Celebrating 10 years of Novus!
Here’s to a decade of Novus!
We’re excited to see the start of 2023 as we begin celebrating an iconic moment in Novus history – our 10-year anniversary. To mark the occasion, we have a full year of activities planned that will recognise and reward our fantastic colleagues, give back to the communities we work in, and deliver bag loads of fun along the way!
Our History
While 2023 signifies 10 years since the rebranding of Seddon Property Services into Novus Property Solutions, the business has a longstanding history dating back to 1897. Tracing our origins back to this period, brothers George and John Seddon left the coal mines to set up a small building company in Little Hulton, near Bolton, equipped with a handcart, a strong work ethic, and their ambition. As G & J Seddon, they started out fixing roof slates and pointing chimneys, running their small business from a yard behind a pub.
As the company grew, the Seddon association with Stoke-on-Trent began in the 1930s when the brothers completed the business’ first ever local project – helping to build new homes in the suburb of Meir. From there, more and more work was secured, helping to get a foot on the ladder across the rest of the city.
By 2009 the original small business had grown into a much larger, diverse entity with separate divisions for construction, maintenance and plant hire. Following this, the restructuring took place in 2013, with Seddon Property Services rebranded…and Novus was born!
Today, Novus operates as an independent trading entity, under the proud ownership of the Seddon family. The business is still governed and directed in accordance with those same strong family values and beliefs that George and John Seddon instilled into their company over a century ago.
Read more about our long and proud history here.
A year of celebrations!
Supporting Charities
Giving back to our communities is at the heart of what we do which is why we’re supporting two fantastic charities throughout the year – Shelter and the Lighthouse Club.
Both charities operate throughout Great Britain, with Shelter providing support for homelessness, a cause very close to our hearts, and the Lighthouse Club providing emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support to construction workers and their families.
Many thanks to our anniversary sponsors for their support, which will greatly benefit these charities. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
There’s lots to come!
To commemorate this milestone in Novus history, we have an exciting year-long calendar of activities planned which will involve our colleagues throughout Great Britain, while also keeping our charitable spirit at the top of the agenda.
Here’s just a taster of what we’re up to…
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Shining Stars
Our Monthly Recognition Award
Our company values are the guiding principles for how we behave and work together to create a strong and successful business. Our colleagues are at the heart of this success, and without them we would not be able to deliver great projects for our clients or the communities in which we work.
As part of our 10-year anniversary activities, we have launched our new Shining Stars Awards to celebrate the fantastic work of our team and recognise those who truly embody our company values.
Every month throughout 2023 our employees can nominate colleagues who have gone above and beyond in their role. From this, we will recognise the hard work of one colleague each month, with the winner receiving a £500 prize, alongside an invitation to our end of year awards ceremony. Take a look at our winners below:
 |
January Shining Star – Mark EmeryMark, a Contracts Manager in our Birmingham office, has been chosen by our panel for displaying a number of our values in supporting one of his team for a sustained length of time during a period of family crisis. Showing true leadership, Mark has stepped up personally to allow flexibility of working hours – often covering his colleague’s responsibilities himself. Huge congratulations to Mark for being our first Shining Stars winner and helping to make Novus a great place to work! |
February Shining Stars – Sean Twigg and Paul FoxBoth Assistant Contracts Manager Sean Twigg and Senior Contracts Manager Paul Fox has continued to support a member of their team whilst they were going through a particularly difficult period of poor mental health. Sean has stepped up in his capacity as a Line Manager to cover workload where needed, while also being available 24/7 for help. Providing support in two ways, Senior Contracts Manager Paul Fox has not only been on hand to help the individual struggling with their mental health, but also, in his capacity as Line Manager to Sean, has provided unwavering assistance to Sean as he guided the individual through the situation. Paul’s nominator commented how he ‘always listens, and gives great support and feedback’. |
 |
 |
March Shining Star – Kira ReederKira, a Customer Liaison Officer working from our Burton office, has been chosen by our panel for displaying a number of our values in supporting our operations teams and customers, particularly when dealing with vulnerable residents. Kira has been praised for working cooperatively and enthusiastically within the team, and encouraging others by making a full personal contribution. Huge congratulations to Kira, who is a very deserving March winner and a true Shining Star! |
April Shining Star – Brian TongeBrian, a Site Manager in our Preston office, has been chosen by our panel for displaying a number of our values in supporting a resident on a social housing project in Carlisle. While relaxing at home on a Friday night, Brian received a call from a colleague about a tenant who was unable to lock their front door. Knowing the resident was anxious, and not wanting to risk them having an unlocked front door all evening, Brian made the journey to site to successfully resolve the issue. The resident was over the moon with the service, and extremely grateful for Brian’s actions. Huge congratulations to Brian, who is a very deserving April winner and a true Shining Star! |
 |
‘In It to Win It’ raffle
Rewarding our fantastic teams
Our ‘In It to Win It’ raffle rewards our fantastic team, by allowing all Novus colleagues a chance of winning a selection of top prizes including TV’s and iPads, Red Letter Days and meals out each month from January 2023 to December 2023. Those employees who take part, donate £1 of their wages for each month’s draw, with all proceeds going to our anniversary charities, Shelter and the Lighthouse Club.
Here are our winners so far…
January Winners
 |
 |
 |
February Winners
 |
 |
 |
March Winners
 |
 |
 |
April Winners
 |
 |
 |
Growing our Talent
Since Novus was founded in 2013, we have grown by nearly £100m and are delighted that a number of our colleagues have had the opportunity to grow their careers too. We’re proud to have retained 21% of the workforce that joined in 2013 (or before in some cases).
We have dedicated 2023 as the year of stability with a focus on personal development for every colleague, and to celebrate this we are reflecting on the successful careers of a few of the many fantastic colleagues who have been with us throughout the Novus Journey. Take a look below…
A special thank you to our additional 145 colleagues who have been part of our entire ten-year journey! |
Check in regularly to stay updated as our celebrations unfold!
