Emanuel Whittaker staff raise £1,000 a month, every month for a year

Aug 29, 2013

After a year of exhausting and imaginative fund-raising to celebrate its 175^th anniversary, staff at Emanuel Whittaker have announced the total money raised in the period was £12,009.17.  That equates to a thousand pounds a month, every month for a year!

Clive Newton, Managing Director said:  “With so many activities going on it has taken a while to get all the money in, but we are thrilled with the final count.  Our staff, clients, sub-contractors and friends and family have been incredibly generous and it’s been genuinely lovely to meet some of the people at The Christie Charity and Dr Kershaw’s hospice who will benefit from the money.”

To raise the cash Emanuel Whittaker staff were split into teams who between them all developed a vast array of fundraising initiatives including a car wash, making and selling handmade garden furniture and kitchen equipment, a sponsored weight loss, a sponsored silence, various sponsored walks, a bungee jump and a meditation evening as well as various sporting events including; football, cricket and golf.

The monies are to be divided between the two charities and the company has asked that The Christie funds are directed to the Young Oncology and Haematology and Transplant Unit.

“Emanuel Whittaker has invested a lot of effort into developing young people through our apprenticeship programme and we work with local schools and colleges to encourage young people into construction,” explains Clive Newton. “As a result of this relationship with young people we wanted to do something that specifically benefits them.”

The Christie currently has two specialist services, in need of refurbishment, however it has identified that it can deliver even greater results if the services are integrated, especially as approximately 50% of young cancer patients will have a haematological cancer (blood cancer). The Christie charity is therefore hoping to raise just over £10 million to build a new integrated treatment centre to replace the existing Young Oncology Unit (YOU) and Haematology and Transplant Unit (HTU).

Natalie Pike, Corporate Development Manager at The Christie Charity said:  ‘Everyone at The Christie is so grateful for the amazing support of Emanuel Whittaker, their staff and customers. The wonderful donation will be going towards our new Young Oncology Unit, which will help enable us to build a new world-class treatment centre for teenage cancer patents. The unit should be complete early next year and we will be inviting everyone who contributed to the opening ceremony.”

Over fifty per cent of the funds will be given to Oldham’s hospice. Dr Kershaw’s needs nearly £5,000 every day to be able to continue to operate its specialist services and maintain the outstanding standard of care.  Fundraiser Lisa Pearson said:  “We were so thrilled and proud be chosen as one of the nominated charities for Emanuel Whittaker’s anniversary fundraising year. As a local charity it is important for us to build and maintain links within our local community and Emanuel Whittaker’s approach to fundraising meant that we had plenty of opportunities to work with staff and suppliers.

“Dr Kershaw’s Hospice is extremely grateful for the company’s support, it costs over £1.75 million to run the hospice each year and the lion’s share of that funding comes from local companies, community groups and businesses. Without the support of people within our community we could not provide the vital services we do.”

Emanuel Whittaker’s 175^th anniversary celebrations have now concluded, however, many staff have enjoyed their fund-raising activities so much they intend to continue helping their favourite charities.

Director John Gallagher said:  “Where possible the company will continue to support staff in their efforts to raise money for good causes through either financial or practical support.

“We had no idea how much we could raise in 12 months and everyone involved has been staggered by the generosity of all our supporters.  We want to pass on our congratulations and thanks to all those involved.”

Tottington duo help mend broken hearts

Aug 19, 2013

With support from his partner, Lead  Resident Liaison Officer at Emanuel Whittaker,  Adam Berry, the two Tottington men set about raising money to support The British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) ” Mending Broken Hearts Appeal” which is raising awareness of heart failure and taking steps to find a cure through stem cell research.

Recently, with the help and support of friends and Adam’s colleagues at Emanuel Whittaker including Site Managers Mark Healey and Ian MCcune and Resident Liaison Officer Louise Langford a group of 16 took part in The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge.  This gruelling walk takes in the peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, usually in this order, and the challenge is to complete is under 12 hours!

Emanuel Whittaker sponsored the walk by providing £200 which was used to buy t-shirts and supplies to keep the team going and The Events Service helped organise the day. The team were also supported by R A Sidebottom Roofing Ltd, who donated £100.

Adam said:  “Most of our team were raising cash for BHF but one was raising cash for Verity, a charity for women suffering from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and another for the MS Trust.  It was very hard going, blisters were a common theme but there was also lots of fun and games.

“I don’t think anything can really prepare you for the walk; you go through a whole range of emotions, from feeling like you can’t take another step to laughing out loud when somebody falls in a boggy patch.”

The team all agree they could not have completed the walk without the help of a support team which included Shaun and which gave the walkers lots of support and encouragement. All the walkers completed the challenge within the 12 hour time frame and in collaboration with other fundraisers for the Mending Broken Hearts Appeal, have raised £1271.05

Rukhsana Nabi from Emanuel Whittaker said:  “We are very proud of the staff that completed this walk.  The company is always happy to support its employees where possible and the team have raised a fantastic amount of money.”

You can still donate to the charity by clicking on this link http://www.justgiving.com/Adam-Berry1

A very sad and fond farewell to Peter

Jul 22, 2013

It was another sad day for Emanuel Whittaker as another long standing member of staff retired.

Site Manager, Peter Dransfield finally decided to hang up his hard hat and boots and retire after a remarkable 17 years with the company.

Peter celebrated his 65th birthday in April, but has decided to spend some more time with his family rather than carry on working.

Peter was a very popular member of staff and we’ll all miss him around the office and on site. But we know our clients and customers will miss him too.

“Peter always managed to win residents round with his warm personality and friendly approach” explained Managing Director, Clive Newton. “Peter epitomised the ‘Whittaker’s Way’. Always going the extra mile for our customers in everything he did. That’s why our clients always asked for him on their projects, and customers consistently gave him 100% in his customer satisfaction scores”.

We all wish Peter a very long, happy and healthy retirement.

Peter moves on to pastures new

Jul 4, 2013

Friends and colleagues gave a fond farewell to Peter Houghton who left the company on Friday 28th June.

After being employed with Emanuel Whittaker for 18 months as a Quantity Surveyor, Peter is moving to Bristol to be closer to his new wife’s family.

Despite his short time with the company, Peter has made a big impression, and will be missed by friends and colleagues throughout the business.

Local apprentices on the road

Jun 13, 2013

Apprentices working for Oldham based construction and regeneration company Emanuel Whittaker have been given the chance to take subsidised driving lessons, thanks to an initiative from Procure Plus, the company’s procurement partner.

Lee Bradbury, Health, Safety & Environment Manager for Emanuel Whittaker said:  “Our trainees are not office based and are regularly asked to work on sites all across Greater Manchester. These are young men and women and chances are they have not yet had the opportunity, or the cash, to pass their driving tests.  This can have an adverse effect on the effectiveness of their training and their futures in the industry.

“Procure Plus has recognised the issue and is giving 20 top performing trainees a head start by providing up to 20 hours of driving lessons as well as paying for their theory and practical tests which is a saving of between £300 – £400.”

Despite the best efforts of Emanuel Whittaker to keep trainees in their local area, it is not always possible and so having the ability to drive is a real bonus for these young trainees.

Emanuel Whittaker apprentice external wall insulation operative, Rachel Howarth and bricklayer, Katie Lockwood were part of the first intake to benefit from the scheme and are now the proud owners of a driving licence.

Katie  said:  “The help from Procure Plus has really made a difference.  I live in Royton and have to work all over Manchester and so being able to drive will not only make getting to and from work considerably easier, but will also help my career as having my driving licence  is an obvious bonus.  It would have probably taken me a lot longer and cost me a lot more money to get my licence if I had not had this help from procure plus. I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity.”

Three more trainees based at Emanuel Whittaker have just been selected for the scheme. Matthew Casey, Rhys Jones and Bradley Healey will soon be starting their driving lessons and are hoping to secure their driving licences and get on the road before the end of the year.