Building Briefs – November 12

A team of employees from Glasgow-based GAP Hire Solutions, the equipment hire company, has handed over a cheque for over £5000 to children’s cancer charity, CLIC Sargent, after a flurry of fundraising activity in recent weeks.

The team took part in the charity’s 5K Rainbow Assault course in Ayrshire in August, as well as completing a zip slide across the Clyde in Glasgow. The team also held a super hero dress up day and lunch and bake sale to supplement fundraising.

Fundraisers handed over the cheque for £5467 to CLIC Sargent Fundraising Manager Katie Grier at GAP’s Head Office in Glasgow.

Catriona Dunning, Head of HR at GAP, said: “The team at Head Office have done a fantastic job, raising an incredible amount for a charity like CLIC Sargent who offer a really important service to young people suffering from cancer and their families. Giving back to our community has always been very important to us as a National company.”

GAP Hire Solutions, a family business and the largest independently owned equipment hirer to the construction, utilities, maintenance and event industries, matched the total raised by the group through its GAP Giving Charitable Foundation. The Foundation donates around 0.5% of profits annually to charities and good causes nominated by GAP’s 1400 employees across the UK. Since its creation 6 months ago, GAP Giving has donated over £34,000 to 34 good causes including the British Red Cross, MacMillan Cancer Support and Help for Heroes.

Electricity safety first for Glasgow HA tenants

With almost two thirds of fires in Scottish homes are linked to electricity, campaigning charity Electrical Safety First is delighted Scotland’s largest provider of social housing will give its tenants the same protection from electrical risk already in place for private tenants.

Electrical Safety First successfully lobbied for regular electrical safety checks for the private rented sector (PRS) to be included in the Scottish Housing Bill. Now, Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) – Scotland’s largest social landlord with almost 40,000 homes in the city – has decided to instigate similar checks in all its properties.

“GHA is going above and beyond the rather vague electrical safety measures currently included in the Social Housing Quality Standard”, explains Phil Buckle, Director General of Electrical Safety First.

“They are setting a clear example to other social housing organisations, who we would urge to follow suit. We want to ensure that everyone, regardless of whether they are homeowners, private tenants or live in social housing, are properly protected from the risks of electricity.”

Mirroring the safety requirements in the PRS, where electrical checks must be undertaken by a registered electrician, GHA has awarded its electrical safety contract to City Building, NICEIC’s biggest Scottish contractor. The contract will roll out from this December.

Lorraine Starrs, Asset Planning Manager for GHA, adds: “Keeping tenants safe in their homes is paramount for GHA. That’s why we are going the extra mile to meet the highest of safety standards. By carrying out regular electrical safety checks, we can prevent people from getting hurt and reduce the risk of fire in our homes.”

Wheatley Group backs youth housing research project

New research into the future of housing has revealed that young people want access to good quality homes and to feel safe in their communities.

The research was launched yesterday at an event in Glasgow attended by Mhairi Black, Britain’s youngest Member of Parliament.

The Beyond4Walls (B4W) youth research project - run in partnership with Wheatley Group, the Poverty Alliance and Children in Scotland - involved a group of young people aged 14-21 from across Glasgow coming together to discuss and explore housing, economic and community issues in Scotland.

An important aim of the study is to enable housing providers to better understand the communities they work in and gain a more informed perspective on how they can meet the needs of the young people who live in their properties, both as tenants and as part of a household.

The report showed the majority of young people believe they need additional support when moving into their first home. This included easy-to-understand forms to apply for housing. They would also like support to develop their life skills such as banking, budgeting, cooking and cleaning.

Lorna Wilson, Research and Development Manager at Wheatley Group, said: “The research and findings will play an important role in helping shape future housing policy across the country. The wide-ranging results will be of keen interest to other organisations which want to find out more about the important issues affecting young people today.

“The Beyond4Walls project also had clear benefits for the young people themselves as they led this project from the beginning to the end.”

Greenspace funding

Projects in Central Scotland that support trees, woodlands and green infrastructure, encourage community growing or promote active travel can now apply for a share of up to £700,000 with the announcement today of the latest phase of the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) Development Fund by Environment Minister Aileen McLeod.

Dr McLeod made the announcement during a tour of the innovative Castlemilk Woodlands Project in Glasgow, which has previously received support from the Fund. She said:

“Being able to access high quality greenspace can improve the health, wellbeing and confidence of people and communities. And, as Europe’s biggest greenspace project, the CSGN has already made a massive difference to the lives of thousands of people in the central belt.

The CSGN Development Fund is managed by the Central Scotland Green Network Trust, with funding provided by Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government.

Support is available for feasibility projects as well as physical projects.

Over the past six years, the CSGN Development Fund has supported over 150 projects with £5.8 million.