Building contractors Skinners officially open
new Southern Office in Cambridgeshire
By: Murdoch MacDonald
AYRSHIRE-based building contractors William Skinner & Son have officially opened the new premises of their Southern Office in Meldreth, Cambridgeshire. It was formerly in Saffron Walden, Essex.
The official opening ceremony was performed by Andrew Lansley CBE, MP for South Cambridgeshire on Thursday 17 March 2008.
[Pictured: William Skinner & Son chairman John Quinton (left) and managing director Sandy Cunningham (right) welcome Andrew Lansley to the new premises of the company’s Southern Office in Meldreth, Cambridgeshire.]
[Pictured: Andrew Lansley CBE, MP for South Cambridgeshire about to cut the ribbon to officially open the new Southern Office premises of Ayrshire-based building contractors William Skinner & Son. CLICK ON PICTURES TO VIEW / DOWNLOAD FULL-SIZE VERSIONS.]
Founded in 1964, Skinners made their first move down south five years ago, renting a site and offices in Saffron Walden in Essex from which to carry out the substantial amount of refurbishment work they were then doing for supermarket giant Tesco.
But the company’s recent expansion and diversification into new areas of business including renewable energy and tree houses has made necessary the purchase of their own larger facilities comprising an 8,000 sq ft yard, 1,900 sq ft of office space, and a 1,620 sq ft warehouse.
William Skinner & Son managing director Sandy Cunningham said: “Our commitment at Cambridge is a measure of the importance to us of the market in London, the South East, Midlands and East Anglia.
“The Meldreth base provides high quality warehouse, workshop and office accommodation from which we can develop and control our market penetration. It has capacity for expansion to support several times its present level of activity.”
Combining the expertise and manpower of their Ayrshire headquarters on the perimeter of Prestwick Airport and the new site at Cambridge, Skinners have recently completed a second tree house for UK hotel and conference venue company De Vere at Shirrell Heath near Southampton.
The first tree house that Skinners built for de Vere at their Theobalds Park venue in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire has been a commercial success for the client as an unusual conference and seminar facility.
Sandy Cunningham commented: “Tree houses have, of course, been used for many years – as offices, play rooms, workshops, studios, tearooms, spare bedrooms.
“But whereas they might once have been seen as expensive, eccentric and extravagant, current building costs and the availability of new materials have resulted in their becoming a practical alternative to conventional construction.”
In addition to tree houses, William Skinner & Son has also made a successful entrance into the solar heating market, attracting a large number of new clients in England and Scotland.
The aim now is to offer general advice on the suitability of any of the available renewable energy techniques, or any mix of them, to solve individual energy supply problems, and they are developing a consortium of available local expertise to help them develop that.
Managing director Sandy Cunningham concluded: “William Skinner & Son is now expanding satisfactorily on all fronts from our headquarters in Ayrshire and our new base in south-east England. We are traditional building contractors who have developed a diverse range of untraditional new skills, and we want potential clients in England and in Scotland to be aware of the comprehensive building skills and experience that we offer.”
For further information visit www.williamskinner.co.uk
William Skinner & Son
Cunningham House
Highfield
St Quivox
Ayr KA6 5HQ
SOUTHERN OFFICE:
College Farm Business Centre
North End
Meldreth, Cambridgeshire
SG8 6NT
Telephone: 0845 051 9070
Fax: 01763 262916
Contact: Sandy Cunningham
Managing Director
Tel: 01292 671188
Fax: 01292 671133
E-mail: scunningham@williamskinner.co.uk
This article on Skinner's website CLICK HERE
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