Building contractors William Skinner & Son’s
successful Staff Communications Day

By: Murdoch MacDonald

BUILDING CONTRACTORS William Skinner & Son, based at their headquarters in Ayrshire, Scotland, and their Southern Office in Cambridge, England, have held their third successful annual Staff Communications Day in the Princess Royal Exhibition, Banqueting & Conference Centre at Ayr Racecourse.


[CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO VIEW / DOWNLOAD FULL-SIZE VERSION.]

Every one of the now more than 100 employees of the company was invited to attend the day-long event.

The purposes of the Communications Day were fourfold: to inform all employees about the company’s activities and performance since the last communication event in September 2007; to outline the company’s plans for development over the next twelve months; to increase employee involvement and commitment to the company by opening up channels of two-way communication in terms of feedback and generating ideas; and to celebrate William Skinner & Son’s successes and convey positive messages about working for the company.


William Skinner & Son personnel manager Stephanie Hammond said: “The feedback we received from everyone was extremely positive. Everybody taking part enjoyed the opportunity to meet with their colleagues, to get some insight into how the company is performing, and to see what the future looks like.”

“The Communications Day is just a small part of the company’s overall HR strategy, but possibly the most visible.

“We are really lucky to have such a professional and dedicated workforce, and we work very hard to maintain our reputation as a good employer. We know that the best way to improve our business is to listen to and involve all our employees, and we will continue to make sure that they have regular opportunities to make a contribution.

“We are well into a really busy summer, and I feel that the communications event has brought us all together and we’re better prepared and informed for the challenges that lie ahead.”

William Skinner & Son managing director Sandy Cunningham commented: “My personal thoughts for the day were that it appeared that there was far more cohesion this year and an even greater feeling of team spirit.”

“I feel that it is important to drive forward these communications days in order to allow our growing team to develop and evolve.

“Without our team we are nothing.

“Each Communications Day is also a great opportunity for new staff to meet with there co-workers in a more relaxed environment than would otherwise be possible.

“The day’s purpose is about teamwork, to share information and to drive two-way communication within the company.

“With an ever stronger team we will deliver an even better product for our customers, and improve customer retention.

“We will continue as always to strive to put something different from the norm into our business.”

ABOUT WILLIAM SKINNER & SON

Building contractors William Skinner & Son’s Ayrshire and Cambridgeshire bases cover Scotland and Eastern England with activities including building maintenance with 24-hour helpdesk, retail refurbishment and construction, painting, joinery manufacture, metal fabrication, terrazzo tiling, shopfitting, Sika Trocal and Ward Topdeck roofing, and solar hot water installation.

William Skinner & Son have recently diversified into tree houses with contracts from leading hotel and conference centre group De Vere Venues.


[William Skinner & Son's first tree house for de Vere Venues.]

They have also made a successful entrance into the renewable energy systems market, attracting a large number of new clients throughout the UK, and have demonstrated their commitment to the wider field of renewable energy by installing a 6kW Proven wind turbine at their HQ in St. Quivox and including PV panels in the design for their proposed office extension.

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.

Founded in 1964, Skinners made their first move down south into England 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.

The new premises in Meldreth, near Cambridge, were officially opened recently by Andrew Lansley, MP for South Cambridgeshire.


[Pictured: Andrew Lansley MP for South Cambridgeshire (centre) opening William Skinner & Son's new Southern Office at Meldreth, near Cambridge, earlier this year with (left) William Skinner & Son chairman John Quinton and (right) managing director Sandy Cunningham.]

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.”

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.”

www.williamskinner.co.uk

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Building contractors William Skinner and Son
complete major new projects

By: Murdoch MacDonald

BUILDING CONTRACTORS William Skinner & Son of Ayrshire in Scotland and Cambridge in England have had a successful first half of 2008, and are progressing satisfactorily on all fronts.

Last year ended on a high, when combining the expertise and manpower of their Ayrshire headquarters on the perimeter of Prestwick Airport and the new site at Cambridge, Skinners completed a second tree house for UK hotel and conference venue company De Vere Venues at New Place, Shirrell Heath near Southampton.


The first tree house that Skinners built for de Vere at their Theobalds Park venue in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire (pictured above) has been a commercial success for the client as an unusual conference and seminar facility.

Skinners also completed major improvements to the new food court and toilets on the first floor of the Kyle Centre in Ayr town centre (pictured below).


This year has continued William Skinner & Son’s successful progress.

Through Skinners’ membership of Constructionline and Safe Contractor agencies, the company has secured Approved Contractor status with NHS Ayrshire & Arran Health Board. As a result of this, combined with the efficiency of their Estimating Department, three new contracts were won:

* Ailsa Hospital – A £225,000 refurbishment to the existing Crossraguel Ward accommodation, with new suspended ceilings and windows, heating, electrics, floor coverings, asbestos removal and decoration.

* Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock – This £160,000 project involved reconfiguration of the existing Chapel together with adjacent Quiet Room, vestry, toilet, vestibule and Chaplain’s Room. The final refurbished premises provide a high quality multi-denominational Chapel and associated facilities with an adjoining office facility.

* Ayrshire Central Hospital, Irvine – The contract work was situated on the first floor of the listed Horseshoe Building, and involved alterations to and reconfiguration of existing office accommodation, toilets, kitchen and store to form a newly refurbished Community Child Health Clinic with a value of £92,000.

And more hospital work was won outwith Ayrshire in the form of a contract at Southern General Hospital, Glasgow. This was Skinner’s first job with James Clark & Partners Scotland Ltd for NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde.

The investment of £20,000 to form a new small injuries unit within the Accident and Emergency Department will allow staff to analyse quickly their patients needs and carry out treatment in the shortest timescales possible.

From hospitals to schools, and Skinner Construction Division are delighted to have secured their first contract with East Ayrshire Council and have now completed an extension to Dunlop Primary School (pictured below) in the old mill village of Dunlop.


The new £550,000 extension will form new and modern infant and nursery facilities including toilets.

Skinner Construction Division have also completed a comprehensive internal upgrade contract of all the facilities at Dalmilling Primary School in Ayr. This project is valued at £1.2 million. The widespread refurbishment works also included the installation of catering equipment and specialist floor finishes in the gymnasium. Skinners were then awarded an additional single-ply Sika Trocal re-Roofing contract with a value in the region of £150,000. The contract as a whole is the largest Skinners have carried out to date for its own local authority - South Ayrshire Council.

What started as a classroom project at Currie High School in Edinburgh has now became a reality. Renewable energy packages are now being installed at the school to reduce the cost of heating the swimming pool which is used by the school during the day and is let out to the public at nights and weekends. Skinners Renewable Division has been appointed to install a 11KW wind turbine in the grounds of the school.

From schools to the police, and Skinner Construction Division have successfully completed the refurbishment of the Strathclyde Police Headquarters Mail Room (pictured below) at Pitt Street in Glasgow.


This secure accommodation was finished off to a very high standard and involved the manufacture of quality storage and sorting units by Skinner’s in-house bespoke joinery workshops.

The works also involved the installation of new kitchen facilities, doors, ceilings, air-conditioning, armoured glass windows and carpeting.

From police to housing, Skinner Construction Division are working at 42 Queen Mary Avenue in the Crosshill area of Glasgow for Southside Housing Association.

This £313,548 project involves internal alterations and conversion of an existing building to create 5 independent flats, 1 common room and a sleepover room.

And finally, back to shopping centres.

Skinners are carrying out Phase 3 of the refurbishment of the single-ply membrane Trocal roof at Almondvale Shopping Centre in Livingston, West Lothian.

Land Securities’ commitment to the fabric of their building has seen them allocate funds over a three year period to overlay the existing single ply membrane.

And Skinners are the preferred bidder for a £2 million refurbishment contract The Forge Parkhead in Glasgow. Works include the installation of new ceilings and a complete overhaul of the existing ground floor of this East End shopping centre. The project which coincides with the regeneration of this part of the city and the up and coming 2014 Commonwealth Games will give Skinners an early presence as a main contractor.


William Skinner & Son managing director Sandy Cunningham (pictured above) commented: “I am delighted and proud of the way that every single member of the company is making a substantial contribution to the latest stage of Skinner’s robust and vigorous expansion. This staunch teamwork bodes extremely well for the future prosperity of our business.”

FOR MORE INFO, VISIT WILLIAM SKINNER & SON'S WEBSITE:

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

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This article on William Skinner and Son's website: CLICK HERE

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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

* * *

Andrew Lansley MP to open William Skinner's new Southern Office

By: Murdoch MacDonald

Andrew Lansley CBE, MP for South Cambridgeshire (pictured below) will be performing the opening ceremony at Ayrshire-based building contractors William Skinner & Son’s new Southern Office premises in Meldreth, Cambridgeshire at 4pm on Thursday 17 April.


Members of the media are cordially invited to send a journalist and/or cameraman to cover the proceedings.

Founded in Ayrshire 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 (pictured above) 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
Scotland

SOUTHERN OFFICE:
College Farm Business Centre
North End
Meldreth, Cambridgeshire
SG8 6NT
England

Telephone: 0845 051 9070
Fax: 01763 262916

Contact: Sandy Cunningham
Managing Director
Tel: 01292 671188
Fax: 01292 671133
E-mail: scunningham@williamskinner.co.uk

* * *

SOLAR ENERGY - MORE THAN ENOUGH TO GO ROUND!

By: John B Quinton (pictured below).
Chairman of building contractors William Skinner & Son.
HQ: Ayrshire, Scotland. Southern Office: Cambridge, England.


IT is often assumed that there is a link between climate change and the use of fossil fuels to produce energy – which there is, to a limited degree. The more fossil fuel we burn the more carbon dioxide we produce, and that contributes to the so-called ‘greenhouse gas effect’ – the entrapment of warm air close to the earth’s surface, with a consequent gradual warming of the earth.

But the main drive to find alternative sources of energy is not climate change – about which many independent scientists believe we can do very little, because of the sheer scale of it. It is the fact that our reserves of accessible fossil fuels – oil, natural gas and coal – are inadequate to sustain our present demands for energy, let alone any predictions of the greater amounts of energy our developing world will demand.

Finding alternative sources of energy we can use for power is not primarily linked with the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, though they will help, but is an imperative driven by presently dwindling available sources.

If we don’t develop sources that don’t depend on fossil fuels the laws of supply and demand will result either in fuel, and therefore energy, becoming so costly that it will limit human activity – or it will be rationed.

In either of these situations it will make total sense to produce energy by some other means, preferably using sources that will not exacerbate global warming.

There are only three sources of energy on earth. One is our superheated core, which produces hot springs and the material for volcanoes, but which can be, and is, harnessed as geothermal energy.

Another is the mutual gravitational effect of the earth and its moon, which produces tidal movements which can be harnessed to produce useable power. Purists argue that the reflected light from the moon is also a source of energy.

The third - and overwhelmingly the greatest - source is the sun, which radiates the equivalent of 1,000 kWh of power to every square metre of the earth’s surface annually.

The sun alone provides 2,125,000,000,000,000,000 kWh annually. World energy consumption in 2006 was the equivalent of 29,308,000,000,000 kWh. What that says is that the annual consumption of energy of the entire world in one year was about 8 hour’s worth of the available energy from the sun. And the sun’s energy, beyond the cost of collecting it, is free.

Wind-turbines can recover some of this, because the energy of the winds is essentially the result of the transfer of some of the sun’s energy into air movement, but the real answer, at least so far as electricity generation is concerned, has to be the use of photo-voltaic cells that convert the sun’s energy – which is more than just the heat we feel in sunshine – directly into electricity.

This technique has been known for hundreds of years, but only recently has it been developed for practical use. It is effective, but costly – but the major oil companies, amongst others, are investing billions in research to improve PV performance, with the current aim of cutting the cost of a PV panel to 10% of what it is now, and doubling its efficiency. This will give a cost reduction to 1/20 of the present figure.

Incidentally, the energy falling on the British Isles in a single year is 230,700,000,000 kWh – which is many times more than our total demand – and the annual rainfall on GB is 146,495,000,000,000 litres. Not only do we have a super abundance of energy waiting, as it were, for the plucking, but far from having any water shortage we have a gross over-supply of that too – so that water management consists (still) principally of getting rid of the stuff rather than finding enough of it to use. The fact that water is virtually indestructible – i.e. literally renewable within the limits of our own eco-system – means that we never actually consume any of it. We just borrow it for a while.

Meanwhile, the principal sources of alternative, mostly free and renewable, energy are:

1. Direct Solar water heating.
2. Direct Solar electricity generation.
3. Electricity generation from the wind.
4. Electricity generation by water flow – by conventional hydroelectric means or tidal movement.
5. Ground/air/water source heat-pumps.*
6. Geo-thermal.**
7. Bio-mass.***
9. Farm and human waste and residues.****
9. Nuclear fission/fusion.*****

* Uses some electrical power to produce energy to the value of 3/4/5 times the amount used to pump it.
** The energy of the earth’s core is not renewable.
*** Produces carbon-dioxide, but only that taken in as the plant material used was still growing, so it is, ‘carbon-dioxide neutral’.
**** Carbon dioxide, (and other harmful gases), produced.
***** Very cheap to produce, produces no carbon dioxide but not renewable. Massive waste disposal problems.

John B Quinton
E-mail: jbquinton@btinternet.com


ABOUT WILLIAM SKINNER & SON

Building contractors William Skinner & Son have made a successful diversification into the solar heating market, attracting a large number of new clients throughout the UK, and have demonstrated their commitment to the wider field of renewable energy by installing a 6kW Proven wind turbine at their Ayrshire HQ in St. Quivox on the perimeter of Glasgow Prestwick Airport, and including PV panels in the design for their proposed office extension.

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.

For further information contact:

Sandy Cunningham
Managing Director
William Skinner & Son
Cunningham House
Highfield
St Quivox
Ayr KA6 5HQ
Scotland

Tel: 0845 051 9060
Fax: 01292 671133

E-mail: scunningham@williamskinner.co.uk
Website: www.williamskinner.co.uk

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Building contractors William Skinner and Son
appoint new general manager

By: Murdoch MacDonald

BUILDING contractors William Skinner & Son of Ayrshire in Scotland and Cambridgeshire in England announce the appointment of Steven Barclay (pictured below) as General Manager.


[LEFT-CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW / DOWNLOAD FULL-SIZE VERSION.]

This newly created post job is designed to help the company achieve the growth it is looking for in the medium term.

Steven (39) lives in Irvine, Ayrshire with his wife and young son.

William Skinner & Son managing director Sandy Cunningham said: “We were overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of applicants for this post, and after extensive interviewing Steven beat off the competition and emerged as our preferred candidate for this key new role.

“He comes to us with first-class credentials and excellent experience of managing projects of all types and sizes all over the UK. He also spent a period of 2 years as a project manager in Ontario, Canada.

“This is an excellent opportunity for Steven to make the move into senior management and we are delighted to welcome him to the team.”

ABOUT WILLIAM SKINNER & SON

Building contractors William Skinner & Son’s Ayrshire and Cambridgeshire bases cover Scotland and Eastern England with activities including building maintenance with 24-hour helpdesk, retail refurbishment and construction, painting, joinery manufacture, metal fabrication, terrazzo tiling, shopfitting, Sika Trocal and Ward Topdeck roofing, and solar hot water installation.

William Skinner & Son have recently diversified into tree houses with contracts from leading hotel and conference centre group De Vere Venues.

They have also made a successful entrance into the solar heating market, attracting a large number of new clients throughout the UK, and have demonstrated their commitment to the wider field of renewable energy by installing a 6kW Proven wind turbine at their HQ in St. Quivox and including PV panels in the design for their proposed office extension.

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.

For further information (please mention this website) contact:

Sandy Cunningham
Managing Director
William Skinner & Son
Cunningham House
Highfield
St Quivox
Ayr KA6 5HQ
Ayrshire, Scotland

Tel: 0845 051 9060
Fax: 01292 671133
E-mail: scunningham@williamskinner.co.uk
Website: www.williamskinner.co.uk

OR:

College Farm Business Centre
North End
Meldreth
Cambridgeshire
SG8 6NT

Tel: 0845 051 9070
Fax: 01763 262916

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Tree houses from William Skinner in Scotland and England

AS PART of the company’s diversification and development programme, building contractors William Skinner & Son of Ayrshire in Scotland and Cambridgeshire in England have recently made a very successful entrance into the bespoke and custom built tree house market.


[CLICK ON IMAGES TO VIEW FULL-SIZE VERSION.]

With William Skinner & Son’s long established joinery pedigree and existing in-house knowledge on tree houses, it seemed only natural that the company showcase it’s talent, and what better way than build tree houses, the ultimate in bespoke construction.


Tree houses come in all shapes and sizes:

* Magical children’s playhouse
* Adventure playground
* Suave entertaining areas
* Fully equipped home offices
* Enchanting family retreat
* Guest rooms, libraries and even entire houses


William Skinner & Son’s fully qualified tradesmen have over fifteen years combined experience in tree house building, and have been involved with projects nationwide in the UK and across Europe. The company only employs professional people, this alone sets it aside from the competition.

Fully project managed from initial enquiry through to construction, William Skinner & Son’s jobs are always delivered on time whilst maintaining the highest level of craftsmanship and attention to detail throughout.


William Skinner & Son’s service covers everything from:

* Tree house site evaluation and planning
* Tree house design
* Tree house construction
* Arborist consultation
* Tree house maintenance
* Tree house guarantee.


William Skinner tree houses are designed and constructed by the company's Garden Structures Division.

William Skinner & Son managing director Sandy Cunningham said: "Skinner Garden Structures are committed in producing exquisite tree houses, summer houses and lodges for children, for guests, for you; giving you a delightful room of your own in the garden, for relaxing, dreaming or entertaining. Or providing you with a tree house where children can enter their own magical world of fantasy and enchantment.

"Our vision for the coming year is to actively promote and grow this exciting new division of William Skinner & Son and to nurture it so that it fulfils all the expectations of our clients and affords many different opportunities for our valuable craftsmen."

For further information contact:

Ken Wales
Business Development Director
William Skinner & Son
Cunningham House
Highfield
St Quivox
Ayr KA6 5HQ
Scotland

Tel: 0845 051 9060
Fax: 01292 671133
E-mail: enquiries@williamskinner.co.uk
Website: http://www.williamskinner.co.uk/

OR:

William Skinner & Son
Southern Office
College Farm Business Centre
North End
Meldreth
Cambridgeshire
SG8 6NT

Tel: 0845 051 9070
Fax: 01763 262916

Web links:

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Building contractors William Skinner & Son are
members of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle.

* * *

Building contractor William Skinner
plays Santa to CLIC Sargent children

AT their recent staff open day building contractors William Skinner & Son with headquarters in Ayrshire and a Southern Office at Meldreth, Cambridgeshire raised a grand total of £3,130.50 for children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent.


[Picture shows CLIC Sargent fundraising manager May Gilchrist (left) receiving a cheque from William Skinner & Son director Ken Wales (centre) and project manager Brian Galloway as Santa Claus. CLICK ON EITHER IMAGE TO VIEW / DOWNLOAD FULL-SIZE VERSION]

William Skinner & Son directors, staff, suppliers and friends all contributed by means of a raffle, donated prizes being auctioned and donations.

William Skinner & Son director Ken Wales, receptionist Susan Stobbs and project manager Brian Galloway (as Santa Claus) went to CLIC Sargent’s home at Prestwick last week to hand over the cheque, and Santa gave out presents to all the ten children currently staying there.


[Picture shows CLIC Sargent fundraising manager May Gilchrist, back left, next to William Skinner & Son receptionist Susan Stobbs, director Ken Wales, centre, and project manager Brian Galloway as Santa Claus with children at CLIC Sargent’s Malcolm Sargent House, Prestwick, Ayrshire.]

Managing director of William Skinner & Son Sandy Cunningham said: “We are delighted to have raised this money in time for Christmas, and look forward to continuing to support CLIC Sargent and all the invaluable work that they do in the future.”

CLIC Sargent fundraising manager May Gilchrist said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the management and staff of William Skinner for their continued support over the years and for this fantastic donation which will make such a difference to children with cancer who holiday at Malcolm Sargent House. On behalf of the children and families I would like to wish all at William Skinner & Son best wishes for 2008.”

CLIC Sargent is the UK’s leading children's cancer charity. It provides the widest range of services and the highest number of care professionals to look after children and young people with cancer and their families.

CLIC Sargent was formed in 2005 after a successful merger between CLIC and Sargent Cancer Care for Children. Both charities had a rich history of excellent care and support, and together they are stronger and more effective, providing more for more children and young people with cancer and their families.

www.clicsargent.org.uk

ABOUT WILLIAM SKINNER & SON

Building contractors William Skinner & Son’s Ayrshire and Cambridgeshire bases cover Scotland and Eastern England with activities including building maintenance with 24-hour helpdesk, retail refurbishment and construction, painting, joinery manufacture, metal fabrication, terrazzo tiling, shopfitting, Sika Trocal and Ward Topdeck roofing, and solar hot water installation.

William Skinner & Son have recently diversified into tree houses with contracts from leading hotel and conference centre group De Vere Venues.

They have also made a successful entrance into the solar heating market, attracting a large number of new clients throughout the UK, and have demonstrated their commitment to the wider field of renewable energy by installing a 6kW Proven wind turbine at their HQ in St. Quivox and including PV panels in the design for their proposed office extension.

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.

www.williamskinner.co.uk

Building contractors William Skinner
move to new base in Cambridgeshire

AYRSHIRE-based building contractors William Skinner & Son have moved their Southern Office into custom-built new premises in Meldreth, near Cambridge.

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 (pictured above) 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 are currently building 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: enquiries@williamskinner.co.uk

Building contractors William Skinner & Son
hold staff communications day

Ayrshire and Cambridge-based building contractors William Skinner & Son have held their second staff communications day to facilitate a two-way exchange of ideas and information between the firm and its employees.


All 96 members of staff attended the event at the Roman Warrior Suite, Ayr Racecourse, and enjoyed the opportunity to meet with their colleagues, get some insight into how the company is progressing and put forward their own ideas about its future development.

The aims of the communications day were to inform all employees of company activity and performance since the last communication event in March 2006, to outline plans and developments for the next twelve months, to increase employee involvement and commitment to the company by opening up channels of two-way communication in terms of feedback and generating ideas, and to celebrate Skinner’s successes and convey positive messages about working for the company.

An Employee Attitude Survey was conducted to assess how staff felt about working for the company and the benefits it offered. This will give senior management some hard data on which to base its future HR strategy.

Informal presentations were given by senior staff members, followed by small group sessions to generate ideas from all levels on challenges facing the company. Structured feedback was then given on questions and ideas raised during communication sessions.


William Skinner & Son HR manager Stephanie Hammond said: “During the day a lot of ideas and suggestions were made about the way the company operates, and these will all need to be looked at in terms of their viability and how they can improve our efficiency.

“We will be setting up a communications group to work on this and regular feedback on progress will be passed back to all employees. We already have an in-house company newsletter, but we will be looking at other vehicles for communication to ensure that people have all the information that they need and want.

“Our communication days are just a small part of the company’s overall HR strategy, but possibly the most visible. We work very hard to maintain our reputation as a good employer. We know that the best way to improve our business is to listen to and involve our highly skilled and dedicated workforce, and will make sure that they have regular opportunities to make a contribution.”

www.williamskinner.co.uk

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This article on the William Skinner website: CLICK HERE

Ayrshire building contractors William Skinner and Son
announce major new contracts

AYR-based building contractors William Skinner & Son with additional workshops and offices in Meldreth, Cambridgeshire are continuing to extend their geographical reach right across the UK, with recent projects coming from as far apart as the north of Scotland and the south-east of England.

But the company is also emphasising the strength of its Ayrshire roots with a clutch of major new contracts on its home territory.

Skinners are currently completing their first contract for The Irvine Bay Urban Regeneration Company based in Saltcoats. This £83,000 project involves the refurbishment of an old Clydesdale Bank in Ardrossan. The building is being sub-divided into two retail units which have already been let as an Italian delicatessen and a kitchen supplier showroom.


[This photograph of the Irvine Bay Urban Regeneration Company project shows from left to right: William Skinner & Son business development manager Eddie Telford, Stewart Maxwell MSP for West of Scotland and Minister for Communities & Sport, William Skinner & Son business development manager and project manager for this site Brian Galloway and William Skinner & Son director Ken Wales.]

The project was visited recently by Stewart Maxwell MSP, the Minister of Communities and Sport in the Scottish Government and is a pioneer project for Irvine Bay URC who have massive plans for the regeneration of the Ayrshire coast and a budget in the region of £120 millions over the next ten years.

William Skinner & Son are currently carrying out an internal upgrade contract at Dalmilling Primary School in Ayr. This project is valued at £1.7million, and is the largest contract that the company has carried out for South Ayrshire Council. The project is scheduled for completion by mid-December 2007.

The company has also completed two projects for North Ayrshire Council. The Volunteer Rooms in Irvine are now an exceedingly desirable venue for functions following a successful upgrade and sound attenuation contract valued at £225,000. The Council is said to be delighted with the transformation of this 1912 building which was a cause of noise pollution prior to its renovation.

Following this contract Skinners were asked to convert an open space in the reception area of the Council’s Headquarters at Perceton House, Irvine to form three meeting rooms. This £70K contract was carried out in such a manner as to cause no disruption to the smooth running of the Council’s Executive Headquarters.

Skinners are in the process of being awarded a £0.5million contract by East Ayrshire Council to construct an extension to Dunlop Primary School. Work is scheduled to commence in early October 2007 with the 24-week contract due for completion before the end of the financial year in March 2008.

The award of this contract means that Skinners are currently carrying out construction projects for all three local authorities in Ayrshire with a total value of nearly £2million.

Meanwhile in the private sector, Skinners are also carrying out work for Irvine-based company Wallaces Express.

Wallaces Express are Scotland’s largest independent wine and spirit wholesalers with depots in Irvine, Coatbridge, Dumfries and Lanark. The company was established in Ayr in 1875 as a retailer and evolved during the mid-1980s into their current format.

Skinners are currently in the final stages of completing plans to carry out a £350,000 refurbishment contract of the Wallaces Express depot at Dumfries which will take place from now until the end of October.

The work will consist of applying a new waterproof coating to the existing roof from Skinner’s specialist coating division, cleaning the rooflights and painting the interior of the roof.

A reconfiguration and upgrading of the offices inside the facility will be executed at the same time as a renovation treatment, involving an epoxy coating, will be applied to the warehouse floor. New roller shutter doors will be installed along with new high bay lighting.

During the course of these works, additional floorspace will be formed, providing Wallaces with an extra 15% of storage space.

And Skinners have also been contracted to carry out refurbishment of the Kyle Centre Food Court in Ayr.

The £400,000 work involves removal of a steel staircase and footbridge to allow installation of a second escalator, alterations to flooring levels to allow level access to all areas, alterations to form new disabled toilets and new baby change facilities, and the formation of four new food outlets ready for fit-out by incoming tenants.

Work started at the end of July and are due to be completed in time for the Christmas shopping period. Apart from the Food Court itself, the Kyle Centre will remain open as normal during refurbishment.

Other significant recent projects for Skinners include work for Nobel Energetics at Stevenston, Global Home Technologies at Auchencruive, Westin Turnberry Hotel, and Aldi in Glasgow.

William Skinner & Son managing director Sandy Cunningham commented: “Whilst it is gratifying and indeed necessary for Skinners to expand throughout the UK, we will only do so by maintaining and developing our home base. So this latest raft of contracts from throughout Ayrshire is particularly encouraging for our company's continuing progress and success.”

For further information contact (please mention Ayrshire Scotland Business News):

Sandy Cunningham
Managing Director
William Skinner & Son
Cunningham House
Highfield
St Quivox
Ayr KA6 5HQ
Scotland

Tel: 01292 671188
Fax: 01292 671133
E-mail: scunningham@williamskinner.co.uk
Website: http://www.williamskinner.co.uk/

Building contractors William Skinner & Son are
members of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle.
* * *

www.williamskinner.co.uk

Ayrshire Business News

I-Newswire The Open Press

This story on the William Skinner website: CLICK HERE

John scoops Outstanding Driver Award at
building contractors William Skinner

Leading Ayrshire building contractors William Skinner & Son have announced the latest winner of their Outstanding Company Driver Award.


Picture shows William Skinner & Son managing director Sandy Cunningham presenting the winner’s cheque to John Cuthbert.

The winner is John Cuthbert (26) from Ayr who works as a tiler. He has been with the company since 2002.

John received a cheque for £100 from managing director Sandy Cunningham, who said: “William Skinner and Son is rapidly becoming a UK-wide company. In addition to our headquarters in Ayr, we also have a base in Meldreth, Cambridgeshire.

“We operate a fleet of 45 vehicles, and their livery forms an important part of the image that we as a company present to the public.

“We therefore make a conscious effort to keep our fleet in a safe, efficient and clean condition at all times.”

Sandy continued: “We are also aware of our obligation to contribute towards a healthier environment, and we see our Outstanding Company Driver Award as being part of this obligation, as it provides our colleagues with an incentive to maintain their vehicles in optimum condition, and to drive them in the safest and most fuel-efficient manner.

“A useful by-product of this is that we also keep our overheads to a minimum, making William Skinner & Son an even more efficient business organisation.”

ABOUT WILLIAM SKINNER & SON

Building contractors William Skinner & Son’s Ayrshire and Cambridgeshire bases cover Scotland and Eastern England with activities including building maintenance with 24 hour helpdesk, retail refurbishment and construction, painting, joinery manufacture, metal fabrication, terrazzo tiling, shopfitting, Sika Trocal and Ward Topdeck roofing, and solar hot water installation.

William Skinner & Son have recently diversified into tree houses with a contract from leading hotel and conference centre group De Vere Venues.

They have also made a successful entrance into the solar heating market, attracting a large number of new clients throughout the UK, and have demonstrated their commitment to the wider field of renewable energy by installing a 6kW Proven wind turbine at their HQ in St. Quivox and including PV panels in the design for their proposed office extension.

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.

William Skinner & Son are members of The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire.

The purpose of the Circle is to publicise its members, and to celebrate and promote the rich diversity of industry, commerce and business services available within the county boundaries of Ayrshire in southwest Scotland.

Members include the Clydesdale Bank, Ayr Racecourse and the Western House Hotel, and member company activities include building and construction, estate agency and land management, legal services, insurance broking, brand management, website design and public relations consultancy.

The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle runs its own online news magazine, which can be found at www.AyrshireBusinessNews.com

As well as regularly updated illustrated articles about member companies, Ayrshire Business News also features rolling news, business and sports headlines, and its own online department store.

William Skinner & Son
HEAD OFFICE:
Cunningham House
Highfield
St Quivox
AYR, Ayrshire
Scotland KA6 5HQ

Telephone: 0845 051 9060
Fax: 01292 671133

Web: www.williamskinner.co.uk
E-mail: enquiries@williamskinner.co.uk

Issued on behalf of William Skinner & Son by Fame Publicity Services.

10 Miller Road
AYR, Ayrshire
Scotland
KA7 2AY

Telephone: 01292 281498
Mobile: 07833 667322
E-mail: Murdoch@famepublicity.co.uk
Web: www.famepublicity.co.uk

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Building contractors William Skinner & Son's
latest tree house featured on "Working Lunch"

Fame Publicity client William Skinner & Son building contractors recently constructed a magnificent tree house for De Vere Venues, the UK's market leader in the provision of dedicated residential training and conference venues. Full story CLICK HERE.

The William Skinner tree house was featured in BBC2’s television programme “Working Lunch” on Friday 15 June 2007. To find out more about tree houses visit www.williamskinner.co.uk or telephone 0845 051 9060. If your company would also like to maximise its media coverage, visit www.famepublicity.co.uk or telephone Murdoch MacDonald of Fame Publicity on 01292 281498 NOW! Out of hours mobile: 07833 667322.

See also: Ayrshire Business News on www.AyrshireBusinessNews.com
and Fame Publicity Services on www.famepublicity.co.uk

Building contractors William Skinner refurbish
Highland museum and heritage centre

AYRSHIRE-based building contractors William Skinner & Son have won a contract to redesign and refurbish Timespan, the museum, art gallery and heritage centre in Helmsdale, Sutherland, Scotland.


(Picture shows the Timespan redevelopment team (L-R) project manager Jim McCurdy, Timespan trustee Mike Wood, site manager Norman Muir, Nord architect Mike Hughes, Timespan chairman Penny Woodley, Brian Galloway of Skinners, Timespan director Rachel Sken