The winner of our second Big 5 project in the South East was the Bereavement Suite at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. Previously mothers and fathers of still-born babies or babies who die shortly after birth had been sharing the same area. The new suite gives parents who lose a child during pregnancy or delivery the space, time and facilities they need during the grieving process. Maternity Ward Refurbishment The team transformed a separate area of the maternity ward into a delivery area and bereavement suite over a 10-day period. This new facility contains a studio flat alongside the delivery room with a cold cot, which will mean the family will get more time with their babies to create memories and a private place for them to grieve. The project started on the 11th June in a restricted environment on the 13th floor of the live ward. It consisted of stripping out three existing rooms including electrics, plumbing and flooring, reconfiguring them along, building new walls, installing a kitchenette and preparation room, a full redecoration and new flooring, and installing the furniture donated by Oscar’s Wish. Abigail’s Footsteps The work was carried out as part of our Big Five campaign to support worthwhile projects in communities up and down the country to celebrate our fifth birthday, where we are offering the opportunity to win £20,000 refurbishments. Abigail’s Footsteps won the South East competition. Without the support of our supply chain and the enthusiasm of our own workforce the project could never have been completed within the time scales. Ray Fielder, operations manager at Novus, said: “We received a lot of worthy nominations as part of the judging process, but Abigail’s Footsteps’ project to deliver the bereavement suite at the Royal Sussex County Hospital stood out from the beginning. “Everyone involved in the selection was moved by the cause and the work the charity does. We’re really proud to see the final result and that our work will leave a lasting legacy in the community.” Hayley Stevenson, Labour Ward and Pregnancy Loss Lead, said: “For recently bereaved parents, the labour ward can be a very hard place to stay, surrounded as they are by the activities and sounds of deliveries and newborn babies. “It is difficult to fully express what a difference this bereavement suite will make to them. “It will give bereaved parents time away from the main ward to form bonds with the child they have lost and create memories of them, memories that are so important in the grieving process. “There is no timescale for the parents who need this suite.” Abigail’s Footsteps was founded in 2010 to improve bereavement training for healthcare professionals, provide vital amenities and to allow parents to grieve in their own space away from maternity wards. The Oscar’s Wish Foundation was founded in 2015 to provide support for parents, families and siblings who experience the loss of their baby. It is raising funds to furnish the suite and is advising on how the facility is set up.  

Thistley Hough Academy and Stoke-headquartered Novus Property Solutions have won the national Education Partnership accolade at the Business in the Community Responsible Business Awards 2018. The organisations were recognised in the Small Business category for their five-year strategic partnership to enhance employability in the region. The work is part of Novus’ Business Class initiative, which sees the firm partner with local schools across the country to give pupils skills to help make them ready for the working world. The award was presented to Novus and Thistley Hough Academy at a ceremony, organised by The Prince’s Responsible Business Network, on Wednesday, 3rd July at the Royal Albert Hall, London.  Winners of the other categories on the evening included Barclays, engineer Arup, Aviva and Nestle. Business in the Community – The Prince’s Responsible Business Network - is a business-led membership organisation made up of progressive businesses of all sizes that seeks to encourage social, environmental and economic sustainability. Its annual Responsible Business awards programme celebrates the best work done by organisations in supporting social value in their communities. Kevin Rhone, head of social value and customer service at Novus, said: “Our Business Class initiative is one of many ways we’re reinvesting in the communities where we work. Across the country, we have a range of CSR projects and initiatives that are having a demonstrable impact on peoples’ lives. “Construction is witnessing a huge skills shortage. And that’s not just in terms of trades, we need people will excellent soft skills too and this is something we’ve always been keen to support. Winning the Business in the Community accolade is a fantastic result given its national prestige.” Thistley Hough Academy Principal Holly Hartley says: “Our school had faced a number of challenges and so, when approached by Novus I was very keen to be involved in the scheme. From the outset our partnership with Novus has had a significant and tangible impact on life at the Academy and is founded on trust and integrity and so it has been easy to engage, despite our significant operational differences. She continues: “Novus is now a daily part of life for us providing both our staff and students with inspiring opportunities – from mentoring pupils, to offering support in high-level Public Finance Initiative meetings, to the development of a new school allotment, or by working with students on employability-based skill sessions.”   Across the duration of the initiative, thanks to the support of Novus, the Academy has been graded some ‘Outstanding’ features by Ofsted. Similarly, the partnership has resulted in direct commercial benefits for Novus including new relationships across the local education sector, helping it to win more than £5 million worth of construction work.   For more information about Thistley Hough Academy visit thistleyhoughacademy.org.uk or call 01782 883500 and for more information about the Business in the Community Awards log on to awards.bitc.org.uk.  

For our first Big 5 project, we brought a derelict house back into use for a vulnerable person. We asked people to nominate a community building in desperate need of repair for a £20,000 building refurbishment which we would deliver in our 5th year of trading as Novus. Latch Charity Selection We selected Leeds as our first location and Leeds Action to Create Homes (LATCH) was the winner of our competition. Latch provides supported housing for homeless and vulnerable people. Building Refurbishment Work The house needed a serious amount of work as it was in a poor state. The kitchen, bathroom and heating system were replaced as everything was broken. We fitted various new joinery items and floor covering before redecorating the property throughout. The building refurbishment would have taken Latch a few months, but we were able to transform the property in two weeks for the tenant to start a fresh. The external of the property was painted, and our team and LATCH Volunteers carried out a joint project in the landscaping works for the new tenants to be able to enjoy the garden of their new home. We completed the building refurbishment of the two-bedroom house with new furniture. Tenant’s Feedback The tenant of the property said “It’s lovely, very warm. It’s a really nice house. It’s the best one bed house I’ve ever seen. It feels like there’s something off my shoulders, I don’t have to worry anymore.” Operations Manager’s Feedback Mark Rapley, Operations Manager for Novus who managed the project said ‘it’s amazing to see the impact Novus have had on someone’s life. It was a challenge to turn the major building refurbishment of the property around in 2 weeks, however it was truly worth the end result of being about to house vulnerable person and her son’.  Customer’s Feedback “Since moving into their lovely new home, the residents have been enjoying a much better quality of life.” Manjeet Gahir, Property Services Manager, LATCH Find Out More Find out more about our Big 5 campaign, or view more about the other projects here.

Contractor Novus has been appointed to deliver a £1.29m project to build 13 new two-bedroom apartments at a sheltered accommodation scheme in Solihull. The development, for the Sir Josiah Mason Trust, will see Novus deliver a full refurbishment at Mason House in Shirley. The 13-month project will include the construction of a new extension, one half being two-storey while the other half is an additional floor over the existing one-storey property which will involve underpinning the existing foundations. The construction will also provide a new reception area and communal space as well as making a range of improvements to the building’s existing corridors. On the new roof, there will be new PV solar panels installed to generate hot water for the apartments. The Josiah Mason Trust provides sheltered accommodation, residential care and extra care housing to over 200 people across the West Midlands.  Mark Foxall, contracts manager at Novus Property Solutions, said: “Our work with the Sir Josiah Mason Trust will allow the charity to deliver an even greater level of service to its residents in Solihull. This is an exciting project for Novus and we’re looking forward to building on our relationship with Josiah Mason.” David Healey, chief executive at the Sir Josiah Mason Trust, said: “The new frontage and refurbishment of our Mason House apartments will breathe fresh life into the scheme and allow us to help more people in the community. “This is the first major development undertaken by the trust in recent years and we’re looking forward to seeing it finished next year.”

Novus is committed to being an employer of choice. To us this means being a company that is recognised for attracting and employing the best, developing and realising the potential of its people. We have already been recognised as a leading employer by Construction News, winning both Employer of the Year and Apprentice of the Year awards, in the five years since the Novus brand was established. We are fully committed to remaining at the leading edge. This means focusing on building a more diverse workforce with opportunities for personal development and professional fulfilment for all. Understanding our pay gap Women’s hourly rate is 25.9% lower (mean) and 25.4% lower (median). Top salary quartile has 93.3% men and 6.7% women Upper middle salary quartile has 94.8% men and 5.2% women Lower middle salary quartile has 90.3% men and 9.7% women Lower salary quartile has 57.1% men and 42.9% women Women’s bonus pay is 87.2% lower (mean) and 26.4% lower (median) 56.8% of men and 53.5% of women received bonus pay Construction, as an industry, has long suffered from a lack of women joining its professions. We are actively engaged in several initiatives through Business in the Community and Women in Construction where we work alongside our peers to help develop attraction strategies to encourage more women to pursue a career in the sector.  We see a need for Government to help improve funding and resources to help encourage young women to pursue qualifications for construction while at school, tackling the issue at its source. We are committed to finding the best person for every role, irrespective of their gender, but are working hard to ensure our business represents an attractive career option for everyone, to increase the number of female applicants we receive. Our pay gap is a result of a significant majority of our workforce being men, both at an operational level and in management. Women currently represent approximately 15% of our total workforce. Although outside the scope of reporting regulations because of its size, JSSH Limited, the Novus holding company, is proud to have an equal representation of men and women on its board. Whilst this is not yet reflected within Novus, our Board of Directors are passionate about achieving greater diversity at the senior management level. Putting the business on the path towards achieving and sustaining a diverse workforce at all levels is an important part of Novus’ long-term goals.   Closing the gap We are determined to close our gender pay gap but recognise that this will require a long-term strategic approach. Our Board is developing an action plan in response to the Gender Pay Gap report, which we will announce to our teams later this year.

Neil Hand, Our CEO, who started with Novus as an apprentice explains the importance of apprenticeships Supporting the next generation of tradespeople is integral to our business and it is something we have successfully done for over 80 years now. This year we will recruit 21 apprentices across the country. The scheme is a fantastic chance for young people with the right attitude and potential to start to build a career with our support. Our apprenticeship scheme provides people with personalised practical skills required for future roles in the industry. Our people will support our apprentices to develop their skills and maximise their potential and prepare them for future opportunities. We want to inspire, empower and motivate people to make a difference. When I joined the company over 35 years ago, I never considered that I would become the CEO, but it’s a testament to the support network provided by the company that I was able to do so. Each year we hold an Apprentice Selection week in August, where we bring all of the shortlisted apprentice hopefuls together to learn all of the Health and Safety knowledge you need before venturing out on site. We take the Apprentice hopefuls over to a chosen community project to put them to the test, under the watchful eye of a dedicated project team and our training team. Making a positive contribution and helping to improve people’s lives is such an important part of the Novus way, so this is a great start for a Novus apprentices’ career. We want people who believe in the Novus Way. (Read more about the Novus Way here) If you would like to become an apprentice with Novus keep an eye out for our apprentice recruitment campaign launching next month.