Building Briefs – November 19th

• Coatbridge pupils lay foundations for careers in construction

Pupils from St Andrew’s High School visited CALA Homes’ Jordanhill Park to spend a day on-site at the former Jordanhill College Campus. 

The pupils are part of a Prince’s Trust Achieve group, designed to help young people build their confidence and knowledge through experiential learning.

CALA entered a four-year partnership with The Prince’s Trust in 2016, and over this period, the homebuilder has made donations of over £600,000 to the charity. 

The group was given a walk around the site, where 400 new homes are due to be built by 2024, as well as receiving talks from various CALA workers and subcontractors, including bricklayers, decorators, electricians and scaffolders. 

• East Neuk farm visitor centre given go-ahead

A new open farm visitor centre aimed at bringing tourism, education and economic benefits to the East Neuk of Fife has been given the green light by councillors.

After seeing a previous application on a slightly different site turned down earlier this year, the Cameron Agricultural Trust has been successful with its bid to create a centre at Balbuthie Farm to the east of Kilconquhar.

The development will allow members of the public to visit the farm and see how food is produced, while links will also be established with local schools and colleges.

• Lanarkshire baby bank funding boost from Barratt Homes

Baby Bank Scotland, run locally from Lanarkshire, has received a cash boost from Barratt Homes.

The housebuilder donated £1,000 to the not-for-profit organisation for the work it does throughout Lanarkshire in supporting families in financial hardship with pre-loved baby essentials and children’s items.

The charity was chosen as the October recipient of Barratt Homes’ community fund scheme which sees local charities throughout Glasgow and the West selected to receive £1,000.

During its first year of service, Baby Bank Scotland had over 1,500 referrals for assistance. These referrals came from partner organisations such as Women’s Aid and also through health visitors and social workers who strive to help families ease the pressure of daily living costs.

The Baby Bank Scotland team tailors its assistance to each family based on their individual needs. Help can come in the form of nappies and wipes, or it can be much more substantial and provide items including cots, prams, clothing and footwear.

Other charities to benefit from the fund, which launched in January 2019, are Chris’ House, Wishaw, LifeSavers Scotland, Glenbervie Care Home, Cleft Lip and Palate Fund, Mind the Men, The Haven and St Andrews Hospice, Glasgow.

The Barratt Homes Community Fund has pledged to donate £1,000 each month to a charity or organisation in the west of Scotland. Charities are nominated and voted for by employees of Barratt Homes and the focus for the fund continues to be on those who improve the quality the of lives of local people.

• Cairngorm Capital snaps up Grant & Stone

Thames Valley builders’ merchant Grant & Stone Limited has announced a new partnership with specialist private investment firm Cairngorm Capital Partners.

Established in 1987, Grant & Stone is an independent, family-run provider of quality products and services for the building, plumbing and electrical trades. Via its three specialist building, plumbing and electrical divisions, it has 29 branches across the Thames Valley, consisting of builders’ merchants, electrical wholesalers, plumbers’ merchants, timber merchants, as well as eight kitchen and bathroom showrooms.

Its ecommerce subsidiary, Trading Depot, was launched in March 2008 as a one-stop solution for competitively priced, quality building supplies and tools to trade and retail customers. Headquartered in High Wycombe, Grant & Stone employs 360 people and in 2019, achieved revenues of £100m.

Cairngorm Capital is acquiring the business from Grant & Stone’s founding shareholders and is backing the incumbent management team, led by chief executive, Nick House, commercial director Peter Cudd, and divisional managing directors Andy Grant, Mat Miller and Matt Bland.

Grant & Stone will continue to aim to grow through a combination of new branch openings and acquisitions. The ambition is to transform the scale of the business and to become a market leader in the builders’ merchant sector in the region.