Date: 30th August 2019

Bereaved families enjoy holiday courtesy of Curtins

Curtins have given a week’s stay in our holiday lodges to three families affected by grief and bereavement, who have been supported by Marie Curie, the terminal illness charity.

Fundraising through our Curtins Care charity initiative has been an annual commitment for a long time, but since this years’ nominated charity is Marie Curie we feel we have certain resources to help do more for patients than monetary donations alone.

As part of our employee benefits package, our staff can enjoy a week’s holiday in one of our four lodges across the UK. Lots of our staff use the lodges to spend time with the people they care about the most, and we feel this opportunity could also help families affected by terminal illness that Marie Curie are caring for.

So far, three families have each had a week’s break in our Cheddar and Windermere lodges. We also made sure there was a special welcome pack on their arrival to help them settle into their holiday.

Emily Lever, Head of Account Management at Marie Curie, said: “Having experienced the death of someone very dear to them, Curtins’ generous offer will help these families spend valuable time together and share cherished memories.

“These holidays give people supported by Marie Curie an opportunity to process their grief, and are a great example of going the extra mile to deliver personalised care to every individual family. Thank you, Curtins.”

We hope to offer more of these lodge breaks as we continue to support Marie Curie in the future. Meanwhile, we have also introduced a volunteer’s day that enables our employees to take a day’s paid leave to spend fundraising or volunteering for Curtins Care.

Date: 27th August 2019

Charity fundraising in Scotland: The Bike & Boot Challenge

Two offices, two cycle rides, one walk and one charity…

During September, Curtins’ Glasgow and Edinburgh offices will be getting their bikes out and boots on to raise vital funds for Marie Curie UK, our nominated charity of the year. A combination of cycle rides and walks will see the teams completing distances totalling over 70 miles.

What we’re doing

The first event, a bike ride, will take place on Friday 20^th September. The Edinburgh and Glasgow teams will start the ride from two hospitals schemes they’re working on in their respective cities, meeting roughly in the middle at the iconic Kelpies sculptures near Falkirk. End to end the distance covered by the eight cyclists will be 62 miles, with each team cycling just over 30 miles.

The Edinburgh contingent will set off from the Western General Hospital – a current project with architects Oberlanders and HLM and with Robertson Construction, Hulley & Kirkwood and Thomson Gray to deliver a cancer bridging unit for the NHS Lothian.

The Glasgow team will start at the Golden Jubilee Hospital where they’re providing services for a new ophthalmology unit and operating theatres with Kier Regional Building, Scotland.

In addition to the cycle ride, a team of six walkers will complete a 10km route, taking in four of the office’s projects in Edinburgh.

Helping Marie Curie

All the money raised from these activities will go towards the Curtins Care charity of the year, Marie Curie who carry out invaluable work supporting and caring for families living with a terminal illness. Their Nurses provide much-needed care for people in their own homes when they need them most, whether that’s day or night.

To donate to the Scotland Bike and Boot Challenge please go to https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/CurtinsScotland. We’re aiming to raise £450, which will pay for 50 hours of nursing support in someone’s home through the night. That’s a small price to pay for for the kind of support that in reality is priceless to the people who receive it.

Date: 16th August 2019

Digital skills workshop for Agent Academy

Yesterday we welcomed 16 students from Agent Academy to our Liverpool office to take part in a digital skills workshop. The group were all second-year students from University of Liverpool, studying a range of subjects from media and law to mechanical engineering and psychology. The students had a chance to experiment with some of the latest technologies being used within the construction industry and by our team, including virtual reality, 3D printing and 3D cameras that generate virtual building tours.

Agent Academy is an industry-led, leadership development programme. It was established as a solution to the issue faced by 16 – 25 year olds who find themselves, post-higher education, without the skills to begin their careers in the creative and digital industries.

The students who joined us were all ‘commuter students,’ which means they live at home or near to the university. This often means they’re more likely to remain in the region post-university, so the skills they develop through Agent Academy will have a positive impact on local business.

Thank you to Agent Academy for involving us in the programme.

Date: 7th August 2019

Target fundraising exceeded for Marie Curie

We’re just over half-way through 2019 and we’re delighted to announce that we have already surpassed our target fundraising for our partnership with Marie Curie UK. Through fundraising activities, challenges and generous donations we have raised £19,114.89 so far, beating our £15,000 target for the year.

Marie Curie’s vision is for a better life for people and their families living with a terminal illness. Their Nurses care for people in their own home, when they need them most, day or night. They have nine hospices across the UK, providing round-the-clock, specialist care at the heart of communities. Last year, they provided support for more than 50,000 people across the UK.

With more fundraising activities and volunteer days planned, we hope to continue to support this wonderful charity achieve its aims.

Date: 6th August 2019

We are pleased to announce a key transport planning appointment in our Leeds office

We welcome Shazad Khan who has recently joined us as Head of Transport Planning Yorkshire and the North East.

Shazad is an experienced transport planner having spent 20 years working across the private and public sectors. He has joined us from BWB Consulting and brings specialist knowledge in providing commercially viable highways advice leading to deliverable projects.

He has gained extensive experience in guiding projects through the planning process, working from feasibility to discharging planning conditions for developments of all scales and across all sectors. He is adept at managing multi-disciplinary teams on large-scale developments.

Based in our Leeds office, Shazad will be leading our transport planning team across Yorkshire and the North East, working closely with our regional heads including Alex Vogt in the North, Matt Price in the Midlands and Steven Farthing in the South.

Shazad will be instrumental in all areas of our transport planning services which extend from the initial concept stage through to detailed design and implementation. You can view our transport planning services here.

Alex Vogt, our head of transport planning north says, “I am delighted that Shazad has joined us in this leading role from Leeds, working closely with our teams in Manchester and Liverpool. Shazad’s skills and breadth of experience will add to our existing transport planning offer in Yorkshire and the North East. Shazad’s extensive local knowledge and relationships, plus his commercial approach and expertise across a range of sectors, will enable us to provide our existing and new clients with a comprehensive service in the northern region and beyond”.

Richard Osbond, director of our Leeds office, added, “The appointment of Shazad will enable us to build upon our current offer in providing the full range of Curtins pre-planning services, alongside our civil & structural, infrastructure and geo-environmental specialisms. We aim to continue to deliver the highest quality service to the Yorkshire and North East development sector”.

Shazad Khan says, “I am delighted to join Curtins and lead their established transport planning team based in Leeds. This is a very exciting time for Yorkshire and the North East and I’m really looking forward to working with existing and new clients on projects across the region”.

Date: 25th July 2019

Site visit in Leeds for Woodkirk Academy

Date: 25th July 2019

Civil engineering family fun sessions

Supported by Curtins, ICE Merseyside is hosting free summer engineering sessions aimed at young people aged 6-14 years old on Wednesday 21 August.

Families can have a go at flying drones, virtual reality, building LEGO, water challenges and colouring.

The event is taking place at Liverpool’s Central Library between 10am – 12pm and 1pm – 3pm.

Bookings can be made here or you can just turn up on the day.

We’d love to see as many budding engineers as possible so please help us to spread the word with family and friends in the area.

Date: 17th July 2019

Our third wellbeing event takes place in Leeds

Stacey Copeland visited our Leeds office on Friday to run a third workshop on mental health and wellbeing for our staff, following events in Liverpool and Manchester. The workshop asked staff to consider the things that may have shaped their perceptions of mental health or illness, and what support systems are available to help them cope with stress or times of difficulty.

Once again, Stacey rounded off the event in true sporting form with a boxing skills session, designed around teamwork and friendly competition; and highlighting the benefits of exercise for our wellbeing.

Thank you to Stacey for another excellent session and to Nigel Maitland for the photography.

Date: 11th July 2019

Curtins appointed as C&S Engineer for Gorton Community Hub

Manchester City Council has appointed Morgan Sindall Construction to build a new health and community hub in Gorton, who in turn has selected Curtins as Civil and Structural Engineer.

Discussions are on-going around what services will be available at the hub, but the ambition is to bring together a partnership of public sector organisations, including Manchester City Council, health and social care partners and housing and community service provider, One Manchester.

The purpose-built facility on Garrett Way would create a one-stop resource for local people to access a range of health, social and public services in a single location, all of which are currently delivered by several different providers in different parts of Gorton. This will include moving the Gorton library from its current site close by, with the existing library remaining open until construction is completed.

The demolition of the vacant properties on Garratt Way, formerly offices and a pub, is already under way to make way for the hub

The proposals were presented to tenants at a series of consultations in June. A planning application is expected to be submitted in July, with a start on site planned by late 2019 and completion anticipated in Spring 2021.

Shaun Jones, North West area director for Morgan Sindall Construction said:

“This is precisely the type of development we have a real passion for delivering and we are very pleased to have the opportunity and responsibility to provide these new facilities to the people of Gorton. We look forward to working closely with the city council to ensure the project has a positive community benefit during the construction process.”

Councillor Bev Craig, Manchester City Council’s executive member for adult health and wellbeing, said: “An approach like this is the embodiment of our belief that you can’t just treat health and social care in isolation – as all the other key elements of life like housing, having a good job, and having fulfilling things to do in our free time are all interconnected with our wellbeing.

“We want to help Manchester people live happier and healthier lives. Accessing services should be easy and joined up, and that’s why we are making public services like health and care work more closely, to provide better support to help people when they need it, to stay fit and well, access good quality jobs and enjoy all the rich social and cultural elements of where they live.”

The hub in Gorton sits alongside several regeneration projects taking place in the area. Manchester’s Housing Investment Fund has backed the development of more than 400 homes, including 183 homes for sale at Connell Gardens in West Gorton and 67 homes for sale and rent at Gorton Monastery.

Image: Artist’s impression provided by Manchester City Council

Date: 11th July 2019

David Hammond contributes to new CIRIA guidance on Construction Impact

David Hammond, Associate in our London office, is providing ongoing specialist geotechnical advice on the steering committee for new guidance by the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) on ground movement. The project will deliver good practice guidance on prediction, assessment and control of damage from ground movements, which will be disseminated through the industry.

Ground movements caused by construction activities such as basement excavation or tunnelling have the potential to cause damage to neighbouring structures or services. The guidance will identify the principal sources of ground movements and the methods for their prediction using empirical and analytical methods. Information on commonly adopted control measures to control ground movements from initial design through to construction will be included. The project also aims to provide guidance on permissible movement for different structure types, dependent on their condition and structural characteristics, and how this might be achieved by monitoring.

It is hoped that the guidance will enable those with a role in managing construction impact from ground movement to better understand the impact and good practice mitigation strategies.

For more information, visit CIRIA’s website here.