A team of runners consisting of Hobson & Porter employees and their friends and family recently took part in the Hull 10K Run for All, raising money for the Jane Tomlinson Appeal.

23 runners completed the run as part of the Hobson Porter & Friends team. This was the fourth time a team from Hobson & Porter has run the 10K, but some members of this year’s team were first-time competitors, and had to put in some training beforehand!

The Run for All is a nationwide event that was founded by the late fundraiser and runner, Jane Tomlinson. Despite the devastating news that she had terminal breast cancer, Jane not only outlived her initial six-month prognosis, but completed several incredible challenges, including a full Ironman, two half Ironmans, the London Marathon three times, the New York Marathon and three London triathlons. Jane raised £1.85M for various charities and inspired the nation, and the 10K Run for All continues her legacy.

Last year, the team raised £1,000 which was a terrific achievement, and so this figure set the target for this year. We’re pleased to announce, however, that this target has been surpassed, with the total currently standing at £4,635! We would like to thank all of the friends, family members and business partners who have contributed to this impressive total.

Hobson & Porter’s team have taken part in several challenges to raise money for charity, including the infamous Tough Mudder, and thankfully the weather held out at the weekend to prevent the 10K from resembling these other events too closely!

To help the team’s fundraising efforts, and congratulate them on a job well done, you can donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/LOUISE-BAILEY19

We all remember maths lessons at school, where we wondered when on earth any of this would come in handy. Luckily for the students at Priory Primary School in Hull, Hobson & Porter’s recent visit has offered them a host of possible answers to this quandary.

At a recent visit to the school during its STEM week, our site engineers engaged with students in Years 5 and 6 to teach them how maths can be taken out of the classroom and applied to real life, and hopefully inspired a few of Hull’s future engineers in the process.

The children were also given the opportunity to try out their newly-indispensable maths skills in a hands on session with a theodolite, taking accurate measurements of their own classrooms with the high-tech piece of equipment.

This visit was one of Hobson & Porter’s many collaborations with the education sector, as we are always looking for ways to provide students of all ages with experience and knowledge of the construction industry through arranging engaging activities like these with younger students and setting up worthwhile opportunities for older students.

Encouraging the development of the skills students will need for a future in our industry will not only benefit them, but will also benefit the construction industry in the future by supplying it with a stream of motivated young people with fresh ideas and initiatives.

Hobson & Porter’s Nostell Way housing project in Bridlington was highly commended in the category for Best Social or Affordable Housing at the recent LABC Building Excellence Awards.

The judging panel noted our positive collaborative working relationship with East Riding of Yorkshire Council, along with the project’s high standards, innovative design and attention to detail.

The building materials, including triple glazing and extensive insulation, were chosen to make sure the houses are all energy efficient, and compost bins and water butts have been installed in order to encourage residents to live environmentally friendly lifestyles.

The project came about as part of a £5.5m project to build new affordable homes for council tenants, creating 48 brand new houses at the top of Pinfold Lane, consisting of 28 three-bedroom homes and 20 two-bedroom homes, to be accessed via Nostell Way.

We’re very pleased that this project has been recognised by LABC, as our team has worked tirelessly over the past two years to deliver this work to our usual high standard, and their outstanding workmanship really deserves to be acknowledged.

The South Yorkshire and Humber LABC awards were a success for Hobson & Porter as we were awarded “Best Community Building” for our facility, The Orchard.

The building, a £2.7 million construction for local charity Emmaus Hull, is a facility for the homeless that provides en-suite accommodation and living space for up to 30 residents, as well as a café and retail space for residents to work in.

Emmaus is a charity which provides homes and meaningful work for the homeless to help regain lost self-esteem and the confidence to get back on their feet.

The LABC building excellence awards set out to recognise the excellence in quality and sustainable construction of projects of all scopes whether this be new builds, extensions or alterations.

The awards ceremony took place on Thursday 12^th May at the Forest Pines Hotel in Scunthorpe.

David Blades, Director of Hobson & Porter said: “We are delighted to receive this award which is a proud reflection of the work we have carried out in the local community.

“The Orchard has given opportunity and purpose to the lives of homeless people in the Hull area and we are proud to have played our part in the construction of it.”

Over the past two months we have welcomed three new trainees to Hobson & Porter, all working within different areas of the business.

Providing young people with professional experience is something we regard as being crucial for the long term success of the business and for the future of the construction industry as a whole.  Traineeships of these kind, are just one of the ways where we strive to facilitate such experiences.

Over the years our firm has given many students work experience on a wide range of sites and within varying areas of the business as well as engaging with young people and students in workshops, site visits and other educational activities.  Each experience is aimed at giving youngsters an insight into the industry and to inspire the industry’s next generation of talent.

Lewis Kemp, one of our new trainees, has joined the team on a 3 year Design Apprenticeship working alongside our experienced Design Manager Peter Mills and our Assistant Design Manager Blake Wright. Lewis currently works with us for two days a week while completing a professional construction studies qualification at Hull College

Lewis said: “I am really enjoying my time at Hobson & Porter. It is something new and exciting. I have always been interested in design and I am especially enjoying working and learning more about computer-aided design. My colleagues are also very helpful and are teaching me a lot, supporting me every step of the way.”

Jordan Hadfield our new trainee Site Engineer is working alongside our experienced Site Engineer Mark Young, working on various project sites. Jordan has joined Hobson & Porter as part of his diploma in construction, and is really making the most of the opportunity, considering half-term and summer holidays as an opportunity to experience working on a full-time basis.

Jordan recognises the invaluable insight work-based traineeships provide, and said: “I have learnt much more in one month’s work with Hobson & Porter than I have studying construction for six years.  Already, I have gained great experience of how buildings go from an idea in the planning stage, to setting out and beginning work”.

Our third trainee, Charlie Walsh, joins the company as an apprentice bricklayer, and combines this training with his studies at Hull College where he is completing his Level 1 qualification in Bricklaying and is to start his Level 2 in September. Charlie has been working at our Hull Dry Dock site which is providing a whole range of great learning opportunities.

Our Employment and Skills Coordinator, Pauline Steele said: “The progress our trainees have made already, in such a short space of time demonstrates the advantages to be gained in supporting studies with first-hand experience.  The hard work and commitment the trainees show is invaluable to us as a business and we are proud to be supporting such initiatives”.