Howard Civil Engineering is thrilled to have committed £12,000 to De Hood Boxing Club and Community centre, extending a helping hand to children in Sheffield’s most economically deprived ward!
Whilst we are helping our client Keepmoat to deliver 210 new homes in the Manor Top area of Sheffield, we will support De Hood to help them continue to serve members of the Sheffield community despite rising maintenance costs.
Following the stabbing of a young man in Sheffield in 2012, De Hood was founded by former professional boxer Reagan Denton with the mission to address health inequalities and reduce the repetitive patterns of negative and anti-social behaviour against young people in the area.
Manor Top in Sheffield is the most economically deprived ward of Sheffield, with 37% of children eligible for free school meals and 48% of people economically inactive. The area suffers from a bad reputation for high rates of crime and anti-social behaviour, substance misuse, and poor health and wellbeing. In 2017, 14.1% of 4-5year-olds were found to be obese, as were 25% of 10–11-year-olds. 30% of people in the area are also regular smokers.
Since the club launched, local crime figures and statistics for anti-social fires have reduced and the club now has 500 members!
Managing director Michael Howard commented on Howard Civil Engineering’s support for De Hood.
“Howard Civil Engineering has operated in Sheffield for many years on various projects and we are always delighted when the opportunity to give back to this wonderful city presents itself,” he said. “The new homes we are working on at Manor Top are being delivered by Sheffield Housing Company, and it is their belief that this development will address the local housing need whilst also regenerating the local community.”
“I have high hopes for the partnership between Howard Civil Engineering and De Hood Boxing Club and Community Centre,” he continued. “The work that De Hood do to encourage healthier lifestyles and raise aspirations for those living in Sheffield’s most economically deprived ward is truly admirable.”
We are pleased to announce that Howard Civil Engineering has been awarded places on North East Lincolnshire Council’s £73m Highways Framework and Pagabo’s £1.6b National Framework for Civil Engineering and Infrastructure Projects!
Howard Civil Engineering is one of seven companies who have been shortlisted to tender for highways capital works to the value of £250,000 to £1.5m on behalf of North East Lincolnshire Council. Potential works on this framework include carriageway and footway reconstruction, traffic calming schemes, and civils works in connection with traffic signal and controlled crossing improvements.
We have also been awarded a place on Pagabo’s brand-new National Civils and Infrastructure framework, which will see us tender to deliver a variety of highways, water transport and water supply civils works for both local authorities and public sector bodies up to the value of £5m.
Both frameworks will run until 2026.
Howard Civil Engineering’s place on these two new frameworks is in addition to our existing framework awards which include North Yorkshire County Council Civil Engineering, City of York Minor Civils, and North East Procurement Organisation Civil Engineering and Infrastructure Works.
This means we have secured positions on a total of five frameworks within 14 months.
Pre-contracts manager Brian Barton (pictured, left) played a key role in Howard Civil Engineering’s framework applications and is thrilled with the company’s achievements.
“To go from securing our first ever framework place in April 2021 to winning our fourth and fifth a little over a year later is a huge accomplishment,” he said. “We look forward to working in partnership with these organisations, using our award-winning value engineering capability and our highly experienced team of professionals to deliver a quality product and ensure client satisfaction.”
Brian’s sentiments are echoed by pre-construction director Peter Howard (pictured, right).
“This is a fantastic achievement for not only the business development team but the company as a whole,” he said. “I am delighted that our expertise and industry-leading knowledge has been recognised by two more framework organisations and I am confident that our impressive portfolio will support our delivery of these highways works.”
After leaving school and realising that university wasn’t the right path for her, Chloe-Leigh Preston was determined to secure an apprenticeship and learn whilst working on the job.
Chloe-Leigh originally set out to become a dental nurse before realising that her talents may be better suited towards a career in marketing.
“I soon realised after completing my A-Levels that university wasn’t the right path for me as I prefer to take a more hands on approach,” she said. “When I saw that Howard Civil Engineering had a vacancy for a Marketing Apprentice, I realised it might be something I would enjoy.
“I use social media quite frequently and I have an inquisitive mind, which is good place to start from when you’re wanting to get into marketing.”
So how has Chloe-Leigh found her experience as an apprentice at Howard Civil Engineering?
“I honestly think that working here has provided me with more opportunities than I would have received had I gone elsewhere,” she admitted. “The role has really allowed me to be hands on and get to grips with how everything works in the real marketing world.
“As an apprentice, I was under the impression that I wouldn’t really be given much responsibility to begin with, but from the beginning I was given set tasks and responsibilities that I had to take ownership of and this has massively increased my competency and my confidence,” she continued. “My line manager is always on hand to help whenever I need it and the rest of team really helped me settle in quickly.”
While she has certainly settled in well, the future looks even brighter for Chloe-Leigh.
“I am performing well in my college assessments, with my tutor even asking to use my work as examples for other students on the course,” she said. “I’m looking forward to completing my Level 3 qualification and hopefully progressing onto my Level 4.”
Keep up the good work, Chloe-Leigh!
Howard Civil Engineering is delighted to welcome back Jordan Coulson to the team, not only as a team member but also as our new contracts manager!
Having progressed from his previous position at Howard Civil Engineering as a project manager, Jordan will now be assisting our long-term contracts manager James Page to deliver a variety of residential and groundworks products for our clients across the region.
This promotion comes off the back of several new contracts in the residential construction sector, including three contracts totaling £19m in Sheffield for our new client, Keepmoat Homes.
In this new role, Jordan will be working closely with James to oversee projects such as Healey Croft, Skipton Road, and the three Sheffield sites for Keepmoat Homes.
“I came back to Howard Civil Engineering because I like the Howard [Civil Engineering] way,” said Jordan when asked about his return. “I have an extensive background in civil engineering and have worked my way up from roles in site managing and project managing to my new role as Contracts Manager.
“I feel this experience and knowledge puts me in a strong position to help push the company into new territory in the groundworks and residential sector alongside James whilst still delivering the high standards that our clients have come to expect from Howard Civil Engineering.”
James welcomed the new addition to his team, saying, “Jordan’s background in engineering and his wealth of experience in managing groundworks and residential projects make him a key asset for us. From working with Jordan previously, I know he has a great attitude, is conscientious, and has an ability to adapt to new challenges.
“These factors make him a great asset to the company, and I am very excited to see where this new appointment takes Howard Civil Engineering.”
Congratulations to three more Howard Civil Engineering colleagues who were awarded their Mental Health First Aid certificates last week!
Clara Greensmith (Payroll Coordinator, left), Tom Mitchell (Assistant Accountant, centre) and Chloe-Leigh Preston (Marketing Apprentice, right) each attended a two-day course in which they learned how to recognise signs of poor mental health and how to assist those who may be struggling.
This means that Howard Civil Engineering has supported a total of five team members in their journey to becoming Mental Health First Aiders. Chloe-Leigh, Clara, and Tom join James Derry (Procurement Manager) and Sophie Henderson (Pre-Construction Coordinator) as qualified Mental Health First Aiders with the ability to offer a helping hand to employees struggling with poor mental wellbeing.
“I am very pleased to be able to join my colleagues in becoming a qualified Mental Health First Aider,” said Clara. “We are all very aware of the current state of mental wellbeing in the construction industry, and I feel it is very important for us as Mental Health First Aiders to raise awareness of the signs of poor mental health and help our colleagues who are struggling.
“Awareness of the dangers of poor mental wellbeing is getting better across the industry, and I believe that if we keep learning, we can keep helping.”
Mental health in the construction industry has been an increasingly hot topic, with one in 10 construction workers admitting to having poor mental health in a study published by Construction Excellence South West in 2021, and 62% reporting feeling stressed.
Howard Civil Engineering is committed to increasing awareness of poor mental health, including educating our team members on the warning signs and encouraging team members to discuss mental health openly in the workplace.
Howard Civil Engineering, in conjunction with Leeds Christmas Charity Lunch, has donated £20,000 to a father who is embarking on solo row across the Atlantic Ocean to raise funds for Leeds Hospitals Charity!
Mike Bates, who has dubbed his fundraising challenge The Atlantic Grappler, is aiming to raise £100,000 to benefit the hospital unit which saved his son’s life 10 years ago.
Born prematurely, Mike’s son Gabriel contracted meningitis and was cared for by staff on the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Leeds Children’s Hospital during his first few months.
Now, former marine Mike is preparing to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean and has been fundraising diligently to raise awareness of his cause.
In the two years since Mike started fundraising, the Atlantic Grappler has received support from hundreds of donors. He has even gained the attention of A-list actor Tom Hardy, who is an ambassador for REORG Charity which supports serving and ex-military personnel!
We are pleased to say that Howard Civil Engineering’s £10,000 sponsorship of The Atlantic Grappler has been generously matched by Leeds Christmas Charity Lunch meaning that, at the time of writing, Mike is less than £5,000 away from his £100,000 target!
Commenting on the mammoth donation, Mike said: “I can’t thank Howard Civil Engineering and Leeds Charity Lunch enough for this most generous support. This campaign is much more than a personal journey; I want to genuinely change the future for children who need intensive care and people who will use this campaign as a catalyst to discover their own adventurous spirit.
“I’m extremely humbled by your belief in this campaign to raise funds for Leeds Hospitals Charity,” he continued. “It’s a solo ocean row, but definitely a team effort!”
Howard Civil Engineering’s managing director has offered his full support to The Atlantic Grappler.
“Mike’s dedication and perseverance to this challenge is truly an inspiration to us all, and I cannot think of a better charity to benefit from his efforts,” he said. “Howard Civil Engineering has proudly supported Leeds Hospitals Charity in the past, and we are looking forward to seeing the difference our donation will make to children’s lives across West Yorkshire.”
Mike will start his solo row across the Atlantic in December 2022, battling sleep deprivation, salt sores and physical extremes with only two oars and a 24ft rowing boat.
“I’ll be left alone with my own thoughts, the expanse of the ocean, and the task of getting my boat safely to the other side,” he said. “More people have reached the summit of Everest or travelled into space than have successful rowed an ocean.”
No pressure, Mike!
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