This pair in the middle certainly have reason to be smiling, and not just because they’re wielding power tools. Yorkshire-based husband and wife construction professionals Craig and Lucy Noonan are off to Kenya this month to help build a refuge centre for young girls escaping forced marriage or female genital mutilation. Craig, a civil engineer at Curtins in Leeds, and Lucy, a business development manager at Harris Construction Management of South Elmsall, will be involved in all aspects of the build at Narok, south-west Kenya, which is being organised by charity Mission Direct with sponsorship from Curtins and Harris. Also pictured are Neil Parkinson (far left), director at Curtins, and Jason Adlam (far right), CEO at Harris Construction Management, a Chartered Building Company. The couple are currently seeking donations to help cover the build and the centre’s running costs in its first 12 months.
…relaxing by the pool with the latest copy of CM on your holiday?
That was construction consultant Daniel Cox MCIOB’s plan during a recent trip to Dalaman in Turkey. But no sooner had he settled on his sun lounger, applied some factor 30 and turned to our CPD feature on fire door specification, than a hornet “the size of a rugby ball” flew down to attack his fiancée lying who was lying next to him. “She grabbed the magazine from me and used it to swot the creature, but in the commotion CM flew out of her hand and into the pool. I was gutted, I’m not sure if mutant hornets are indigenous to that part of the world, but they are obviously not interested me keeping my CPD up to date!”
Don’t worry Daniel, we’ve posted you a replacement – but we recommend that you read it indoors this time.
…baking a construction-related cake?
No, The Great British Bake Off hasn’t launched a spin-off programme dedicated to construction-inspired cakes. This is Brighton MP Caroline Lucas and Community Wood Recycling managing director Richard Mehmed cutting a themed birthday cake to celebrate the non-profit wood-recycling business’s first decade of operation. Brighton-based Community Wood Recycling collects waste wood, most of it from the construction industry, and puts in on sale to the public, either for DIY use, or as hand-manufactured products such as planters, bird boxes and shelving units. Kier Group sponsored the party, attended by representatives from leading construction firms and local community leaders. We understand the cake contained just eggs, butter, flour and sugar and no recycled wood…
…helping to boost the UK’s butterfly population?
Butterfly numbers are at an all-time low, but several species have found a home at seven Cemex sites near Rugby, Warwickshire, including the green hairstreak, small blue and grizzled skipper. A key factor has been the creation of a “butterfly amphitheatre” at the Rugby cement plant. The idea is to connect areas of suitable habitat, preventing species from becoming marooned in one area with limited food sources and possibility of inbreeding.
