a new building management system to support the efficient use of energy and uses LED lighting throughout. Sustainably sourced natural materials are a feature of the design, including a birch plywood feature wall showcasing a large fabric artwork, which injects colour and vibrancy into the building. Externally a new blue roof system and rain attenuation tank have been installed to attenuate and manage stormwater. The project used BIM Level 2 methodology, with works delivered by Willmott Dixon Interiors and its supply chain partners during the pandemic and within a live campus environment. It is a key part of LSBU’s wider redevelopment project at its campus at Elephant and Castle, which aims to consolidate its position as a leading modern university, and provide benefits to students, staff and the wider community. Graham Shaw, managing director of Willmott Dixon Interiors, said: “This is a bold and exciting project that realises LSBU’s vision for revolutionising the student experience. It has made best use of space across the entire campus, delivering dedicated learning zones and the capacity and facilities to serve students, staff and the wider community for many years to come. “We have a substantial presence in the university sector and have built a deeply collaborative relationship with LSBU during the course of the project. It has provided us with the opportunity to showcase our full range of capabilities in structural refurbishment, interior fit out and working in a busy campus environment.” The project was delivered by Willmott Dixon Interiors and a team including Wilkinson Eyre Architects, Eckersley O’Callaghan as structural engineers, BDP as services engineer and Fulkers LLP as project manager and cost consultant.
Story Plant is a specialist plant hirer to the UK rail industry which operates a diverse fleet of road rail vehicles fitted with SITECH® Trimble Technology to ensure quality, safety, and delivery in a sector where timescales are tight, and delays are costly. Based in Carlisle, Cumbria, Story Plant have a historic relationship of using SITECH machine control systems spanning over 15 years, so when an influx of new operators and a transition from the Trimble GCS900 system across to Trimble Earthworks meant they needed training support they approached the team at SITECH. Story Plant carry out works with multiple clients across the UK, and they are now growing their customer base within the Midlands which has led to an increase in their fleet and number of operators. Mark Bruce, head of technical development at Story Plant, said: “We rely heavily on our machines and the Trimble system to get things right and we currently have six dozer machines configured with the tech. “We found that different clients want to use different configurations of the Trimble system, often our operators would only use one system for a period of time and would then require a refresher when they needed to switch to a different configuration. “Solving that skill fade was important because we need our teams to have confidence in the system they’re using. Working within the rail industry you must get the work done right first time, because timescales are tight and as there’s a closure on the rail network there are severe consequences for delays. “As well as meeting tight timescales, we place significant importance on carrying out our work safely. This involves working in areas with restricted space, such as tunnels and viaducts, so having confidence in the systems they are using allows our teams to focus on safe delivery.” “We’re also in the process of transitioning from the old Trimble GCS900 system across to Trimble Earthworks, so we approached SITECH to see if they could create a series of quick reference videos as refreshers for our operators on things like setting up the system and simple fault fixes, which they can watch on their tablet or mobile phone. “The training videos are just one example of our good relationship with the team at SITECH, as they also supported us earlier this year when we bought a Caterpillar D6K2 dozer, the largest dozer on the UK rail infrastructure. Because of the restricted space it operates in, it has a unique folding blade fitted which the SITECH team analysed to ensure the mast is located in exactly the right position when the Trimble system is in use.” To find out more about the construction technology, software and services SITECH UK & Ireland offers, visit the website https://www.sitechukandireland.com.
The London Construction Awards is an evening to celebrate all of the success, development and innovation of the construction industry over the last year. And a chance to celebrate all the different parties that make the industry what it is today from solution providers to architects to local authorities. With a record number of entries this year, we are delighted to announce that after a preliminary round of voting, we have been shortlisted for both Supplier of the Year and Fire Safety Solution of the Year categories. Supplier of the Year While Quelfire is a relatively small company, what makes us stand out is the unwavering passion that everyone, from management to production, has for what we do: Protecting People & Property. We manufacture our core product range in our purpose-built premises in Sandbach, UK, working in strict compliance with factory control procedures. We have an extremely enthusiastic manufacturing team who are dedicated to making sure our products are of the highest standard. Annually, we put in a significant proportion of investment into our research and development. By providing firestopping solutions for real-life scenarios, based on feedback and trends on the market, this ensures there is a tested solution for the most used, and even some less common, service penetrations. We have never felt prouder of how far we have come in terms of testing; however, we would not be affectionately known as ‘Team Orange’ without our value-added services. Our first-class customer service is a prime example of the core values that we have at Quelfire. Our team is friendly, honest, and approachable, and is always willing to help with any challenges faced in the industry. Further to this, we provide extensive technical support from planning through design to installation and aim to answer any queries within one working day – although we almost always reply a lot quicker! We have recently launched the QuelSelector tool which is a simple way that customers can easily stay up to date with the latest details and ultimately, work to build a safer future. We go above and beyond when educating the industry about the importance of fire safety and use every platform available to us; should it be panel discussions at exhibitions, CPD accredited webinars, or one-to-one consultations about early engagement in firestopping. We also offer Toolbox Training which is an opportunity for trades to get specific help on the installation of products. Fire Safety Solution of the Year For this category, we nominated the QuelStop Firestopping System as our solution. This has become more than just a group of products, but a great source of pride and something much bigger than profit! Though it may just seem like any other firestopping system as the ones offered by competitors, what makes the QuelStop System special is the wide range of tested details offered; our value-added services; and the early engagement approach that we use to help clients design and install the system in a compliant way. As mentioned previously, we have a robust testing programme and now over 300 tested details which ultimately provide the industry and a building’s occupants with peace of mind. As well as our unparalleled technical department, we have an extensive library of tested details that is readily available for anyone who wishes to use it. In addition to our tested details, we have other documentation to support design and specification: NBS specifications, BIM models, tested detail drawings and product datasheets, and provide installation guides and educational videos. Furthermore, our early engagement process supports all parties involved from design to installation: main contractors, architects, specialist engineers, firestopping contractors and other trades. At Quelfire, we offer that end-to-end support in order for the firestopping system to be designed and installed as per the test evidence, ultimately contributing to safer buildings. Through decades of unwavering dedication to fire safety, we have built a community based on tested solutions, expert technical support, outstanding customer support and training. We feel extremely honoured to have been shortlisted for both categories, alongside many other deserving nominees. Team Orange looks forward to the reveal of the winner on the 23 September 2022!
SEGRO – the leading owner, manager and developer of modern warehouses and industrial property – and Groundwork – the federation of charities focused on mobilising practical community action – have worked in partnership to create a new outdoor green community space in Willenhall, Coventry The scheme has also provided support for 10 unemployed people from the area. The project was launched at Willenhall Education, Employment and Training Centre, and marks the first initiative delivered through SEGROs national charity partnership with Groundwork UK and the first project delivered as part of SEGRO’s Community Investment Plan for Coventry. The new outdoor green space that has been created in Willenhall, is boosting local biodiversity and presenting new opportunities for community engagement initiatives. The space will be used by a range of community groups including the on-site nursery, on-site adult education group for individuals with additional needs, a community men’s group, and for community family open days. The project has supported 10 unemployed adults from the local area for two days a week over the six-week project. The programme has enabled them to gain practical green skills including path laying, raised bed building, planting and orchard creation; receive employability support including CV writing and interview skills and job searching; gain qualifications in Healthy and Safety and Carbon Literacy; and develop their skills in teamwork, communication, planning and leadership. Willenhall was selected for this project due to its close proximity to SEGROs new development in Coventry, and the benefit that the community will see by providing a new green space in the town. Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK Chief Executive, said: “We are pleased to see this fantastic new green space project that will go a long way to help the local community connect with nature as well as supporting people towards a career in the green jobs sector. “We look forward to seeing the results of future projects to come from our exciting partnership with SEGRO.” Paul Dunne, Director of Group Operations at SEGRO, said: “At SEGRO, we aspire to be a force for environmental and social good. This project will make a tangible difference to people in Willenhall and the wider area, providing skills and opportunities to access jobs, and crucially, delivering on our commitment to enhancing biodiversity and the local environment.” This is the latest initiative delivered as part of the company’s Responsible SEGRO commitments, which includes the creation and implementation of Community Investment Plans in all of SEGRO’s key operational areas by 2025. Over a ten-year period, SEGRO has set the target of achieving the following outcomes for its Coventry Community Investment Plan: 700 local unemployed residents to benefit from SEGRO’s Skills, Training and Employment programme 15 ‘environmental’ community projects that revitalise outdoor space and enhance biodiversity and community wellbeing 3000 young people to benefit from SEGRO’s Schools Programme – inspiring the next generation of workers through insight visits, career talks and mentoring SEGRO’s Community Investment Plans include national partnerships with Groundwork, which focuses on delivering skills programmes to support routes into employment through practical real-life experience, particularly via working on local green space projects and Shaw Trust – a social purpose organisation focused on breaking down barriers to enable social mobility.