LHCRT nominated Chasetown Civil Engineering Ltd for the Business Contribution to Communities award in the Support Staffordshire Volunteer Star Awards and they won.
The Support Staffordshire Star Awards event aims to publicly recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements and commitment of volunteers and organisations who go the extra mile to support our communities.
The 2020 Awards had to be cancelled, and they decided to go virtual for this year. Sadly Noel Sweeney, Chasetown Civil Engineering's founder and Chief Exec died in May 2020. The results are published online here and were announced on a live stream which you can watch below.
LHCRT Chairperson Chris Bull said "We are delighted that Chasetown Civil Engineering received this award as it has enabled LHCRT to provide students with vital work experience. Our only sadness is that the company's founder, Noel Sweeney , is no longer with us, but his vision and legacy live on."
Due to the Covid pandemic site work has been suspended but we hope students will return in the next academic year in September. Chasetown Civil Engineering have assured us that they will continue to give support as before.
The original nomination submission from LHCRT:
Chasetown Civil Engineering has helped us provide real-life work experience for
over 70 students from South Staffs and Walsall Colleges wanting a career in
construction enabling them to achieve their NVQs and become qualified to enter
employment.
Colleges nationally have found securing placements almost impossible and
although LHCRT has the work, as a totally self-funded charity we can only work
within the limited funding we have secured.
On hearing of our “funding vs helping youngsters qualify" dilemma, the CEO Noel
Sweeney (who sadly died in 2020) asked if he could come on site and meet the
students. He was so impressed with their work and motivation that he instructed
us to call his Buyer and arrange for delivery of whatever materials the students’
work needed. In two years over 3300 hours work experience has been financed
by many thousands of pounds
As well as learning modern construction skills, these students are learning
about heritage structures including early brickwork bonding and they are hands
on the restoration of the historic canal.
The students’ own remarks are maybe the best evidence of why Chasetown Civil
Engineering should receive this award:
“I will be able to tell my grandchildren I built that”
“I really enjoy learning these old skills and techniques and would love to be
employed on heritage projects when I leave college”
Chasetown Civil Engineering not only build homes, by supporting us to provide
work experience for these students, they are building young people’s careers.
Chris Bull
