Gillingham Football Club is excited to welcome Hochiki Europe as its new Rainham End Sponsor. The agreement will see the Rainham End at Priestfield Stadium renamed ‘The Rainham End in partnership with Hochiki’ until the end of the 2026/27 season.  Hochiki, whose European head office and manufacturing plant was established over 30 years ago in Gillingham, have been world class leaders in the production of commercial fire detection and emergency lighting products since being founded in Tokyo, Japan in 1918.   Gillingham was chosen for the site of the European factory because of the link between Will Adams and Japan. Will Adams was a 16th century navigator, born in Gillingham in 1564.  He was the first European to establish a trade route between England and Japan. The company is now spread across three sites in the south east region of Medway, after they recently announced a multi-million pound investment into a new 24,000sq ft (about four times the area of a basketball court) shipping and warehousing hub in Chatham. The new facility has the capacity to increase from 480 to 2,450 pallets with picking times reduced by more than half, from 7 minutes per line to 3 minutes per line ensuring a continued and efficient supply of the highest quality production of life safety devices and systems. Managing Director for The Gills, Joe Comper, said “We are excited to welcome Hochiki as The Rainham End’s official partner. We have been working closely with Hochiki over the last year and they have been amazing. It’s very important for the club to have partners that value the community of Kent as much as Hochiki do. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the team there for their fantastic support and I am looking forward to watching this partnership grow.” Shinsuke Kubo, Managing Director from Hochiki said: “Hochiki Europe has had headquarters in Gillingham for 31 years and we’re proud to continue our support of the local community. To celebrate our new partnership, Gills fans will have the chance to win a host of prizes including a VIP experience at the Millwall friendly, training ground visits and match tickets courtesy of Hochiki. Fans should keep an eye on the Gills’ social media channels to find out how to win” This exciting partnership between Hochiki Europe and Gillingham Football Club promises a winning combination for both sides. Fans can look forward to exclusive prize giveaways while the Club gains a committed partner that values the community. Together, Hochiki Europe and Gillingham Football Club are poised to bag a screamer for the Gillingham faithful and solidify Hochiki’s place as a proud resident of the Medway region. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

The marketing team from Algeco UK, the leading storage accommodation and temporary building solutions provider, recently attended Ronald McDonald House Birmingham, donating their time to help keep the 65 bedrooms, communal kitchens and living room spaces clean for people who need accommodation when children are in hospital nearby. Sunil Achtar, Bev Rutter, Daniel Glover, Stewart Perry and Jai Purewal were met on-site by Laura Bennett, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). The team were taken for a tour of the facilities and provided insight into the incredible support and difference these accommodation buildings provide for families who find themselves in the unfortunate circumstances of caring for a sick child who is in hospital. Many think of these solutions as being short-term accommodation needs, but in some scenarios, these locations become a home away from home for families for months, even years. After the tour, the team got their marigolds on and started cleaning for the rest of the day, ensuring windows, carpets, kitchens and living areas were left spotless. These small gestures can make a big impact and give those living through a challenging time one less thing to think about, so they may focus their energies purely on the health of their families. The first Ronald McDonald House was opened in Philadelphia, USA, in 1974. Today, there are over 380 Ronald McDonald Houses in 64 countries around the world, accommodating families with hospitalized children who are being treated at nearby hospitals and medical facilities. Algeco UK is a longstanding partner of McDonald’s, whose mascot is shared with the RMHC charity’s name. Primarily, the company has provided offsite build solutions, including McDonald’s Market Drayton, which was notably the UK’s first carbon net zero restaurant (using the UKGBC’s net zero carbon buildings framework) and the two-storey Drive-Thru restaurant in North Acton, London, also the first of its kind in the UK. As a key partner to McDonald’s, Algeco UK has grown to be a long-standing supporter of the charity. In addition to this recent volunteering day by the Algeco UK marketing team at RMHC Birmingham, the company has been announced as the headline sponsor of the Ronald McDonald House Charity Golf Day taking place in Manchester this July, at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Worsley Park Country Club. This sold-out event will raise vital funds for the charity and is part of a network of golf days that take place across the country annually. On volunteering at RMHC Birmingham, Sunil Achtar, Algeco UK Marketing Manager, said, “Our team was really happy to spend some time learning more about the incredible work of RMHC Birmingham and we are proud to have contributed in a small way to this wonderful cause. Algeco UK is dedicated to social value and making a positive impact in the communities we work in. Knowing you have made a difference is a great feeling and as a team-building exercise, it has been great to come together and do something that will help people who need support.” Laura Bennett, Corporate Marketing Manager at RMCH, said, “We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Algeco UK for their incredible team of volunteers who recently supported our Birmingham Ronald McDonald House. Their hard work in assisting with housekeeping duties, including cleaning communal kitchens, dining areas, living room spaces, and windows, made a significant difference.  This generous support greatly eased the workload for our House team, allowing them to focus on other essential tasks such as room turnaround for families checking in and created a more comfortable and welcoming environment for our families. The team’s dedication and effort have had a profound impact, and we are deeply grateful for your contribution. Thank you, Algeco UK!” Algeco UK has a company-wide target of volunteering 1,000 hours per annum to charitable causes. The organisation also recently took part in a construction industry football tournament organised by The Wates Group, with over £8,000 being collectively raised for PAPYRUS, a charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide in young people. Algeco UK has developed the largest workspace fleet in the country, operating from strategically located service centres across the nation. The company recently delivered a full turnkey solution to MOD Stafford Barracks and is currently completing the rapid deployment of the brand-new Northampton School for Boys, a 1200-place new secondary school and sixth form, launching this summer. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

A junior football club which is linked to a Southwark charity designed to improve the lives of local youngsters has hit the back of the net. The Bosco FC under 12 team has received a £3,000 donation from leading builders merchant Selco Builders Warehouse towards running costs for the team, as well as a new strip. Bosco is a small charity-based college which also has a nursery on-site and offers a youth club open for extra-curricular activities after school. In addition, it runs a football academy for children aged from two to 14 and has nine teams operating from under sevens through to an adult team. Robert Rosier, club secretary for Bosco FC, said Selco’s donation is making a huge difference to the club. He said: “What sets us apart from other football clubs in the area is our charitable aspect. “We rely on support from the local community to create opportunities for young players who demonstrate commitment and talent to fulfil their potential. “We understand that the rising costs of recent times is posing huge challenges for families so Selco’s donation is having an incredibly positive impact on the local community. “The donation is covering the cost of our under 12s for a whole season, ranging from training sessions, kit and the funding of league matches, so everyone involved with the club is hugely grateful for Selco’s support.” Bosco’s junior teams play in the South East London and Kent Youth Football League. Alison Wong, head of communications and sustainability for Selco Builders Warehouse which has branches on Old Kent Road and in Canning Town and Charlton, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Bosco Football Club and the wider charitable aspects of the organisation. “It’s a unique offering which brings opportunities on and off the football field to hundreds of youngsters in the deprived area. “We are following the progress of the club with great interest.” With hundreds of trade brands always in stock, Selco’s 75 UK branches are firmly focused on helping tradespeople complete their jobs as quickly and effectively as possible. As well as offering trade services, Selco also has a strong digital presence including Click & Deliver and Click & Collect services and a new app – as well as a ‘Dial & Deliver’ telephone service – to make life as convenient as possible for tradespeople. For more information on Selco visit www.selcobw.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

McAleer & Rushe is thrilled to announce a new partnership with The Baytree Centre, a social inclusion charity, to support their mission to improve the lives of women and girls. The Baytree Centre is an educational charity for women and girls, based in the heart of Brixton, south London. An integral part of the community since 1991, they provide holistic support through personal development activities and workshops, mentoring, coaching, as well as English classes and integration support for newly arrived migrants and refugees. Through corporate partnerships with businesses such as McAleer & Rushe, it can develop purposeful programmes focusing on education, training and employability skills to raise aspirations and provide opportunities for disadvantaged young girls and women from low socio-economic backgrounds. Through its construction work at the Southbank Place development, delivering 92 residential apartments and retail space, the Design & Build contractor is supporting the Baytree Centre through various fundraising initiatives and educational programmes. Led by Daisy Butterworth, Assistant Project Manager on Southbank Place, the company will be hosting employability and careers events, and offering work experience placements on site over the Summer. To date, the project team have carried out a collection drive for stationary and sweet treats which were distributed to Baytree’s after school groups earlier in Easter and just this week, carried out repairs and refurbishments to the centre. McAleer & Rushe also hosted a BBQ fundraiser on site to raise funds for the charity. This corporate partnership will last throughout the construction programme of Southbank Place, targeted to complete in Q3 2025.  Michael Yohanis, Contracts Director at McAleer & Rushe said: “We are proud to be working with The Baytree Centre to develop educational programmes and provide much-needed funding support that will help them continue their empowering mission to support young girls and women from low socio-economic backgrounds. Our teams are passionate about promoting the opportunities in the Construction industry for women and providing all young people with the tools and insights to fulfil their potential. With special thanks to our project manager, Daisy for leading this partnership, we are excited to continue working closely with the Baytree team and look forward to hosting educational events onsite and at the Centre.” Carmen Gonzalez, Development Director at The Baytree Centre said: “We are delighted to welcome McAleer & Rushe on board as a corporate partner. Their support will be instrumental in creating meaningful building blocks to empower the young girls and women with educational and employability support. Together, we can help them build a bright future for themselves, their families and their communities.” For more information about The Baytree Centre and their work, visit The Baytree Centre. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

A dream came true for Wates Group Chairman Tim Wates, when he took to the turf of his beloved Crystal Palace Football Club at Selhurst Park. Tim was playing for the Wates football team along with David Morgan, Executive Managing Director, in a tournament to support the Cut It Out knife crime prevention event, organised by the Palace for Life Foundation. Wates Group was the main sponsor of the day-long function aimed at reduction of knife crime in Croydon. It featured a wide range of supporting organisations, including the Metropolitan Police, Taking The Initiative and Off The Record. The Wates Group has close links with Croydon going back four generations of the Wates family to when Edward Wates founded the company in the South London borough 127 years ago. The development, building and property maintenance group supports a multitude of key social impact initiatives in Croydon, including Lives Not Knives, Be Inspired (formerly Gloves Not Gunz), the Croydon Apprenticeship Fair, the Zen Project for mental health, plus projects for planting vegetables in the grounds of sheltered housing, and providing food for the homeless.  Playing at the back as a team anchor, Tim did not score on the night, but it was an ambition fulfilled, and as always, a Wates Team effort. ’The important thing is that we all win by helping to improve young people’s lives through creating safer communities in which they have more opportunities to prosper,’ said Tim. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Costa Clyde on a sunny Saturday was the setting for the Five Ferries Challenge, a 52-mile-long cycle ride undertaken by a team of East Kilbride-based engineers on behalf of the Beatson Cancer Charity. The team, made up of ten cyclists and two support crew, from Dougall Baillie Associates, one of the largest independent engineering consultancy firms in Scotland, tackled the demanding uphill and down dale cycle on Saturday 11 May. The challenge, which gets under way from Ardrossan, then takes the ferry to Brodick on Arran, then a ferry from Lochranza, Arran, to Clonaig in Kintyre, another ferry from Tarbert on Kintyre to Portavadie on the Cowal Peninsula, a fourth ferry from Colintraive on Cowal to the Isle of Bute, then a final ferry from Bute to Wemyss Bay and the nearest public house for a well-deserved refreshment. Fergus Adams, Managing Director of Dougall Baillie Associates, said: “I didn’t realise there were quite so many hills on the route, but we supported each other all the way, made the most of our recovery times on the ferries and got back to Wemyss Bay pretty much on the timetable we set ourselves. “And happily, all five ferries were running smoothly and dropped us off us where we needed to be when we needed to be there. “It was great also to be able to undertake the challenge on a beautiful, sunny day since the team had been training throughout the late winter and early spring in some pretty appalling weather conditions. “We’ve been training hard with a weekly cycle club taking place plus some extra regular weekend cycles also. The team also looked the part with our DBA-branded cycling tops. “The upshot is that we have raised £4500 so far for one of Scotland’s most worthy charities and we would like to thank our many colleagues, clients, suppliers, families and friends who have contributed to this magnificent sum.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

A star of the BBC’s DIY SOS programme will be joining one of the Actis team and other industry specialists at an open day to mark the 50th anniversary of timber frame company Scandia-Hus later this month. Electrician Billy Byrne, who has featured in the popular TV show since its inception, will address a lunchtime champagne reception for around 250 guests at the Scandia-Hus show centre in East Grinstead on Saturday May 18. As well as having the chance to see a TV personality in the flesh, visitors will be able to discuss their projects and ask advice from the Scandia-Hus team and specialist suppliers whose products and expertise is used in the company’s various designs – including Actis South East and South London area sales manager Liane Bayliss. Scandia-Hus has used the Actis Hybrid range in all four of its show homes, with the grand opening of its latest design – a single storey 1,915 sq ft property, the Lodge – taking place at the event, with guided tours on offer throughout the afternoon. The three other Actis-insulated show homes will house materials suppliers and experts, with Liane on hand to chat to would-be Scandia-Hus customers and builders from the first floor of The Mulberry, where she will be stationed overlooking the dramatic double height sitting room. Find out more information about the open day here. Find out more about the latest Actis-insulated Scandia-Hus show home here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals