The first step in a project to develop a major new education campus for Lowestoft has received the approval of young people and local community groups from the town.

Once the redevelopment work at Barnard’s Meadow playing fields is complete, the site will boast a new floodlit all weather sports pitch, café, sports pavilion and on site parking. It is expected that the new facilities will open in spring 2010.

County Councillor Graham Newman Portfolio Holder for Children & Young People’s Services said: “The redevelopment will significantly improve facilities available to young people and community groups across Lowestoft. The site will also form part of a new education campus for the town.  The campus will include a state of the art building for young people to carry on their learning after leaving secondary school.  By working together the new sixth form college and the existing further education college will be able to offer young people a much wider range of courses and qualifications than ever before.”   

Depending on ministerial approval the new Lowestoft Sixth Form College plans to open its doors to young people from September 2011.

Two senior managers from Barnes Construction have continued to build their way to the top by achieving GNVQ Level 5 in Construction Management.

Project Manager Nick Timms (pictured right) and Senior Site Manager Richard Groom (pictured left) undertook the course at Colchester Institute in Essex. The course is designed for construction managers working in a wide range of job roles and is the highest level in the NVQ framework. Delivered in 11 units, studies are focused on the core elements of roles, functions and responsibilities of a construction manager.

Nick has worked for Barnes Construction since 2001.  He plays a key role in the delivery of projects, providing advice on buildability, value engineering, programme information and supporting the design function.

Richard joined Barnes Construction in 1998 as Assistant Site Manager. He soon progressed to Site Manager, and in 2003 he became Senior Site Manager.
Nick Fayers, Managing Director for Barnes Construction commented: “As a company, we encourage all our staff to push themselves in their professional development. By completing NVQ Level 5, Richard and Nick have demonstrated their ability to apply a significant range of fundamental principles across a wide and often unpredictable variety of contracts. This achievement has also recognised their ability to form and lead a project delivery team, as well as oversee the job, from initial idea through to the hand-over of the completed building.
Nick and Richard are now eligible to apply for Corporate Membership of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

Barn owls could soon be flying above Bourne Park thanks to a unique partnership between Ipswich Borough Council and Barnes Construction.

The local contracting company, which has an owl in its logo, is fully supporting this project which aims to encourage barn owls to return to the area and to breed.

Ipswich Borough Council’s Wildlife & Education Rangers Project team manager Laura Whitfield commented: “We want to improve the wildlife habitat in the park and encourage barn owls to nest here. By building two barn owl boxes (one for the male and one for the female and potential young) and by letting some of the grass grow long we can create a habitat, both for the birds and their primary food source, the short-tailed field vole.”

Currently there are no barn owls breeding anywhere in Ipswich and, if successful, Bourne Park could be the first place in Ipswich that barn owls have bred in more than 100 years.

Councillor Judy Terry, the Council¹s Arts, Culture & Leisure portfolio-holder, said: “This is an excellent example of the public and private sectors working together to benefit park visitors and we are grateful for the fantastic and enthusiastic support shown by Barnes Construction. A hundred years is a long time for Ipswich to be without barn owls and I hope we can soon see these magnificent birds here again.”

Nick Fayers, Managing Director for Barnes Construction added: “Right from the start, we were keen to get involved with this project because of our obvious relation to the Barn Owl, through the company name and a logo that has served us well over the last 26 years. Also, this is a worthwhile project that many of our staff, who live in Ipswich, can support and take an interest in and to show our commitment, we have nominated two ‘champions’ from the business, Helen Kembery and Paul Crisp, who will be ensuring that we keep in close contact with progress and give our full support wherever we can.”

Watched by colleagues and the building project team, Cllr Colin Noble, Suffolk County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Adult & Community Services has been helping to get a new respite care home nearer to completion, by laying a section of the sedum roof at a topping out ceremony.

The £1.9 million development is being built by Barnes Construction and is situated in close proximity to the Cathedral and Abbey Gardens. Replacing Chestnut House at The Vinefields in Bury St Edmunds, the home, when completed at the end of the year, will provide accommodation for eight people in two self-contained blocks, with a third linking block providing Day Services.

Of great importance to Suffolk County Council is the environmental credentials of the building and with this in mind, the council’s Corporate Property Department has designed the building with an aim to achieve a BREEAM* rating of ‘very good’.

“This new building includes areas of green and bio-diverse roofs, a woodchip boiler and high levels of insulation. It is an opportunity for us to create a prototype which can be used as a flagship and model for future buildings of this type across Suffolk.” Cllr. Noble commented.

Two weeks ahead of schedule, Barnes Construction has handed over the brand new Gainsborough Library in Ipswich to Suffolk County Council. To mark the completion of the 455 square metres, state-of-the-art community facility, Mandy Grimwood, Manager of Gainsborough Community Library accepted a framed photo and the keys for the building from Mark Bailey, Associate Director for Barnes Construction.

"This is a very special day for me and my team.  We saw the new building take shape over the last nine months, and now all our ideas and plans are suddenly very real.” Mandy commented.

The temporary library will close its doors for the last time on Friday 31st July and the new library will open its doors to the public on Tuesday 4th August at 9:30am. At that time local residents and the wider public will be able to take advantage of the diverse range of community services the building will offer. These include a well-stocked modern library, large community room, social enterprise café (similar to that recently opened in Felixstowe Library) and a digital sound recording studio, as well as a plethora of learning and leisure activities for people of all ages.

“It has been a delight to work on this contract which has resulted in this excellent facility for the community of Gainsborough.” Mark said. “What has made it particularly special is the support we have received from our client Suffolk County Council and the local residents that this new distinctive looking building will serve.

And distinctive the new building is with the entrance rotunda clad in a striking mirror green stainless steel; a first for Ipswich.  Architect, Consulting Engineer and Quantity Surveyor, Pick Everard designed the building which is principally glazed and partially rendered and can be seen from the junction of Clapgate Lane and Landseer Road. They incorporated the cladding that requires minimum maintenance into the design to help Suffolk County Council in its aim to create a landmark and dynamic 21st century library that promotes regeneration in the local community. Its use also fits in with the client's aspirations to deliver a 'very good' rated building through the BREEAM sustainability assessment method.

Three county councillors have lent a hand to complete a key milestone in the construction of the new £1.4 million library at Gainsborough in Ipswich.

Graham Newman, Portfolio Holder for Adult and Community Services, Rosemary Clarke, Vice-Chairman of Suffolk County Council and Assistant Portfolio Holder for Adult and Community Services and Bill Quinton, County Councillor for Gainsborough, helped to get the building nearer to completion, by assisting with the installation of the glass roof panels on the central rotunda entrance to the community facility.

When completed in the summer, the 455 square metre facility will not only house a well-equipped library, but also a large community room, a social enterprise café (similar to that recently opened in Felixstowe Library) and a digital sound recording studio. Outside there will be a community garden and a dedicated vehicle entrance with car and cycle parking.

Architect, Consulting Engineer and Quantity Surveyor, Pick Everard have designed the building which is striking in appearance, being principally glazed and partially rendered. The main feature that will be seen from the Clapgate Lane and Landseer Road junction is the entrance rotunda which, when finished, will be clad in green stainless steel, a first for a building in Suffolk.

Construction started in autumn last year on the scheme which is funded by the Big Lottery, as part of its Community Libraries Programme that helps to bring public libraries in England up to a modern standard. The library has integrated a number of sustainable elements into the build, such as an eco-friendly computer controlled window actuation cooling and ventilation system. Under floor heating and high levels of insulation will maximise thermal efficiency, which in turn will help to reduce on-going running costs.

Portfolio holder for adult and community services, Councillor Graham Newman commented: "This new library for Gainsborough and south east Ipswich has been designed in conjunction with, and to meet the needs of, local people. It will provide a community facility fit for the 21st century and will be a vibrant, landmark building to fit in with the neighbourhood it serves."

Barnes Construction has ended its 30th birthday year by winning two accolades at the Anglian Business Awards.

The gala dinner, hosted by Alistair McGowan and run by the East Anglian Daily Times, saw Barnes beat off strong competition to win the ‘Medium to Large Business’ category. The company was then chosen from the 14 category winners to be given the ‘Business of the Year 2008’ title.

Nick Fayers commented: “These awards are testament to the great team at Barnes Construction. This is our 30th year in business and our founding Chairman; the late David Barnes would have been delighted to share in the celebrations. After all if it wasn’t for his belief that you could have both a thriving construction business and a happy workforce, we wouldn’t be where we are today”.

Glasswell’s new Ipswich showroom has been 37 weeks in the building and more than four years in the planning. Paul Glasswell, third generation of the Glasswell family in the business, bought the site in June 2007 and building work began in March 2008.

Barnes Construction completed the work to a tight schedule, and the keys were handed over by Paul Lambert to Paul Glasswell at the end of October, enabling the shop-fitting to begin.

At the start of December the 73,000 sq. ft. home furnishings showroom will open its doors to the public.

Rob Fisher, Health and Safety Manager at Ipswich based Barnes Construction, has recently visited pupils at Holywell’s High School to talk to them about health and safety on construction sites.

The students, aged 14 -16, are currently studying the BTEC First Diploma in Construction. They learnt first hand about the dangers of construction sites, what policies and procedures are put in place to eliminate risks, and viewed pictures of what could happen if these guidelines were not followed.

Barnes Construction, in conjunction with ConstructionSkills, has recently linked with the Ipswich school to help the students with practical real-life activities to assist with their studies.  The next activity planned later in the year is to take the students to a local building site managed by Barnes.

Mike Hardman, Head of Technology at Holywells High School said “We are really happy to be working with Barnes Construction, who is supporting our students with putting the theory into practice. These activities will help them to experience real-life situations; encouraging and motivating them in their choice of a future career.”

Radio 4 presenter Libby Purves recently visited the nearly-completed Emmaus site in Colchester, Essex.

Libby, who lives in north Suffolk, was in the town to look at the £1.5million community building, which is being built by Barnes Construction.  The centre, which is the first in Essex, will offer a home and a new way of life for up-to 20 of Essex’s homeless, giving them a bed to sleep in and a reason to get out of it.

The centre, which is due to open in the autumn, includes a host of eco-friendly features such as wood-chip boiler that uses left-overs from the Emmaus furniture store located in the town.

Maggie Wheeler, Chair of the Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, has dug out the first turf to mark the start of building work on its new joint psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) and low secure unit on the site at Hellesdon Hospital in Norwich.

The £9.4m project, funded by the Trust, will provide a purpose built combined unit with ten PICU beds and 12 low secure beds for people experiencing serious episodes of mental illness.

Currently those needing PICU placements receive their treatment outside Norfolk, but the new building means they will be able to receive care locally.

Barnes Construction will be carrying out the building work, which is expected to be completed in February 2009.

Ipswich based building contractor, Barnes Construction, has recently linked with local school Holywells High as an industry partner. This alliance will offer students, who are interested in construction, the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of what the industry is really all about, and highlight the diverse career options available to them.

In support of the BTEC First Diploma in Construction being delivered at Holywell’s High, and in conjunction with ConstructionSkills, Barnes Construction is helping the students with practical real-life activities to assist with their studies. Activities include; Health and Safety on a construction site, an overview of the industry, careers in construction and a live site visit.

The Building Challenge activity, which was run by Jenny Pavey, ConstructionSkills and Nick Timms, Project Manager, Barnes Construction, involved students aged between 14-16 taking part in a challenge to build a replica of exciting model building at the best possible cost.

Mike Hardman, Head of Technology at Holywells High School said “We are really happy to be working with Barnes Construction, who is supporting our students with putting the theory into practice. These activities will help them to experience real-life situations; encouraging and motivating them in their choice of future career.”

A previously derelict site at Reynolds Road in Ipswich has recently been revitalised through the construction of a new affordable residential development by local contractor, Barnes Construction.

The 1.3 Million scheme for Orbit Housing Association, part of the Orbit Group, which included 12 new two-bed flats and car parking spaces, was built on land that was previously occupied by old concrete lock up garages.

Nick Fayers, Managing Director of Barnes Construction, said “As a locally based contractor we are always pleased to be involved in projects that help to regenerate our local community”.

Watched by colleagues and the building project team, Dr Jonathon Haigh, Senior Partner for Framfield House doctor’s practice in Woodbridge has been helping to get the new surgery nearer to completion, by laying the last ridge tile in a topping out ceremony held this week.

Chris Bruce, Director for Barnes Construction, helped Jonathon to lay the ridge tile in a ceremony that marks both the near completion of the outside of the building and all work moving inside to complete the fit out.

The multi-million pound development which will be finished in the summer will transform one of Woodbridge's best-known sites and create a one-stop health centre for the local community.

April 2007

Ipswich based Barnes Construction, is ‘all aboard’ by being the first to sign up for the inaugural St Elizabeth Hospice Dragon Boat race taking place at Alton Water near Holbrook on Saturday 9th June.

Local businesses, organisations and clubs across the region are invited to quite literally take to the water and try one of the fastest growing and most exciting water sports you can take part in. Crews of between 8 to 10 are required to paddle the 30 ft canoe-like vessel with one of the team even escaping most of the exertion by being the drummer, sitting in the brow, with responsibility for maintaining motivation and beating out the time on a large drum.  No previous experience required, just plenty of energy and team spirit.

“We think this a fantastic opportunity for a team of us to get together, have some fun and raise some money for the St Elizabeth Hospice too,” says Nick Fayers, MD of Barnes Construction. “I’d call on local companies to sign up for the Dragon Boat race and give the Barnes Dragons a run for their money – It promises to be a great day away from the office”

The children at Pipers Vale Community Primary School in Ipswich have been learning all about the dangers of playing on construction sites.

Robert Fisher, Health and Safety Manager and Carl Studd, Contracts Manager; both from Barnes Construction, called in the help of Bob’s distant cousin ‘Barnes the Builder’, to show the pupils why they shouldn’t go on a building site.

Two willing volunteers, Lewis Rowe and Georgia Fosker, dressed up in safety clothing to show the other children what people who work on construction sites have to wear to keep them safe and why.

Sally Pert, Head Teacher of the 293 pupil school in Raeburn Road commented: “This was a brilliant opportunity to educate the children in a positive way about the hazards on building sites. They also learned a little bit about the different jobs that are involved in construction.”

The Orbit Group was recently recognised for its ‘Construction Days Initiative’ by winning the National Housing Federation’s Local Engagement and Involvement Neighbourhood Award. The award was made as a direct result of the Construction Day project held at the George Lambton Avenue site in Newmarket. Over 100 pupils (aged 11-12) at St Felix Middle School in Newmarket were given the chance to experience the varied and exciting career opportunities available to them in the modern construction industry, whilst also finding out more about their local community. The initiative, which was jointly organised by the Orbit Group, CITB-ConstructionSkills, architects The Johns Practice and Barnes Construction, provided practical classroom exercises plus, the opportunity to carry out construction training activities such as bricklaying, carpentry and plastering.

A previously derelict site at Reynolds Road in Ipswich has recently been revitalised through the construction of a new affordable residential development by local contractor, Barnes Construction.

The 1.3 Million scheme for Orbit Housing Association, part of the Orbit Group, which included 12 new two-bed flats and car parking spaces, was built on land that was previously occupied by old concrete lock up garages.

Nick Fayers, Managing Director of Barnes Construction, said “As a locally based contractor we are always pleased to be involved in projects that help to regenerate our local community”.

Building work on a state of the art new surgery was celebrated in the traditional way - the cutting of the first sod last week. The multi-million pound development will transform one of Woodbridge's best-known sites and create a one-stop health centre.

The town’s Framfield House doctors practice will move to the Notcutts site in Ipswich Road when the new surgery is completed next summer. Local company Barnes Construction is carrying out the building of the health centre, which will also include space for a wide range of other healthcare services. The new medical centre will have 15 consulting and treatment rooms, a dispensary, three physiotherapy rooms and gym, podiatry, a multi purpose health promotion facility and other space for staff of the practice, ambulance service and primary care trust (PCT).  There will also be further space available for private providers and diagnostics to enable further developments to occur to respond to the rapidly changing provision of healthcare locally.

Charlie Sansum has recently been appointed as Customer Development Manager for East Anglia based, Barnes Construction. Her new role for the company will include; assisting the directors in maintaining and developing the company’s customer base, extending the areas the business works in both geographically and operationally, and focusing on long term client and consultant relationships.

Charlie brings to her role over 20 years experience in the construction industry working in marketing and business development. She lives in St Ives, Cambridgeshire with her husband Alistair, and two daughters aged four and seven. In her spare time, Charlie enjoys cooking, walking and watching Rugby Union; she supports the Northampton Saints.

Barnes Construction has been awarded a Class D Craftsmanship Award by The Suffolk Joint Consultative Committee, for the quality of the leadwork undertaken to the Entrance Canopy at the New Intermediate Care Facility at Ravenswood in Ipswich

The work was undertaken by Norfolk Sheet Lead Ltd on behalf of Barnes Construction and the quality of their work has also be recognised on a National level, finishing within the top 10 of leadwork examples undertaken within the UK last year.

The news intermediate Care Facility at Ravenswood, provides a 28 bed ‘respite care’ facility allowing patients to recuperate between Hospital care and the home. This is the third time that Barnes Construction has been awarded Craftsmanship Awards with projects at Aldeburgh and Martlesham Heath achieving similar recognition.

Barnes Construction has handed over new office accommodation built for Beckett Investment Management Group (BIMG) in Bury St Edmunds two weeks ahead of schedule.

The new 19,000 sq.ft. Dettingen House, designed and project managed by Charter Architects, will house 60 BIMG staff on the ground floor, who will be relocating from their existing adjacent offices.

At the handover, the key personnel involved in the construction were presented with decanters as a gesture of appreciation by Chairman, Robert Beckett and thanked for completing the project early and within budget.

Mike Hill, Project Manager for BIMG, who oversaw the construction work, commented: “I would like to personally thank Barnes Construction and Charter Architects who undoubtedly made my life a lot easier with their positive attitude and professional approach. In fact they were a pleasure to work with”.

Barnes Construction is the main contractor for the £2.7 million Cedars Park Community Primary School which is being built with a number of features to benefit the environment.

A first for Client, Suffolk County Council is the installation of a Biomass system that is housed within the boiler house and uses wood chips to provide all the heating and hot water for the school.

The 12 month contract will be completed in the summer ready to take 150 pupils at the start of the autumn term in September this year.

A new eco-friendly primary school being built at Cedars Park in Stowmarket has had a helping hand from its newly appointed head teacher, Clare Robinson.

The project is being built by local contractor, Barnes Construction, who asked Clare to help in laying one of the first sedum blankets on the newly constructed 1,200 square metre roof. Bauder is the manufacturer and supplier of the roofing system and GRM Roofing is carrying out the installation.

The sedum comes from Norfolk, where it is grown on a farm for two years so that it is fully established before being laid on a roof. It is supplied in a blanket that is made up of seeds and cuttings embedded in a special soil, held in place by a nylon-looped mesh that incorporates a moisture retention fleece on the underside.  

The sedum roof is designed to retain up to 90% of rainwater and this in turn reduces run-off and stops localised flooding. It also balances the temperature within the building, so that there are no extremes of hot or cold and this ultimately provides a cost saving on the running cost of the school.

Over the seasons, the sedum changes colour; it flowers in the spring and in the autumn it turns a deep red. It is a haven for wildlife, as the sedum attracts bees, ladybirds, butterflies, and birds.

Nine Senior Managers at Barnes Construction are celebrating after passing ‘with flying colours’, the Direct Membership Examinations of the Chartered Institute of Building.
 
The nine, who hold a range of senior positions within the business including, Site and Project Managers, Buyer, Estimator and Surveyor, sat classroom exams covering; building technology and practice, contract administration and practice, contract financial analysis, cost management and construction management. Sitting the three 3-hour and one 2-hour examination papers followed on from an in-house training programme that started earlier on in 2005 and was delivered by Mark Tree of the Professional Training Centre at Colchester.

This achievement is made all the more remarkable when taking into consideration that it has been many years since any of ‘the students’ had been in a classroom situation, let alone having to maintain the ‘day job’ and balance  family commitments at home! 

Nick Fayers, Managing Director of Barnes Construction commented, “Our Company is proud to be part of the Chartered Institute’s Training Partnership and this success further confirms Barnes Construction’s dedication to staff development and puts the business within touching distance of our target of having a fully-trained professional workforce.”

Suffolk Teenager Chris Bullard, has won the title of FIFA Interactive World Player 2005 in Zurich.

The lucky 18 year old who lives and works in Ipswich for local Company Barnes Construction, has won a prize football fans can only imagine; Tickets to the World Cup final in Berlin 2006.

Chris was presented with his award at a ceremony in Switzerland where he got the chance to meet his football idol Frank Lampard and also Barcelona star Ronaldinho.

Newmarket residents have become reality thanks to the Orbit Group, which has been working in partnership with Forest Heath District Council, Barnes Construction, The Johns Practice (Architects), the Injured Jockeys’ Fund and the Housing Corporation. These new homes will help to reduce the shortage of affordable rented accommodation in the area as well as provide younger people with a step onto the property ladder while local house prices continue to spiral beyond their reach.

At the opening a mural of local children’s work was unveiled after over 100 children took part in a community event organised during the school holiday to paint paving stones of the theme ‘Newmarket – my home’.

Homes vary from 1-bedroom flats to 4 bedroom houses and have been designed to create a mixed community providing high quality housing with a high level of energy efficiency.  The development has become a small community with attractive landscaped areas, a play area and a traffic-calming scheme.

Suffolk-based Barnes Construction has successfully secured contracts within the East Anglia area, totalling over £8 million in value.

Significantly, two of the projects awarded involve sustainable construction methods, a market where Barnes Construction is quickly establishing a reputation in managing the delivery of this type of building.

Sustainable construction is the ethos whereby the whole construction process considers the impact of that building on the whole environment, both locally and globally, both short and long term. By being sympathetic to the environment, construction companies need to consider not only its method of construction and aesthetic values, but also the future impact of the building in terms of energy, water consumption and whole life costings.

The two sustainable building contracts awarded are;

•  A contract to build a new farmhouse in the Needham Market area using materials that are sympathetic to the environment in their manufacture, installation and future use. Included in this project is the use of recycled newspaper and lambs wool as insulation, a heating system that incorporates a heat recovery unit installed within the ground and a foul drainage system that discharges to a reed bed system.

•  A new Primary school at Cedars Park in Stowmarket, which when completed in September 2006, will include a wood chip boiler (which is carbon neutral), a small wind turbine, a rainwater collector and a Sedum grass roof. There will also be an environmental study area adjacent to the school in an adjoining field.

Beaumont School in Hadleigh, which was completed by Barnes Construction two years ago, demonstrates how a medium-size public building can run successfully as a sustainable construction. Environmental design factors that were incorporated included a Sedum roof finish, recycled newspaper-type insulation to external walls and roof cassettes (Warmcell Insulation), Western Red Cedar external wall cladding, solar panels/photovoltaic panels to the roof for hot water, heating and electricity production with a facility to sell back electricity to electricity suppliers during holidays, a small wind turbine and rainwater harvesting tanks to allow the recycling of rainwater for the toilets.

Nick Fayers , Managing Director of Barnes Construction commented, “Barnes Construction is building an enviable reputation as an experienced contractor in the sustainable construction sector. It has become an important element in the construction of many new buildings and we expect it to be a growing aspect of our brief in the future. The processes we use can be applied to most types of building and we are particularly pleased to work with clients who have the vision to support this type of construction. Notwithstanding that in the long-term, this type of build can prove to be very cost-efficient for the occupants.”

West Suffolk College has presented Rebecca Fairs with the Design Award for the Higher National Certificate in Construction.

Rebecca, who is 21 and lives in Ipswich, works as a management trainee for Barnes Construction. She was given the award for showing outstanding design and innovation skills during the completion of her project module.

Pupils at St Felix Middle School in Newmarket were given the chance to experience at first hand some of the skills necessary in the construction industry.

Pupils from year 7 at the school were split into two groups and encouraged to carry out construction training activities both in the class room and on-site.

The CITB–ConstructionSkills led the classroom training activity, where pupils were working on planning the layout of a housing development. Whilst this happened the second group visited the new Orbit Group affordable housing development in George Lambton Avenue Newmarket , where 97 new houses are being built for local people in housing need.

The children were talked through the design of the development by the Architect – The Johns Practice, and then looked round the site to see building in its various stages. To finish off the site visit, Barnes Construction – the builder of the development, created a special on-site activity area, where the children were able to lay some bricks, carry out some carpentry and measure the site to prepare the ground for building.

Barnes Construction has been working on the £1.6 million contract for The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust since late last year. Refurbishment of the existing ground floor pharmacy unit has included installing a new lift and stairwell, which will provide access to the two new floors, increasing the floor space by an extra 440 square metres.

Three state of the art ‘robots’ have also joined the pharmacy team at the Trust.

The robots (or robotic arms) are part of this major development programme for pharmacy services at the hospital. This Automated Dispensing Service is one aspect of the £1.79 million programme, which also includes building a new pharmacy manufacturing unit.
This means that the hospital will become the lead manufacturing unit for the NHS in Eastern England.

Building work to create the new unit and redesign pharmacy services began in January and is expected to be complete by early August 2005.

Staff have worked extremely hard to maintain services as normal throughout the development work. Now the building work has reached this stage the main dispensary has been moved to a temporary new home, which is at the back of the existing pharmacy department.

The new pharmacy manufacturing unit is part of a national NHS manufacturing programme.

Construction work is due for completion in the early summer, with the complete three-storey pharmacy ready in August 2005.

Housing Minister Keith Hill, MP visited the Orbit Group's latest affordable housing development at George Lambton Avenue in Newmarket .

Suffolk based, Barnes Construction were awarded the £7.25 million contract to build 97 houses and flats in June 2004. This development will provide 274 much needed new homes for local people in Newmarket .

The contract is due to be completed in Autumn 2005.

Suffolk based Barnes Construction was awarded the £7.25 million contract to build 97 houses and flats by the Orbit Group during 2004.

The roof truuses are lifted into position via crane and braced ready for the bricklayers to construct the party/gable walls, once the walls are completed the carpenters will return to finish the roof truss bracing. The roof will then be ready for the curved soffit/fascia to be installed.

Local architect, The Johns Practice was appointed to create 49 good quality affordable homes for rent through Orbit Housing Association and a further 48 homes for Shared Ownership sale through Orbit First Step. The contract will be completed later on in the year.

Balloons were released with an individual name tag attached for each and every one of the 140 pupils at the school. The wind carried many of the balloons as far as Elveden and Little Livermere in Suffolk and Thetford in Norfolk , but the winner was Chantelle Woodley (from Year 1) whose balloon was found 34 miles away in Eriswell, near Mildenhall. The finder was Barry Flack, who discovered the balloon in the middle of an onion field.

Prizes of family cinema tickets for both of the winners have been donated by Barnes Construction and pictured is Chantelle receiving her tickets from Chris Barnes, Director at Barnes Construction, while her dad, Robert, mother, Amanda and brother Jordan (who also attends the school) look on .

Beaumont Primary was launched amid national interest thanks to its ground-breaking environmental and energy-saving features. These include solar roof panels/photovoltaic panels for heating hot water, a system for collecting rainwater so it can be used for flushing toilets, and insulation made from recycled newspaper

Children attending the nearby Ravenswood school were invited to choose a name for the new centre, and their choice was Bluebird Lodge. Bluebird planes were one of the first aeroplanes to fly from the former Ipswich airport, which is where the new centre is based.

The much needed new centre means that the Primary Care Trusts now have the opportunity to relocate services and care currently based at St Edmunds Nursing Home in Ipswich , to Bluebird Lodge.

The installation of this ma jo r ward development programme at Ipswich Hospital has been progressing swiftly to provide brighter, safer wards and access to an entertainment system at every patient's bedside.

Barnes Construction's work has included updating the mechanical and electrical systems at the hospital, providing an upgrade to the latest standard of fire alarm for each ward and the installation of bedside communication and entertainment facilities, in conjunction with ‘Patientline'.

The work is progressing well throughout the hospital and is due to be completed in every ward by the summer.

Photo shows - the team from Barnes and the NHS Trust testing the new ‘Patientline' bedside entertainment system

Ipswich based Barnes Construction has donated a new welcome sign to West Suffolk Hospital .

19-year-old Alex Matter, an assistant CAD operator at the hospital, designed the 5ft high brick sign, which can be seen as you approach at the hospital's main entrance. Barnes Construction who recently built the hospital's education and treatment centres donated the materials and labour

Chris Bown, the Trust's Chief Executive, said: “I would like to thank Barnes Construction for this very generous donation. A great deal of thought went into the design and we feel it reflects the vision at the Trust to provide modern and reliable services to our communities. ”

Nick Fayers , MD, from Barnes Construction, said: “Barnes Construction was more than happy to help West Suffolk Hospital with its request to build a new welcome sign. The healthcare market is very important to our business and we have completed, and are currently working on, a number of projects for NHS Trusts throughout the region. We were, therefore, delighted to answer this request“

After 6 months of work, Barnes Construction has now completed the roof on the £4m building extension at Best Western Ufford Park Hotel, Golf & Leisure near Woodbridge in Suffolk . To celebrate this key stage of the development, Colin Aldous today oversaw the placing of the final lead capping into position on the focal point of the extension, the main reception tower of the building.

The course at Best Western Ufford Park Golf Club has also undergone an improvement programme and is now a challenging par 71 (SS71) 6312 yard top winter golf course.

In June 2005, the expansion will offer a 2-storey, 32 bay driving range with sculptured outfield and a Golf Centre with a 3000 sq ft American Golf Discount retail outlet. The extension also includes a balconied bar and restaurant looking out over the 120 acre golf course. The Driving Range will be accessed from the new Golf Centre and four of the new driving range bays will be reserved for tuition of individuals and groups. The extension also includes new changing rooms, golf reception and new hotel reception.

Recognition of Barnes Constructions growing experience and reputation in the healthcare sector has seen the awarding of major contracts with the East Anglian healthcare sector valued at over £5 million.  The Ipswich-based regional building contractor has developed an expertise in this important area with previous healthcare contracts already completed with Ipswich, West Suffolk and Southend Hospital NHS Trusts.

The new local Trust contracts include three major construction jobs for the Ipswich NHS Trust.  The Ipswich contracts are:

At the end of November work will start on the redevelopment of the pharmacy at Ipswich Hospital to provide additional floor space.  The job is expected to be completed in June 2005 and is valued at £1.2million.

Work has just started on the upgrade of mechanical and electrical systems at Ipswich Hospital, including the fire alarms, the installation of bedside communication facilities and other associated mechanical and electrical works (valued at circa £1.8 million).  The work is due to be completed in May next year.

Phase two of the MRI replacement unit at Ipswich Hospital, valued at £270,000, which is expected to be finished by the end of this November.

Barnes has also recently won the contract to extend the pharmacy facilities at Colchester Hospital for Essex Rivers NHS Trust.  The work is valued at £1.7 million and starts in mid November, to be completed in May 2005.

Photo shows - The MRI scanner being craned in at Ipswich Hospital on Phase 1.  Barnes is now working on phase 2

The innovative intermediate care facility currently being built by Barnes Construction at Ravenswood, Ipswich will soon have a friendlier, perhaps more descriptive name.  Children from the nearby Ravenswood Community Primary School visited the site as part of their project to determine an appropriate and descriptive name for the new building.

Carl Studd, Project Manager, for the Ravenswood NHS development showed the eight children and their teacher, Mrs Sarah Turner, around the site which is now at the internal finishing stage.  The children from Years 3 and 4 (age eight and nine) had a great time discovering the different processes involved in construction and learning about how the building will look and what it will be used for when its completed.  Of course, the part they particularly enjoyed was climbing up to the cab of the digger.  Prior to the visit, people from the Barnes Construction team also attended a school assembly with the objective of teaching children about building site safety – children donned (over-sized!) hats, boots and jackets to enjoy the whole experience.

Mrs Turner said “The children were very enthusiastic about viewing the building close up as they see it most days on the way to school.  The Barnes people were very helpful in answering the children's numerous questions and they had the opportunity to wear the Barnes' hard hats, yellow coats and climb a digger.  The school competition to find a name was set up by The Ravenswood Steering Committee and the decision will be judged very shortly.  I am sure the children will come up with a very good name now that they have had a tour.”

The 32-bed intermediate care facility for Ipswich Primary Care Trust and built by Barnes Construction is one of the first of its kind in the UK.  As well as providing vital beds for people who are well enough to leave a general hospital, but who still require further physiotherapy or occupational therapy, the centre will benefit people living locally who need care, but not ‘acute' hospital treatment.

Twenty of the beds will be in en-suite rooms with the remaining 12 in three four-bedroomed flats. The design also includes a physiotherapy gym, day care centre, dining and communal areas.  

The facility is on schedule to be completed by February 2005.

Photo shows - Carl Stud, Project Manager at Barnes Constrcution, showing the children around the building.

Six new fermenting vessels have been craned into place at the Greene King brewery in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk . The 12 tonne vessels which are 5.2m diameter x 8m high and have a storage capacity of 400 barrels of beer were lifted in using a 500-tonne telescopic mobile crane.

Ipswich based, Barnes Construction was awarded the £350,000 contract to build a galvanised steel structure, to support the fermentation vessels, situated between the main brewery and listed dwellings on a nearby street as shown in the photo. Work started in April this year and was completed in August.

Ipsiwch-based Barnes Construction has recently been awarded a £2.25million contract by Ufford Park Hotel near Woodbridge.

The eight month contract is to build a 50-bedroom hotel extension and golfing facilities including a new driving range, bar adn restaurant.

Construction commences on site on 12th July 2004

Photo shows - Colin Aldous owner of Ufford Park teeing off at the ground breaking ceremony for the new building works watched by left to right, Chris Bruce (Pre Contracts Director, Barnes Construction, Paul Abbott and Richard Childs of FDP Savills, and Juliet Gordon of Ufford Parish Council.

Barnes Construction has recently been awarded a contract for the first phase of a £7.25 million scheme to build 97 houses and flats for Orbit Housing Association at George Lambton Way in Newmarket.

Photo Shows - The Chairman Of Forest Heath District Council, Cllr Carol Lynch and Paul Tennant, Cheif Exective of teh Orbit Group, laying a commemorative stone at the start of works ceremony at the end of June.

26th May 2004

Peter Phillips, Managing Director of the Barnes Group is hanging up his hard hat and retiring after 23 years at the Ipswich-based construction group.

After a career spanning a total of 44 years in the construction industry, Peter has notched up an impressive list of achievements: he is a fellow of the Chartered Institue of building, a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and is a former president of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (Eastern Region). He also lectured part-time in Construction Management at Salisbury College of Technology as well as Suffolk College.

Peter attended Copleston Secondary Modern School and in 1961 joined J. Gerrard and Sons (Ipswich) Limited as a trainee Quantity Surveyor. He studied part time at Ipswich Civic College School of Building where he completed his HNC Building and Chartered Institute of Building exams. Peter worked on various construction projects in Suffolk and the West Country and eventually joined Landlink Barnes in 1981 as Contracts Administration Manager, dealing with the company's surveying, plant and buying departments. Peter was appointed a director in 1983 and when the Barnes Group formed in 1991, he became the MD of Barnes construction. When the founder, David Barnes died in 1995, Peter took over as group managing director.

Peter comments, "Construction is a fantastic industry to be a part of, although its image and reputation doesn't give it the full credit it deserves. There are so many facets to working in construction that there is something to interest everyone - whether you're skilled with your hands or your mind."

"For me professionally, one of the most rewarding things has been seeing the trainees we take on develop and grow to assume senior and board positions. It's also been satisfying to watch the plans we have to grow the business become a reality. David Barnes always had high ambitions for the company; this coupled with excellent staff and strong teamwork has succeeded in making it one of the leading local building contractors. When I first joined in 1981, the company employed around 10 people and its turnover was less than £2m. Today, we employ 140 staff and this year's turnover is expected to exceed £30m."

And what of his retirement plans? " I've always had a love of theatre; I was a founder board member of the New Wolsey Theatre and have been its chairman for the past three years. I'm also an avid ITFC fan and was the stadium announcer form 1985 to 1990. I was BBC Radio Suffolk's first football commentator, making over 250 broadcasts between 1990 and 1993. I plan to spend more time with family - I have two sons, aged 31 and 35 - and intended to travel with my wife. Walking is a passion of mine; I've walked much of the English coastline and aim to complete the journey.".

13th May 2004

Work is well underway on the construction of the new intermediate care facility at Ravenswood for the Ipswich Primary Care Trust.

The £4.2m project which is one of the first of its kind in the UK has been designed by architects, The John's Practice and is being built by Ipswich based, Barnes Construction.

The photo shows one of the 3½ tonne pre-cast concrete staircases being lifted in by crane. Once this stage has been completed and the roof has been installed, the semi-circular stairwells will then be clad, and four 800mm high curved double glazed sealed units will be positioned around the outside. The windows will sit in concealed surrounds giving a final appearance of being frameless.

This new 32-bed facility at Ravenswood is set to become a role model within the modernised healthcare system. As well as providing vital beds for people who are well enough to leave a general hospital but who still require further physiotherapy or occupational therapy, the centre will benefit people living locally who need care but not ‘acute' hospital treatment

30th April 2004

Local man Kevin Tyrrell, who works as a project manager for Ipswich based Barnes Construction, has been selected by his peers and awarded the Colin Harvey Achievement Award, which recognises the best student on the CIOB (Chartered Institute of Building ) site management diploma course.

The Ipswich branch of Interact sponsored the award which was presented to Kevin by Julian Harvey

(Colin's son) at the CIOB eastern region annual dinner held in Bedford recently. Since 1992, Colin

Harvey, who the award is in memory of, had been a member and past chairman of Interact, whose purpose is to bring together active senior members of the construction industry to promote business.

Photo shows Julian Harvey (left) presenting Kevin Tyrrell with the award.