Hobson & Porter has teamed up with community groups and schools from the Fountain Road area of the city to commemorate a landmark day for homeless charity Emmaus Hull.

The Hull construction firm is working with Emmaus Hull and Chevin Housing Association, a member of the Together Housing Group, to build a new multi-million pound homeless community and invited a number of groups and schools to contribute to a time capsule, which was buried at the site on Friday, January 30.

The time capsule is aimed at encapsulating 2015 Hull through the eyes of school children and community groups and has been buried where The Orchard’s car park will be. It is to be opened 100 years from now.

Dave Blades, Business Development Director at Hobson & Porter, said: “We are delighted so many groups and schools from across Hull have come together to help us with the burial of the time capsule.

“The Orchard really will change the face of Hull for the better and provide homeless people with vital services. We wanted to commemorate such a fantastic project with something that future generations will be able to refer to for an understanding of what this site was like in 2015 and how The Orchard was developed.

“Working with Emmaus Hull and Chevin Housing Association, we are very proud to be building this facility and look forward to seeing it fully operational later this year.”

Newlife Christian Academy, St Charles Primary School, Mitchell Community Centre, St Paul’s Church and Hull and Barnsley Railway all contributed to the time capsule.

Together Housing Group mascot MONTE (Making Our Neighbourhoods Totally Excellent) was on hand with a helping paw for the celebrations.

Caroline Grosvenor, Head of Chevin Housing, said: “The Emmaus movement does fantastic work and we’re happy to be able to play a part in its success.

“This is an important development that will play a part in helping to safeguard some of the most vulnerable people of the city, and we’re glad to see a such a unique venture marked in this memorable way.”

Construction work on the site in Lockwood Street, which will provide purpose-built single en-suite accommodation with communal facilities and a social enterprise centre comprising of warehouse, workshops, a community internet café and retail space for formerly homeless people began in September 2014 and is set to be completed in September.

The community café and second-hand retail space will be open to the public.

Helen McGill, Project Director at Emmaus Hull, said: “Although Emmaus is about creating a self-supporting community to enable people to work their way out of homelessness, it’s also very much about being part of the wider community.

“It’s great to work alongside local groups, learn more about the area and then come together to create a piece of contemporary history. I am sure The Orchard building will be standing in 100 years’ time but who will be living there and what will they make of our lives today?”

Hull West and Hessle MP Alan Johnson performed the official ground-breaking ceremony to signal the start of work on the new £2.7m project.

Hobson & Porter is delighted to announce it has been shortlisted in the prestigious Family Business of the Year Awards 2015.

The company was selected by judges in the Yorkshire Family Business of the Year category as well as the overall Property & Construction Family Business of the Year category, which features companies from across the UK.

The winners of the awards, which are hosted by Family Business United, the leading online magazine and resource centre for family firms in the UK, will now be decided by public vote.

Graham Beal, managing director at Hobson & Porter, said: “We are delighted to have been nominated in this year’s Family Business of the Year Awards. Family businesses are the bread and butter of industries throughout the UK and it is fantastic to be recognised for our work in Hull and the Humber region.

“Now that we have been shortlisted, we need the help of the people of Hull. The winners are decided by a public vote and we would love their support. Our business roots are in Hull and we are extremely proud of that and these awards will provide us with a platform to promote that across the UK.”

Paul Andrews, founder and managing director of Family Business United, said: “We are delighted to be able to pull together such a vibrant bunch of family businesses, some that have succeeded for numerous generations and continue to thrive, and others that are relatively young but have great values at the heart of what they do.

“Any one of those shortlisted would make worthy winners and ambassadors for the sector. We are looking forward to finding out more about each of them and I am sure that the decisions to determine the winner will not be easy.”

Visit http://www.familybusinessunited.com/resources/family-business-of-the-year-regions/yorkshire-award/ to vote for Hobson & Porter.

The winners will be announced at a gala reception at The May Fair Hotel in London on June 11.