Skidby Mill refurbishment work continues as Rural Life museum reopens

We are currently on site at Skidby Mill, which is undergoing a programme of refurbishment works, including repairs to the roof, windows and tower. The works are scheduled to take about 12 weeks and we are now midway through the 12-week programme. To preserve the grade II listed mill, which was built in 1821 we are repairing its sails externally. These are aimed to be returned to the mill in early 2021.

Skidby Mill is home to the Museum of East Riding Rural Life and this has also recently reopened. The Rural Life museum collects objects relating to rural and agricultural heritage of the East Riding and has a new display about milling and food production in the base of the tower.

During our works, all parts of the site remain open, including the independently run Sails café, which has also recently been refurbished.

East Riding Councillor Shaun Horton, portfolio holder for tourism, culture and leisure, said : “Our museums service staff look forward to welcoming visitors both old and new to this much loved historic building over the coming months. Visitors might be particularly interested in the refurbishment work taking place as a result of the major council investment in the facility”.

To find out more about Skidby Mill and its visitor attraction opening times go to: https://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/museum-eat-ridings-skidby-mill-reopens-new-exhibition-2927072

Construction milestone reached at Pickering NYMR scheme

Our project to build a new railway carriage maintenance facility in Pickering for North Yorkshire Moors Railway has reached a major milestone following the announcement of the reopening of the heritage rail service.

We are now well underway with the steel erection at the new stabling facility, located near to Pickering Station in North Yorkshire, as part of a National Lottery Heritage Fund and European Union Rural Development Programme for England funded project for the NYMR’s wider Magnificent Journey scheme.

The steel erection gives the first visual impression of the scale of the facility and follows the recent construction of a new road access bridge to the site to enable the main construction works to commence.

When complete, the five track single-storey carriage shed featuring a cantilevered roof, will accommodate up to 40 of the railway’s heritage carriages and for the first time enable servicing and cleaning tasks to be completed undercover.

Platform access to most tracks will be provided for servicing and cleaning, and one track will have a pit along its whole length to facilitate fitness to run inspections and brake block changing.

Works at the facility began in January this year with the new access bridge being completed just prior to the UK-wide lockdown due to COVID-19. Construction work at the site halted for a few weeks during April to allow us to implement new safe working practices across their sites. Work at the site resumed in late April, enabling the project team to advance their line-side works due to the railway being closed as a visitor attraction. The project is due to complete early in 2021.

Patrick Horton, Contracts Manager for the scheme, said: “This first erection of steelwork is an exciting milestone for the new carriage stabling facility at Pickering, for the first time people are able to really appreciate the scale of the project.

“Following the fantastic news that the railway will soon reopen to passengers at the beginning of August we are delighted to be back working onsite and progressing works, it will be great for passengers to see the work we have completed so-far as they pass the site on the trains.

Patrick added: “I would like to thank our project team and all the stakeholders at NYMR for their hard work and determination as we continue to deliver the scheme in accordance with government guidelines.”

Chris Price, NYMR General Manager, said: “After a delayed start to 2020, it’s great to be able to see works of this project well underway ahead of our season opening this Yorkshire day. It’s a real symbol of progress for us, of moving forwards, and is a real significant step in the development of our highly-anticipated new stabling facility.

Thanks are due to the people of Pickering for their patience during this major construction project, which will help ensure that the railway continues to bring jobs and economic benefit to the town.”

The facility at Pickering forms part of a larger scheme to transform the railway and secure its future as part of its £10million-pound Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey (YMJ) Appeal.

It will help sustain the NYMR and is funded by the European Union, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and the supporters of the NYMR. To find out more about the YMJ Appeal visit: https://www.nymr.co.uk/north-yorkshire-moors-railway-secures-national-lottery-support-ymj-news

Picture Credit: Charlotte Graham

New build for the Hull IVF Unit is underway

Patients undergoing fertility treatment in our region will soon be receiving their care in a brand new, state-of-the-art, clinic located near the Humber Bridge, within the Hesslewood Business Park. This will allow the Hull IVF Unit to enhance the already excellent patient experience they provide, in an unrivalled setting.

The Hull IVF Unit is one of the most successful fertility treatment centres in the country. The clinic provides over 400 treatment cycles for patients every year and continues to attract a growing number of patients seeking both NHS-funded and private treatment.

We are delighted to have been appointed as lead contractor to build the clinic.  Initial groundworks have recently commenced and construction is expected to take around 12 months.

The new facility will provide much needed extra clinical and laboratory space, enabling the clinic to meet the rising demand from both NHS and private patients across our region and beyond.

Denise Holland, the clinic’s Consultant Nurse says “We have been working very hard over the past 2 years to develop the plans for the new IVF unit. We all work together as a very close-knit team and hope that the new facility will significantly improve patients’ experience, at what can be a very emotional and stressful time in their lives.”

Russ Pask, Contracts Manager for Hobson & Porter, said “We’re pleased to be on site and commencing works at Hesslewood Business Park. The new Hull IVF Unit will be the latest in a long line of high-quality healthcare facilities we have delivered in the region over many years and we are proud to be creating a unit that will provide fertility treatment for hundreds of patients in the local area.”

This new location means the clinic will be more readily accessed from Hull, North and East Yorkshire, and Lincolnshire and will provide dedicated, free parking adjacent to the clinic for exclusive use of patients and staff.

Not only will the new clinic be able to accommodate the additional workload but will also be able to integrate new technologies into treatments, as they become available.

The Hull IVF Unit has had a close working relationship with the local NHS Trust for more than 25 years, and this relationship will continue. NHS patients will continue to access seamless care during and after their referral into the clinic.

It is anticipated that the clinic will open its doors to patients at the new facility by summer 2021.