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WORK STARTS ON MULTI-MILLION POUND 

AMU FACILITY AT GOOD HOPE HOSPITAL

GRESWOLDE Construction has begun work on an important new multi-million pound project at Sutton Coldfield’s Good Hope Hospital.

Sutton MP Andrew Mitchell and Good Hope Hospital Managing Director Richard Parker joined Greswolde MD Malcolm Priest and his team on site to celebrate the start of the construction.

The scheme, for Bordesley Green-based Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, will transform two existing wards into the new £3.2m Acute Medical Unit (AMU).

“We always enjoy breaking ground on projects, but it’s particularly special when it makes such a difference,” said Greswolde’s Malcolm Priest.

“We have extensive healthcare experience and it is good to be back on site at the hospital, where we previously built the Musculo-Skeletal Centre.”

Good Hope Hospital - which serves over 450,000 people in north Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield and a large part of south east Staffordshire - provides acute and general medicine.

Richard Parker, Good Hope Hospital Managing Director, said: "The scheme will increase the size of the facility to assess and treat patients with an acute medical problem. As well as increasing the number of doctors, we are providing nurse staffing to levels recommended for an A&E department in this area, which is approximately twice the level for a general ward area.

"The development work to the Acute Medical Unit will help us to treat and discharge patients more quickly."

The project, designed by RPS Technical Director Simon Houldcroft, entails stripping out two existing wards and adding linking extensions to create one new AMU facility at one end of the busy hospital.

“Most of our projects with NHS Trusts involve busy, ever changing environments and this is no different. We've worked with the Trust to create a design that means day to day care can still be provided to patients as well as meeting their operational needs in the future,” added Simon.

Speaking at the site visit, Andrew Mitchell commented: “I greatly welcome this further investment in Good Hope Hospital. The new Acute Medical Unit will improve and strengthen services at Good Hope for my constituents.”

New AMU construction photoshoot

Celebrating the launch of Good Hope’s new AMU are (from left): Greswolde Site Manager Pete Dunn; Good Hope Estates Manager Dave Smith, Good Hope Managing Director Richard Parker, MP Andrew Mitchell, and Greswolde MD Malcolm Priest and Director and Project Manager Chris Harrison. 

Greswolde ends long wait for Rugby village's hall

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POSTS SPARK CELEBRATIONS AS GRESWOLDE ARRIVES ON SITE

GRESWOLDE Construction builders caused quite a stir when they arrived on site in a Rugby village.

The team’s first jobs - to put up fencing posts and strip off the topsoil - were celebrated on Cawston Parish Council’s Facebook page as locals rushed to Like news of the start of the long-awaited Community Hall.

“The long wait is finally over,” posted Parish Councillor Matt Emery, a civil engineer and local resident, who joined the council two years ago to help progress the community hall vision.

“The land was set aside as part of section 106 agreement for the new Cawston Grange estate and we got planning permission in July 2013, but it took a long time to secure the funds,” he said later.

“We will all be watching progress with much interest and look forward to celebrating its completion with a big summer barbecue.”

The Parish Council, which sprang out of a residents association set up when the first new houses were being built, asked Rugby-based HB Architects Limited to design the £800,000 hall, which will enhance community facilities for local groups.

The result is a striking building housing three function rooms, together with a kitchen, office and storage facilities.

In addition to underfloor heating, high levels of insulation and LED lighting throughout, the hall features clever and eye-catching large glazing to make the most of natural light.

“It has been a labour of love for the council to provide a long-awaited facility and it’s good to see work starting,” added Adam Greatrex of HB Architects.

Solihull-based Greswolde, whose team arrived in Cawston last week, was delighted with its especially warm welcome. “It’s always satisfying to be working on a project that will make such a difference to the community,” comments Greswolde MD Malcolm Priest.

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HB Architects’ 3D vision of Cawston’s Community Hall.


Avon Navigation Trust's River Watch a big hit

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BIG BOOST FOR BOATERS AND RIVER WATCHERS

AVON Navigation Trust has dramatically increased its high-tech protection for boaters, and it’s proving to be a big hit with nature lovers and fretful riverside dwellers too.
The innovative Trust’s has doubled the number of Avon-watching webcams for its River Watch service, which has become a must see for thousands of river users who want to check conditions before setting out.
But thousands of boat watchers - and people who just enjoy the pretty views - from all over the world are also clicking on to the live videos, together with more local residents keen to check out the water levels in heavy rain.
The service, via www.FarsonDigitalWaterCams.com, has also been boosted by additional useful information and functionality.
“River Watch is already a fundamental and crucial tool for us and for our boaters, and the new website makes it even better,” says Avon Navigation Trust (ANT) General Manager Clive Matthews.
“As well as the extra cameras, it is a much more integrated product that gives you rainfall, pressure, temperatures, levels and much more... and if people sign up for the paid for version, it makes money for the Trust too.”
Anyone can log onto the cameras via the website and get information for free. But signing up to the paid for portal removes the sponsored rolling adverts, offers many useful extras and ANT gets a donation for each of its spotlighted cameras.
The Trust now has webcams at Tewkesbury, Avon Lock, Strensham, Eckington, Wyre Piddle, two at Evesham, Offenham, Bidford on Avon, Welford on Avon and Stratford Upon Avon. The top watched, including Bidford and Strensham, are now averaging 100,000 unique visits a year. 
ANT also provides screens streaming the action at its HQ in Wyre Piddle and at its visitor centres at Stratford and Tewkesbury.
West Country-based photographer and avid fisherman Glyn Howells, put up his first HD camera locally in 2009.
Now there’s a fast growing network of 120 across the UK and Republic of Ireland, and what started out as a boon for fishermen eager to check out their favourite perches before packing the waterproofs, has become an invaluable service for everyone. 
“There are cameras on most roads, but roads just carry traffic. Rivers can run through people’s homes and livelihoods, so it is critical and a growing network,” says Glyn, whose service logs nearly two million visits a year.
Clive and he joined forces when the ANT man put up his own camera outside his head office in 2009, and soon realised he needed a lot more, and an expert to manage them.
“Just after I joined ANT, someone called up to ask whether the river was in flood.... and we had to look out of the window and phone contact downstream to find out. That’s when I thought of cameras,” says Clive, whose team runs a 24/7 support hotline for boaters.
“Now we have a full picture, literally, and all the statistics we need to  give advice, and we can react quickly at any time if we see problems or people in trouble.”
Clive checks his camera network as soon as he gets up every morning, and regularly through the day, even when he’s on holiday, and yes, he’s hooked too.
“I’m addicted to River Watch, like many of the people who use or love the Avon.”

Worcestershire waterways champion remembered at launch of Avon Navigation Trust guide

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MR AVON REMEMBERED

Mr Avon - Dudley CB Matthews MBE - would have been delighted that his memorial event is being used to launch his beloved Avon Navigation Trust's new guide. In fact he planned it.

The lifelong promoter and protector of the river left strict instructions to his son, ANT General Manager Clive Matthews, to make sure the celebration of his life would also embrace the new River Avon Navigation & Visitor Guide, which helps raise much-needed funds for the Trust's work.

'Dud' knew what he was doing. Clive has already had over 100 - and rising - requests to attend the event.

The lengthening list includes ANT Patron Timothy West, river users who are grateful for the work he did and representatives from national organisations including the Inland Waterways Association and the Canal & River Trust.

"It is a great comfort to know that my father was so well thought of and that his work and reputation reached so far," says Clive, whose father passed away peacefully on August 12, aged 95.

Long-time volunteer Dud and his late wife Enid were also behind the original Trust Guides. This year's, which includes the new feature Avon Canoe Trails, was the first he'd not been involved with.

Ever since he helped a friend build the 24ft motor cruiser Gauntlet in the 1940s, Dud has been a champion of the waterways.

He joined the IWA and the Lower Avon Navigation Trust in the 1950s, was involved in the restoration of the Lower Avon and then the Upper Avon.

Dud's long list of achievements include being ANT's founder member, director, President Emeritus and Chairman of Reach Masters & Associates.

Tony Hales, Chairman of CRT, commented: "Dudley Mathews was a giant figure in the movement for saving our waterways for future generations. The people around the Avon owe Dudley a particular debt. His influence lives on through his work and his family. We are all thankful for, and celebrate the life of, a great and loved man."

The October 3 Memorial and Celebration event will be held at the Wyre Mill Club, which he helped to found and where his boats were moored.

The River Avon Navigation & Visitor Guide, which includes a foreword by Canal Laureate, Jo Bell, is available from ANT (email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) and local bookshops and visitors.

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