Robert Woodhead Ltd commits to social value initiatives with defibrillator donation

4th February 2022

Construction firm Robert Woodhead Ltd has displayed a further commitment to social values by donating a defibrillator to a village in the Bolsover district.

The house-building partnership between Robert Woodhead Ltd and Bolsover District Council is one of the most ambitious housing programmes to provide energy efficient properties, built to the ‘highest standards and to meet local communities housing needs.’

The contractor has committed to a number of social value initiatives throughout the programme and in the company’s latest efforts towards building social value, Robert Woodhead Ltd. have gifted the Whitwell community with a new defibrillator.

The defibrillator will be housed next to the entrance of local business, Planterior Landscape Services Ltd, who will also take responsibility for its maintenance.

The handover took place on Tuesday, 25^th January with representatives from both companies in attendance. Bolsover TV also attended the event to interview David Pearson, Bolsover Homes Framework Manager, who spoke about what these pledges to the local communities mean to the company.

As the Sandy Lane scheme draws to a close, David Pearson reflects on the project: “We’re starting to see the positive impact on the community develop as we’re completing the sites and working through the programme”.

Local district and parish councillor for Whitwell, councillor Tom Munro said, “It’s very important to have these defibs in the Parish and we are delighted that Robert Woodheads have funded the device and Planterior are managing it on our behalf. They are a vital piece of equipment and can help save lives so the more we can have available in the area, the better it is.”

Robert Woodhead are currently working on planning permission for further housing sites throughout Bolsover District, with 31 plots already granted planning permission within the Langwith and Shirebrook areas.

This donation forms part of the company’s 4-year partnership with Bolsover District Council, in which Robert Woodhead Ltd are currently building various new build properties on Sandy Lane which are due to complete later this year.

The company are dedicated to going above and beyond and demonstrates the commitment to the local community they work in. Social value benefits that Robert Woodhead have offered Bolsover District Council include the delivery of 48 training courses and 20 work experience placements through the Bolsover Homes partnership in 2021 alone.

The company have also improved parking facilities at Whitwell Football Club as a thank you for letting their workers use the facility during the Sandy Lane project.

The Woodhead Group supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Home, Property and Construction, UncategorisedTagged in chesterfield business news, Chesterfield community news, chesterfield news, Robert Woodhead ltd.

Chesterfield school pupils create artwork for highly anticipated Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre

7th July 2021

Pupils at a Chesterfield school have created an artwork for display in the new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre that celebrates the history of the site.

The year five and six pupils from Abercrombie Primary School visited the site on Monday (5 July) where they presented their artwork to representatives from Chesterfield Borough Council, Robert Woodhead Ltd and Whittam Cox Architects.

Whilst visiting the site the pupils also got to learn more about how the building has been constructed and the different types of jobs involved in the process.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “It was fantastic to receive this artwork for our new enterprise centre and it will be proudly displayed in one of the meeting rooms. I want to thank all the children for their incredible effort in creating this piece of art.

“This project has also been a positive opportunity for the young people to learn more about construction industry and introduce them to the possibility of a future career in this sector. I hope they all had an enjoyable visit and learned more about the building.”

As part of the council’s planning permission the development is subject to a Local Labour Clause which has created 135 local jobs, three apprenticeships and generated over £1.7m of contracts across the local supply chain. It also commits the contractor to supporting skills development and both Robert Woodhead Group and Whittam Cox Architects have engaged in this through initiatives such as My Future, Women in Construction Mentoring Programme, virtual workplace tours and this project.

Matt Bust, of contractors Robert Woodhead Ltd said: “We are so pleased to have been able to work with Abercrombie Primary School. I would like to thank the students for their creative efforts to produce such a great piece of artwork. I am looking forward to seeing it in the new Enterprise Centre.”

Andy Dabbs, Board Director at Whittam Cox Architects and Chair of Chesterfield’s Property and Construction Forum commented: “It is wonderful to be engaged on such projects where corporate and social responsibility goes beyond words and is evidenced through our actions. Now more than ever our industry needs to work harder together to support developing an accessible platform for the next generation and when you see the quality of work produced by Abercrombie Primary School why would you not want to capture that talent!

“The Chesterfield Construction and Property Group was established with a clear purpose to support our local community, through collaboration and engagement, and if anyone from the sector would like to get involved, please do get in touch.”

The pupils were asked to create the artwork by Chesterfield Borough Council, Robert Woodhead Ltd and Whittam Cox Architects earlier this year. They were given some information about the history of the site to help inspire them to create this work. It will be displayed in one of the meeting rooms in the new centre.

The new Enterprise Centre will include 32 high quality office suites in a range of sizes (26 to 120 square metres) and state of the art meeting facilities. It will have 24/7 access, an IT fibre connection which offers maximum speed multi bandwidth capability, Wi-Fi and air conditioning throughout. With its town centre location, the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre is easily accessible by car, train, bus and cycle users.

Together these features will ensure it appeals to any company looking to become established in Chesterfield.

The project builds on the success of the council’s Dunston and Tapton Innovation Centres which for many years have offered excellent support and accommodation to innovative and growing businesses.

The centre is well connected in a town centre location and is classed as ‘grade A’ office accommodation – a mark of the highest quality. Prospective tenants can find out more on the Enterprise Centre webpage, by emailing economic.development@chesterfield.gov.uk, or by calling 01246 345255.

For property and construction professionals who wish to find out more about getting involved with the Chesterfield Property and Construction Group, please email PropertyGroup@chesterfield.co.uk or visit https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/propertygroup/

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Made in Chesterfield, Property and Construction, UncategorisedTagged in chesterfield business news, Chesterfield development, chesterfield news, construction, Northern Gateway, property, regeneration, Robert Woodhead ltd., Whittam Cox

Partnership agreement will develop the next generation of construction experts

9th June 2021

Construction company Robert Woodhead Limited (part of the Woodhead Group) and Chesterfield College have entered into an agreement to work together on a range of initiatives to help the next generation discover more about careers in construction and develop the skills they need.

The Learning Partnership Agreement builds on the long-standing relationship between the two organisations. It formalises the way they will work together in the future, building on the successful apprenticeship and work experience schemes they already have in place. It also introduces some new initiatives which will bring more work experience and training opportunities, taster days for school pupils and work around encouraging women into construction.

Janine Borderick, People Development Director at Robert Woodhead Ltd said:

“This agreement is really important to help us grow the talent we need for the future. This will help us to reach people outside of our apprenticeship programme. We want to share our experience of the industry with people and give them an introduction to the wide range of career paths that are available in construction. We want people to come and see what we do and, together with the college, we will be shouting about the opportunities there are to work in the industry.”

Aaron Wathall, is 4 months into his Level 3 Built Environment Technical apprenticeship with Robert Woodhead Ltd. During his day of study at the college he witnessed the signing of the agreement. He explained how the company are helping him to discover all the opportunities available in the construction industry and shape his career. He said:

“I am really enjoying my apprenticeship. It is really diverse. I am learning about different aspects of construction, meeting people from across the company and gaining a lot more confidence. I have had support from everyone from IT to Site Managers. They have showed me new things and been really patient. Someone is always there to answer my questions.”

Terry Brickles, Curriculum Operations Manager for Construction said:

“Robert Woodhead Ltd have always valued the education and training we offer to provide them with a skilled workforce. They know that by working alongside us to support school and college students we will be able to pool resources to encourage the next generation into construction. I am excited about the initiatives we have planned and I look forward to helping more construction experts of the future develop the skills they need to be successful.”

Chesterfield College and Woodhead Group support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Made in Chesterfield, Property and Construction, UncategorisedTagged in chesterfield business news, Chesterfield college, Chesterfield Education, chesterfield news, Chesterfield Skills, construction, Made in Chesterfield, Robert Woodhead ltd., woodhead group