To our Novus Community Over the last couple of weeks we have been closely monitoring the guidance provided to us by the Government and NHS regarding Covid-19 and following the most recent updates have made the decision for all colleagues who can work from home to do so. This takes effect from Monday 23rd March 2020 until further notice. We would like to assure you that we remain firmly committed to delivering customer excellence and it is very much business as usual, with all systems in place to work remotely. Please continue to contact your usual Novus representative for any queries. The safety of our colleagues, clients, supply chain and communities which we work in are our number one priority and we would like to thank you all for your support during these unprecedented times. Stay healthy, take care of yourselves, and each other. Novus Property Solutions

In January, Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health Justin Tomlinson checked out the UK’s smallest hotel from the UK’s biggest hotel company: Premier Inn. The Hotel in the College The hotel was built by Novus Property Solutions in 2019 and is located within the walls of Coventry’s Hereward College. Featuring just 3 bedrooms, this miniature Premier Inn is part of the hotel chain’s “Force For Good” programme; a partnership project with Coventry’s Hereward College. The college is a specialist provider of real-world skills and training for young people with disabilities and additional needs. This educational facility gears its students up for independent living and boosts their employability prospects. Premier Inn is UK’s biggest hotel company with more than 800 locations nationwide but the chain’s tiniest hotel at Hereward is seen as a real positive asset to the people of the West Midlands region and to the UK as a whole. (You can read more about the hotel build in our blog article here.) State-of-the-Art Hotel The state-of-the-art mini-hotel functions primarily as a training facility for the college’s 270-member student body, affording young people the opportunity to learn employable skills in the hospitality industry. Furthermore, the Hereward College Premier Inn is completely indistinguishable from any other Premier Inn hotel. The hotel comes complete with a reception desk, corridor and linen room, and each room features three en-suite bedrooms. Even the ‘do not disturb’ signs on the doors and the tea & coffee making facilities are the very same that each Premier Inn guest are accustomed to seeing during their stay. From guest relations to housekeeping, the facility will enable young people to learn all areas of hospitality in a realistic hotel environment. As an added benefit, the young people taking part in the programme also have the opportunity to undertake supported internships, which have the potential to develop into paid roles in Premier Inn hotels across the country. Alan Nixon, CEO at Novus Property Solutions “Delivering projects that have lasting impacts in the communities we operate in is at the heart of what we do. The success of this facility at Hereward College is testament to the hard work and commitment of the staff involved at Premier Inn, the college and here at Novus. “To be recognised by the Minister for Disabled people is an incredible achievement for everyone involved and we’re looking forward to following the progress those living with disabilities make as a result of the project.” The tiny hotel at Hereward is the second Premier Inn of its type. The hotel company also has a three-bedroom training facility at Shropshire’s Derwen College, which also supports young people with additional needs. More Information For more information about the Hereward College Premier Inn or other social value projects that Novus are involved in, please contact us via the online web form.

Novus Property Solutions are celebrating yet another industry accolade for their BIG 5 Campaign, after winning the Community Impact Award at the prestigious EEM Building Communities Awards 2020. Building Communities Awards Since its inception, the Building Communities Awards has become a mainstay of the CSR calendar in construction and has built up a reputation as being one of the biggest and best events of its kind. The Building Communities Awards is hosted by procurement consortium, EEM Ltd and was devised to recognise and celebrate professionalism, excellence and innovation within the housing and construction community. With over 500 industry professionals in attendance at the black-tie event, this awards ceremony represents a real opportunity for businesses to showcase and celebrate the very best in construction. Community Impact Award The judges presented this award to Novus as recognition for the positive impact that our social value activities are having on communities up and down the country. The business was recognised as putting community interests at the heart of its operations and for delivering notable benefits to local people and the surrounding environment. As a long-lasting, far reaching community project, the BIG 5 Campaign was submitted by Novus as it met the judging criteria proposed by EEM. According to the Building Communities website, “Entries should provide examples of meaningful and long-lasting community impact, backed up with tangible facts and figures, clearly outlining what level of value has been added through their work.” A reminder of the BIG 5 Campaign can be found here. The Judges The winners in each category were determined by an esteemed panel of judges with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the housing and construction industry. These were: Amanda Batham - Business & Marketing Consultant – AJB Consultancy Services Rachel Hayward - Managing Director of Ask the Chameleon (Bid Writer | Coach | Trainer) Andrew Carpenter - Chief Executive of Structural Timber Association and of Constructing Excellence Steve Hale Independent Housing Consultant Fundraising Event Alongside the awards ceremony, the Building Communities Awards also holds a charity auction in support in a chosen charity. This year, over £43,000 was raised for two charities: Bullies Out – An award-winning charity that uses positive and practical solutions to help people overcome bullying and fulfil their potential. Focus - A charity that aims to inspire and empower young people into making positive changes in their lives and communities. More Information For more information about the Corporate Social Responsibility activities that Novus undertakes, or for further examples of the social value projects that the business has been involved with, please visit the CSR area of our website. Contact us to see how Novus can help with you next property maintenance, building refurbishment, or new build project. Finally, we would like to thank EEM for presenting Novus with this award and to congratulate all of our fellow award winners and nominees.

Demonstrating our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, the Novus Bangor Office have refurbished an unused games room into a bedroom in support of helping a local homeless hostel.   A Helping Hand to the Homeless of Wales During the cold winter months, it goes without saying that a warm bed for the night is invaluable to a member of the homeless community. With that in mind, the Novus Bangor Office worked in partnership with North Wales Housing Association recently to support a bedroom upgrade. Novus provided their refurbishment services to help a local homeless hostel transform a disused existing games room into a much needed, well equipped, and comfortable extra bedroom. With over 400 rough sleepers in Wales alone, the scale of the problem is seemingly huge. As part of our commitment to helping those who are at their most vulnerable in society, Novus Bangor Office  wanted to help tackle homelessness in North Wales by providing a helping hand. The completed upgrade now provides a temporary room for a homeless person whilst they are supported into moving into their own property. A Team Effort The newly refurbished bedroom has benefitted from new doors to both the entrance and wardrobe, these kindly were supplied and fitted by BDL Fire Protection. Complete refurbishment of the flooring was generously donated by Ross Hughes Flooring. Subcontractors PJR Electrical completed all electrical work from new plug sockets to repositioning the CCTV camera. Finally, there was a new sink facility fitted and full decoration of the room including a bed, mattress, bedside table, and chest of draws. CSR at Novus Corporate Social Responsibility is at the core of everything we do at Novus and we are extremely proud to help support such a fantastic project. For more information about the social value work that Novus are involved in, please visit our CSR page.

To mark 5 years of working as Novus, we supported 5 unique community projects across the UK. A year on, our team revisited these local initiatives to see the positive impact they were having on the lives of people within those communities.   Social value and working in the community Behaving in a socially responsible and ethical way is very much at the heart of what we do at Novus and giving back to local community projects by offering our property maintenance services is a natural extension of that ethos. The "BIG5" winning community projects were each awarded a £20,000 refurbishment fund to help finance the work required on their respective projects. One year on from completion, we have returned to each winning project to find out what impact the building refurbishments have had on the local community. In addition, we will continue to offer our ongoing support and property maintenance services to these facilities so that they can continue to provide a positive effect on local communities. Watch our BIG5 Revisit video below:  Rehabilitation Centre Building Refurbishment, Liverpool As part of the BIG5 Campaign, Novus undertook building refurbishments at a rehabilitation centre in Liverpool, ultimately creating a unique counselling room for Tom Harrison House – a charity that helps military veterans suffering from addiction. The fully-heated garden room is now used as part of the charity’s 12-week recovery programme and is the only one of its kind in the UK today. Watch Craig's inspiring story below: Building Renovation, Leeds Novus delivered extensive building renovation works on a derelict two-bedroom house in Leeds on behalf of LATCH - Leeds Action to Create Homes - a charity that aims to reduce homelessness in the city by providing supported housing for those ready to make a positive changes. As the Novus team were carrying out maintenance on the property, they caught up with LATCH to find out what impact the building renovation had made.  Hospital Refurbishment, Brighton Novus offer a range of hospital maintenance and refurbishment services to support the normal day-to-day operation of healthcare providers up and down the country. We work with a variety of healthcare institutions on a weekly basis, including primary care and acute hospital environments for both NHS Trusts and private sector Clients. In this case, Novus refurbished part of the maternity ward at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. This created a new bereavement suite for parents who had lost a child during birth, offering a private space for these patients. The work was completed on behalf of charities Abigail’s Footsteps and the Oscar’s Wish Foundation.  See how the new suite has impacted the hospital: School Refurbishment, Birmingham Novus provide a host of school refurbishment services that enable schools and academies to deliver the best edcuational environments to possible their students. The BIG5 campaign saw the refurbishment of Bromley Pensnett Primary School in Dudley, near Birmingham. The result was the opening of a new learning hub for parents, children, and the local community. This space offers facilities for health checks as well as and a childcare centre during the summer holidays. See how this learning hub has been beneficial to the community below: To learn more about the Corporate Social Responsibility activities that Novus undertake, be sure to visit the CSR section of our website. For more information about any of the services that Novus can provide, or to make any other enquiry, please contact us.

As December is traditionally the season for giving, Novus were spreading a little Christmas cheer to the homeless and less fortunate throughout the festive season with their nationwide “Give a Gift” campaign. Helping the homeless It is estimated that at least 320,000 people are classified as homeless in the UK with the vast majority of that number currently residing in temporary accommodation. Rough sleeping has also undergone a sharp incline over the past decade, with a staggering 150% increase in numbers over the last 10 years alone. Whilst the number of regular foodbank users has risen to over 1.1 million nationwide.  In no small way due to the cold, wet British weather, winter is understandably the most challenging time for those living without the basic comforts that a home provides. That’s why Novus, as a socially responsible organisation within local communities, sought to help those in need. In a coordinated effort that saw Novus colleagues up and down the country getting into the charitable spirit, activities such as clothing donations, Christmas jumper days and even a day out at the cinema were on the agenda, as staff happily volunteered their time and money for the cause.   The Macari Centre – Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent One of the beneficiaries of this campaign was The Macari Centre of Stoke-on-Trent (home city of Novus Property Solutions) – a sanctuary that provides safe short-term emergency shelter for any person in need of support.  The Centre is operated by the Macari Foundation; a charitable organisation established by footballing legend Lou Macari to relieve the life inhibiting effects of poverty to those who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. As well offering shelter, The Macari foundation strives towards proving all the information, support and, empowerment individuals need to permanently help themselves out of homelessness. How did Novus help? Novus Supply Chain partner RK Styles donated 50 Fleeces and Hats to the Macari Homeless Centre. Colleagues from Novus HQ took 8 homeless people from the Macari Centre to the cinema Novus HQ also donated more than 30 Christmas shoeboxes to the Macari Centre Changing Lives Changing Lives has been helping the homeless and the most vulnerable members of society for nearly 50 years. This charity works with people who are in crisis or who need support to overcome serious challenges that can limit their opportunities. Changing Lives help people to develop the skills and self-belief to ultimately achieve a better future. Currently operating across the North East, Yorkshire, North West and the Midlands, Changing Lives has over 500 members of staff and nearly 300 volunteers that help over 17,000 people annually. How did Novus Help? The Novus Gateshead team filled Christmas donation boxes to the brim for the charity NHS Foundation Manchester University – Winter Homeless Appeal Every year the Manchester University hospital raises funds to help purchase clothes for Homeless Aid UK to ensure that those that don’t have much over the winter period are clothed with warm items. Homeless Aid UK is an organisation established and operated by a group of friends from across the UK. The charity is dedicated to ending homelessness through delivering services intended to transform the fortunes of those who need it most. Homeless Aid UK predominately work with the homeless in the Bolton & Manchester area but do also operate across the UK and globally. This charity relies solely on the support and donations from the local community. How did Novus Help? Our Novus Warrington office donated over £200 to the NHS Manchester University Hospital to help towards clothing items for the Winter Homeless Appeal. Trussell Trust Foodbanks Working in conjunction with The Trussell Trust, foodbanks up and down the country strive to restore dignity and revive the hope of the people it assists on a daily basis. This charity also operates with the mandate of helping build a stronger community spirit through donations of time, money, and food. How did Novus Help? The Novus Basingstoke office put together a large food donation to support its local foodbank. Each member of the Basingstoke team came forward to give a small donation to help someone less fortunate in the local area. Colleagues from Novus HQ in Stoke also collected a large quantity of food and toiletries for the Trussell Trust. Alongside helping the homeless this Christmas, our Give a Gift campaign involved helping several other causes in local communities up and down the country.  Care Home Christmas Parties As a care home maintenance provider, we often rely on the patience and understanding of the care home residents themselves to enable our technicians to complete works quickly and efficiently. Novus prides itself on being a helpful, respectful Novus colleagues from Birmingham, East Midlands, and Southampton threw Christmas parties for the residents living care homes in which they have refurbishment contracts over the festive period. With festive buffest, Christmas music, crackers and festive gifts, this was the perfect way in which to thank the residents for their co-operation and understanding throughout the year. In a similar vein, Novus in York decided to treat one deserving tenant with a winter warmer hamper packed to the brim with cold weather essentials such as soups, hot drinks, and a few special treats to last throughout winter. In addition, Novus in Manchester donated Christmas hampers to serve as raffle prizes to Six Town Housing. As Novus are currently undertaking the internal decoration works at the Falcon House retirement home, the proceeds of the raffle will be helping to buy furniture for the house.   Helping Children’s Charities According to the latest figures, there are over 4 million children living in poverty in the UK alone and this number is expected to rise to over 5 million in the next 2-3 years. Christmas time can represent a particularly difficult period for children and families living in poverty and it is for this reason that Novus choose to donate to charities that address growing issue in society.   Save the Children For over 100 years, Save the Children have been feeding, clothing, educating protecting young people throughout the world. From humble beginnings in the wake of the First World War, to reaching a record 21 million children in 2016, the charity is now one of the largest in the world. How did Novus help? In what has become an annual tradition, Novus colleagues at every office have once again worn their Christmas jumpers in support of Save the Children. The Children’s Foundation The Children’s Foundation is a local charity created to help children that other charities don’t always reach; those who are the disadvantaged, disabled and distressed. Set up the 1990’s in Newcastle upon Tyne, this charity was established to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people affected by poverty/poor health/poor mental health. How did Novus help? Our Gateshead team organised a Christmas jumper day that took place on 13th December, donating all proceeds to the Children’s Foundation. Fresh Visions Established in 2003 by frontline housing workers in London and based in Kent, Fresh Visions works with some of the most vulnerable young people in society, offering support for a whole range of different issues such as poverty, domestic abuse, and social exclusion.  Fresh Visions was setup to fill gaps in local support structures. Over the last 16 years the charity has helped transform the lives of hundreds of young people and continues to do so every year. How did Novus help? Every Christmas the Novus Team at Leighton Buzzard choose a local charity to support. This year we decided to support Fresh Visions by offering toy donations for those young people that the charity supports. Numerous toy donations came from the staff at Leighton Buzzard Office, and our very generous sub- contractors. Novus would like to thank NXTGEN Scaffolding, Eric Group, PGB, Clear Style Windows & Doors, Coulman Roofing, Reed Scaffolding and Meadows Electrical for their amazing efforts in supporting this cause. NHS Boston Hospital Children’s Ward How did Novus help? Hospital maintenance is a key area of operation for Novus and as the East Midlands office were carrying out fire door upgrades on behalf of Boston Hospital, Novus colleagues donated selection boxes to the children on the pediatric ward.   More information For more information about our charitable and socially responsible work that Novus are involved with, please contact us using our online web form. Alternatively, why not browse other articles contained within our blog?