Bloomin Lovely

Apr 28, 2021

Emanuel Whittaker Site Manager Katie Lockwood and Resident Liaison Officer Janice Nolan have been getting to know the tenants of Northwards Housing Victoria Square over the last three months.

In that time, they’ve realised just how much the communal garden means to residents, as they’ve watched it blossom.

So when Victoria Square resident Peter Tucker mentioned that he needed plant food, Katie and Janice where more than happy to provide it. Peter said “Thank you for your donation, this will now last us the rest of the year!”

Call for more women in construction as we launch apprentice recruitment drive

Sep 21, 2017

Salix Homes and Emanuel Whittaker, together with other partner contractors have launched an apprentice recruitment drive in Salford – and we are calling for more women to consider a career in construction.

Salix Homes are inviting applications, both male and female, for their latest intake of apprentices to work on their multi-million pound investment programme.

Salix Homes have appointed Emanuel Whittaker as one of its principal contractors to deliver their £38million improvement scheme to 2,900 homes across the city over the next three years.

For every £1million invested, Salix Homes and partner contractors have committed to creating two apprenticeship positions for local people, as part of their ‘Earn as You Learn’ initiative.

Sue Sutton, executive director of operations at Salix Homes, said: “We are very proud to work alongside our partner contractors to provide these training and employment opportunities for local people to help them create a better life for themselves.

“We’ve had some tremendous success stories through our apprenticeship programmes – both male and female, so we believe it is important to remember construction in the housing sector is open to all and we want to see more women learning the tools of the trade.

“Only 14% of the workforce in the construction industry is female, but we believe it’s time for a change and women should be able to fulfil their potential and thrive in careers, such as plastering and joinery, that have previously been dominated by men.

“Apprentices represent the future of the sector and our Earn as Your Learn initiative provides a fantastic opportunity for young people, both men and women, to gain valuable skills, experience and qualifications while still taking home a wage.”

The two and three year apprenticeships are run in conjunction with procurement consortium Procure Plus and include positions in a number of principal trades, including plastering, gas engineering and site logistics.

Apprentices will also work towards an NVQ Level 2 and Level 3 qualification.

As well as Emanuel Whittaker, the apprentices will work alongside contractors Sure, The Casey Group and A Connolly Ltd; as well as with Salix Homes’ own Repairs and Maintenance Team.

In the past two years, Salix Homes has recruited 45 apprentices to work across the organisation and with partner contractors, the majority of whom have been with Emanuel Whittaker.

Jake Rawlinson, 22, from Swinton, is a joinery and carpentry apprentice with Emanuel Whittaker working on the Salix Homes partnership and says he’d definitely recommend going down the apprenticeship route.

He said: “My father and uncle are in the building industry, and my interest grew after going out with them and seeing what happened. I also saw the potential to work and possibly progress to other things such as site management.

“I was fortunate enough to be given a great opportunity with Salix Homes and Emanuel Whittaker to do an apprenticeship which I really enjoy – working and being taught at the same time.  I would encourage anyone who is given a similar opportunity to take it up.”

To find out more about the apprenticeship opportunities available with Salix Homes contact Jackie Crook on 0161 779 8966 or email jackie.crook@salixhomes.org. The deadline for applications is Sunday, 24 September.

Christmas comes early for Salford church group

Dec 18, 2015

Christmas has come early for a Salford church group who have a new and improved community centre in time for the festive season.

Emanuel Whittaker and Salford housing association Salix Homes have come to the rescue of Treasure House in Weaste – a Christian church group which brings people together for worship and community activities.

The group had purchased a warehouse on Eccles New Road to transform into a community hub, but sourcing funding to complete the project was proving difficult.

Emanuel Whittaker are working nearby to improve almost 100 homes on the Meadowgate Estate as part of Salix Homes’ two year investment programme, which will see 2,200 homes across Salford undergo £22m of much needed improvements including new kitchens, bathrooms, windows and doors.

While carrying out improvements to the home of church pastor Soloman Obisan, who is a Salix Homes tenant living on the Meadowgate estate, senior resident liaison officer Adam Berry learnt of the church group’s plight.

Adam, inspired by Soloman’s enthusiasm for this great cause, asked his bosses at Emanuel Whittaker if the company could help and they gave him the green light to offer staff time as well as funds.

It was then all hands on deck as our Salford site teams worked alongside sub-contractors Rixonway Kitchens, Smart Sun Heat and Solar-Gen to re-plaster the walls, install heaters, fit a new kitchen and upgrade the bathroom facilities.

Soloman said: “When the companies told us what they were going to do for us we just could not believe it – we literally sang and danced for joy.

“The kindness and generosity of everyone involved has meant that we can celebrate Christmas in style and help those in the community who may need some support at this special time of the year.”

Mark Foster, head of investment at Salix Homes, said: “Salix Homes is committed to supporting the communities where we are delivering our home improvement schemes and working with our partner contractors to improve local facilities.

“Treasure House will be an excellent community resource and we hope their new and improved building will help them spread some festive cheer this Christmas.”

Adam Berry, senior resident liaison officer at Emanuel Whittaker, added: “It’s nice to know that we have been able to provide a long lasting community legacy for the Weaste community, particularly at Christmas time, and all of us involved were delighted to have been able to help.”

Treasure House offers numerous community activities throughout the week. For more information go to www.thetreasurehouse.com

New apprentice recruits start work

Dec 15, 2015

A Salford housing provider and its partner contractors have welcomed their latest intake of apprentices.

Salix Homes, which owns more than 8,300 homes across central Salford, has appointed 36 apprentices this year in a range of roles from construction to customer service.

The recruits, who are all local people aged between 17 and 41, have been employed directly with the housing provider as well as with its partner contractors including construction specialists Emanuel Whittaker, Seddon, and A Connolly Ltd, and property maintenance providers Sure Group.

Among the apprentices is 20-year-old Salix Homes tenant Tom Denton, from Charlestown, Salford, who is an apprentice joiner with Oldham-based Emanuel Whittaker.

Tom said: “I feel really lucky to have been selected for this apprenticeship and being able to earn while I learn. As well as learning a new skill which I know will be useful in the future, it’s good that I am helping to improve my local area.”

The new recruits are working on Salix Homes’ £22million investment programme, which will see improvements made to 2,200 homes in Salford over the next two years including new kitchens, bathrooms, windows and doors.

Mark Foster, head of investment at Salix Homes, said: “We are very proud to work alongside our partner contractors to provide these training opportunities for local people to help them create a better life for themselves. “Apprentices represent the future of the housing sector and we are confident our newest cohort will not only gain valuable skills, experience and qualifications, but will also help us to develop a stronger workforce.”

Over the next five years, Salix Homes will create hundreds of new jobs and training opportunities after tenants voted to transfer the ownership of their homes from Salford Council – a move that has unlocked £75m investment in homes and communities across the city.

John Gallagher, contracts director at Emanuel Whittaker, said: “Emanuel Whittaker is renowned for its apprenticeship training and we have a strong history of working with young people. We are very pleased to be continuing this tradition with this latest selection of recruits at Salix Homes.”

Simon Harrison, managing director at A Connolly Ltd, added: “Our business ethos is to raise awareness of construction careers, and also invest in young people who want to work within the industry. Our commitment to our apprentices is to take them through to NVQ3 in their chosen trade or profession and this has been recognised in our recent award through GM Chamber Wigan business awards in supporting apprentices.”

Maggie Heap, community project manager at Seddon, said: “It is a privilege to be able to welcome our latest raft of recruits 119 years after we first launched in Salford.

“Salix Homes is committed to not only improving people’s home through the improvement works, but also helping young people climb the career ladder. This passion is inspiring and we are delighted to be involved with the project.”

Jane Cunningham, director at Sure Maintenance added: “Well trained, quality gas and electrical engineers are critical, as they keep Salix Homes’ customers safe. We are delighted to have recruited motivated and enthusiastic local people as apprentices to support the on-going future delivery of the Salix Homes electrical and gas services.”

The apprenticeships are run in conjunction with procurement consortium Procure Plus.

Kate Parker, senior regeneration manager at Procure Plus, added: “We are thrilled that both Salix Homes and our contractor partners have provided meaningful, paid employment opportunities for many local people who may have otherwise struggled to secure employment.

“Salix Homes’ commitment to improving properties over the next five years means we can offer full apprenticeships, training people in trades which will ensure they can sustain their own employment for years to come.”

A new Grotto for Santa

Dec 9, 2015

Emanuel Whittaker and a number of its suppliers have been giving a helping hand to Santa at his grotto at Dr. Kershaw’s hospice in Oldham.

Every year the hospice hosts a very popular Christmas Extravaganza which raises funds for the hospice and Santa has been known to drop in and say hello.  Obviously, he needs his own grotto and Arron Cheshire, Community Fundraiser from Dr Kershaw’s, was concerned it was not up to scratch.

“We had been using a small and dark office in the Hospice, but we wanted something that was a bit brighter and more magical for Santa,” he said.  “We decided to ask our friends at Emanuel Whittaker if they could help.”

Facilities Manager from Emanuel Whittaker, Phil Peacock was confident that, with the help of other local businesses, Santa could enjoy a more luxurious base while visiting the hospice.  Timber was provided by Joseph Parr and Howarth Timber which allowed the Emanuel Whittaker joiners to build walls and a door onto the existing wooden gazebo within the Hospice grounds.  Signage to the grotto was provided by Signbox and Bladen Electrical made sure all the electricals were safe to use.  Kind volunteers from Dr Kershaws decorated the grotto and made it habitable for Santa to use during his visit.

‘As usual we were bowled over by the kindness and generosity of our sub-contractors,” said Phil.  “The space has been maigically transformed from a gazebo which was exposed to the elements to a lovely and cozy grotto which is a much nicer area for Santa to talk to the children of Oldham.”

Typically, the great British weather meant further shelter for other stall holders was needed and Arron asked if Phil had any contacts who could provide a marquee.  Fortunately, Phil is a Scout Leader and so he put a call out on Facebook to the North West scouting community.  The Oldham and District scouts came to the rescue and not only provided the marquee but also enough scouts to erect it and to take it down – saving the hospice around £1000.

“We have been very moved by the kindness of Emanuel Whittaker and their sub-contractors and of course the fabulous scouts from Oldham who made our Christmas Extravaganza such a success,” said Arron.  “The event raised over £8,000, with the grotto making just under £500 and everyone who attended was pleased for the cover provided by the marquee. Most importantly of all, Santa was very impressed with his grotto and said it had never looked nicer.”