July 2011

Student's state-of-the-art site visit - Walthamstow Fire Station

The new Walthamstow fire station is a project that Lakehouse can be especially proud of: its state-of-the-art, eco-friendly design will go a long way to ensure the fire brigade reduces its carbon footprint. That's why, when 15 young students from Construction Training London visited the site on July 28, Operations Manager Darren McKeon and Site Manager Brendon Ledwell had a lot to show them.

Regeneration Education at Tower Hamlets Event

Lakehouse showed Tower Hamlets residents that regeneration awareness can be fun, when they provided the entertainment at the housing provider’s engagement event at Central Foundation School in Bow on 16 July.The company brought along a bouncy castle, a giant connect 4, a face painter, and provided branded merchandise and snacks for visitors. The aim of the day was to raise awareness and engage residents in regeneration plans for the area.

Responsible Procurement - The Burning Issues

Lakehouse's CSR team attended the London Fire Brigade's Responsible Procurement Supplier Engagement event on Friday, 15 July. One of the functional bodies of the Greater London Authority framework, the LFB is committed to promoting its responsible procurement policy, and commitment to the Mayor's Green Procurement Code, within its supply chain.

London Excellence Award 2011 for Lakehouse

Ask anyone who has entered the London Excellence Awards, and they will tell you that the awards are a rigorous test of best practice and performance. That's the reason why everyone at Lakehouse is so excited to receive a London Excellence Award for 'Making Partnerships Work'. The assessment process included a comprehensive written submission, which is scored against specific criteria and exacting guidelines, followed by a presentation and interview with a panel of judges. Only the best are recognised as finalists, a few exceptional companies are rewarded with a London Excellence Award. Lakehouse is one of them.

Kids get creative at IDS Family Fun Day

On 23 July 2011, IDS held its annual Family Fun Day at Evelyn Court, Amhurst Road, in Hackney. Six Lakehouse employees were there to show their support and interact with tenants, demonstrating the company's commitment to community engagement.

Lasting impression at Rockcliffe Manor School

Staff, children and their parents gathered on 4 July to mark the grand opening of the new foundation building at Rockcliffe Manor School, Greenwich. The fantastic £800k facilities were created by Lakehouse, whose representatives joined in the fun, taking guided tours of the brightly coloured interior, which were eagerly provided by the children themselves. Lakehouse provided sponsorship for the event, and arranged for a professional photographer to capture the day so that the school could enjoy lasting memories of their special opening.

Lakehouse is announced a winner at Construction News Awards 2011

At a gala awards dinner on 13 July at London's Grosvenor House Hotel, Lakehouse was announced winner of the prestigious Construction News Training Award. Lakehouse has been recognised many times over the past two years as one of the best of the construction industry, winning 19 awards in 2010. The latest award is the company's fourth in as many months, following HM The Queen's Award for Enterprise:Sustainable Development, a Business in the Community Award for Skills in the Workplace, and a Building Award for Diversity Champion of the Year.

Surrey County Council awards £910k project at Kingfield School

Surrey County Council has awarded Lakehouse a £910k project to extend and alter Kingfield Infant School, in Woking. The 30 week project will see the construction of a single storey extension, which will help to satisfy the demand for more school places locally.

Lakehouse recognised in Business in the Community's 2011 Awards for Excellence

Lakehouse scooped the overall Example of Excellence prize in the Skills in the Workplace category at the annual Awards for Excellence on 5 July, beating off stiff competition from John Lewis and Costain Group. Lakehouse's award winning initiative, 'Lakehouse - Learning World' was recognised by judges for a well defined embedded programme with good employee benefits, and proven positive outcomes for Lakehouse and the wider society. Turnover has grown by 50% year on year for the past two financial years, and increased training has helped to improve staff retention, currently at 90%. The company's Building Lives project engages at least 100 disadvantaged people a year, and trains 40 of these individuals in a recognised maintenance qualification, providing successful graduates with guaranteed employment. Its 'Women in Construction' courses are offered to not only female employees, but to clients and members of its supply chain.

Lakehouse announced a finalist in the 7th London Excellence Awards

Twenty organisations have been shortlisted as finalists in the seventh London Excellence Awards, a prestigious awards scheme to celebrate some of the country’s outstanding companies and public sector organisations.

Richmond Council awards Lakehouse a £2.3million school extension

Lakehouse was responsible for constructing triple award winning Lowther Children's Centre, a BREEAM Excellent project, built on the site of Lowther Primary School, and completed in the summer of 2009.

Finalist for The Lord Mayor's Dragon Awards 2011

The shortlist for the 2011 Lord Mayor's Dragon Awards has been announced, and Lakehouse is a finalist for the Economic Regeneration Award. This year there were 80 entries, a massive 30% increase on last year, with entries from a variety of organisations across diverse industries, ranging from large multinationals to small local firms. The judges were impressed by the high standard of all the applicants.

HM The Queen honours Lakehouse with award for enterprise

There was much excitement when news broke of the winners of The Queen's Awards for Enterprise 2011. The prestigious awards are made annually by HM The Queen, and are only given to those companies that demonstrate the highest levels of excellence. Lakehouse is privileged to have received an award for 'Sustainable Development', on the basis of its exemplary performance in contributing to the social and economic sustainability of the communities it work within. The awards citation highlights Lakehouse's leadership role in raising the profile of the industry in terms of how it can progress the sustainability of its operations, and in particular the Building Lives and Lakehouse Legacy projects.

Local kids help build fire station!

On 4 July 32 children, aged between five and six, from local Thorpe Hall Primary School, took a trip to a Lakehouse building site at Walthamstow Fire Station in Forest Road. The children arrived bright and early and all bustled into Lakehouse's small site office for a health and safety talk, before being given a sneak preview of the fire station, which should be completed before the end of the year.

£600k children's centre opens in Sonning Common

On 25 May more than 200 pupils from three primary schools witnessed the opening of new Rainbow Children's Centre, constructed by Lakehouse in Sonning Common. To mark the opening of the centre, a mini Olympics was held on the school playing field, for pupils from Sonning Common Primary, Kidmore End Primary, and Bishopswood Special School. All the competitors received medals, certificates and goodie bags. Site Manager Shane Sheffield was invited to join in the celebrations, and was accompanied by company mascot Lenny Lakehouse (thanks to Luke Sheffield).

June 2011

Lakehouse hands over phase 2 historic new homes in Greenwich

Congratulations to all involved in the recent handover of new homes in Shooters Hill Road, on time and with zero defects. Days later the team was responsible for coordinating a visit from Greenwich's Head of Housing John Clark, Project Director Mark Baigent, Housing Strategy Manager Gill Ackrill, and other representatives of Greenwich Council, who joined Lakehouse to take a look around other successful new build sites in the area. Dale Johnstone and Richard Green welcomed visitors at Revell Rise, and Paul Johnson and Russell McMillan greeted visitors at Sunbury Street, whilst Matt Lees and Albert Scurfield managed the main group at Hervey Road, in Shooters Hill. Operations Manager Russ McMillan said "It's thanks to the ongoing commitment of our site managers that we achieved this highly successful handover. Without their input, some long hours, and continued hard work, we could not have done this.

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