Rok & Residents Sit Comfortably Together!
Torquay Builders Rok have presented Social Landlord’s Teign Housing with a picnic table and park bench for the community areas of Raleigh Road and Drake Road, Newton Abbot.
The Rok building team landscaped and levelled the grassed areas before positioning the table and bench, fixing them securely into the ground. The seating, together with commemorative plaques, were presented just in time for the warmer weather.
Rok’s Torquay office has been carrying out a range of improvements to homes in the Buckland area of Newton Abbot as part of a strategic partnership agreement with Teign Housing to ensure all its properties across South Devon meet the Government’s Decent Homes Standards.
Rok is nearing the completion of a three year contract carrying out improvements on up to 900 homes, including installing new kitchens, bathrooms, windows, doors, redecoration and external repairs.
Andy Braund, Rok Torquay area leader said “It has been a real pleasure to work with Teign Housing and see the difference this improvement work has made to the properties and the lives of the people living in them. We are proud to have played our part in enhancing local communities and their environment”
Over the last three years the Rok teams have been actively involved in the local community in the areas where they have been carrying out the improvements. For example, a party was held for the Kingsteignton residents at Christmas with Site Foreman, Steve Bovey, as Santa and his helpers serving up mince pies.
A stylish tea party was the order of the day for the sheltered housing residents in Bovey Tracey, with the Rok team donning waiter’s aprons and bow ties to pour tea. They also presented the elderly residents with a bird table.
The team also supports the annual Teign Housing Tenants Day; last year supplying and serving up Devon Cream Teas for Teign’s residents.
Rok’s Torquay office undertakes work across the Torbay and South Devon area on projects valued up to £1million. Work includes alterations, extensions and refurbishments, as well as planned and response maintenance, with a building team and dedicated maintenance team both based at their offices at Woodland Close, off Newton Road, Torquay.
Apprentice Carpenter Receives Award from Faculty of Construction
Beth Forster an Apprentice carpenter in Plymouth’s Build Team has been awarded best student of the spring term by the Faculty of Construction at Plymouth City College. In a presentation at the College, Beth was given a certificate and an IPod in recognition of her hard work by College Principle Viv Gillespie.
Dave Massey, Beth’s course tutor, said that he was delighted to have nominated Beth for this award as she has worked extremely hard and was the first student to complete all of her coursework for the year. Dave added that Beth was always willing to help others less able than herself and fully deserved her award.
On being given the award Beth said that she was very pleased to have received this award and grateful that my hard work has been recognised.
Beth has been employed in Rok Plymouth’s Build team as an apprentice carpenter for the last two years. Team Leader, Adrian Fox commented that the team are very pleased for Beth and the whole team congratulates her on her achievement.
Residents celebrate roofing completion
An official opening ceremony has been held by Rok to celebrate the completion of nearly 100 roof replacements at Somer Community Housing Trust homes in Peasedown St John, near Bath.
To thank residents for their patience during the work, Rok also gave the much-used community room in St John’s Close a makeover in a ‘Challenge Anneka’ style community challenge.
Together with ward councillor Nathan Hartley and staff from Rok and the Trust, local residents officially opened the newly redecorated community room with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Afterwards a celebration buffet was laid on by Rok for everyone to celebrate this important achievement.
Rose Tucker, a local resident who cut the ribbon on the day, said:
‘The old roofs had cracked tiles and the moss on them was terrible; it made such a mess. Now it’s lovely – the house feels warmer and the roofs look so nice and clean. Tiling the roof only took about a week and we barely noticed them, it was over so soon. Everyone around here is really pleased they’ve been done.’
Rok’s team experienced all four weather seasons during the replacement work, from blazing hot sun to a foot of snow. Shear determination meant that the contract was still completed on time. The overall resident satisfaction score of 95% highlights the positive way in which the team completed this project.
Adrian Marshman, Rok’s Planned Maintenance Team Leader said:
‘Our team thoroughly enjoyed working together with Somer Community Housing Trust on this project. Local residents made us feel very welcome and we are extremely proud of the standard of the work. There is such a strong community spirit here in Peasedown St John, so Rok are delighted to have made such a positive impact on local people.’
Neil Bolton, Director of Customer Services (Property) said:
‘We take our commitment to involve residents in what we do very seriously, and after some initial criticism about our approach to the roofing project, the end result has received some fantastic feedback from residents. We are delighted at the support that Rok has given, and the time that their staff and others volunteered to redecorate the community room. This really is something to celebrate.’
School handover proves to be high-flying event
THE handover of a new-look Cleethorpes school building simply 'Rok-ed'
Having been working on Reynolds School for the last year, extending classrooms, building a new school hall and a link corridor between the upper and lower parts of the school, the handover of the new facilities to the staff and pupils was marked by a huge balloon race.
Seventeen pupils, each representing a class, stood in the playground with Shayne, Mick and Nadia along with the rest of the pupils and teachers watching – they then let all the balloons go.
The balloons went straight up and were eventually no longer in sight.
We are now waiting to receive calls to find out which balloon travelled the furthest to decide a winner.
If you have found one of the balloons call the number on the attached tag.
Christmas Card Forfeit
The team at Stafford and Birmingham East decided to pool all money which would have been spent on buying and posting Christmas cards and donate the funds to Oxfam. The donation paid for two outside toilets and a toolkit.