Hello and welcome to our newsletter. I hope that you all have had a good break over the summer and are now refreshed and ready for the months ahead.

For many of you that are in regular communication with us and/or are avid readers of our blogs you will know that we have continued to maintain our excellent property service delivery function whilst keeping pace with modern technologies and engaging with customers and clients. 

The numbers of schools, including academies and external clients that continue to buy back into our service is extremely positive.

The service provision for repairs and planned maintenance, continues to thrive whilst project related commissions for refurbishment, extensions and new build, to meet the demand of pupil places, continues to keep the team very busy. 

In respect of technologies we are investing and expanding our full-scale 3D photography and laser scanning and also a new drone service. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

With new technologies brings demand for training and I am pleased to say that many of the team have benefitted from the investment in training as you will see below.

As money always remains a significant issue when considering projects, I do encourage you to invite us to support and guide you at an early stage when contemplating any building related projects.  We have a breadth of knowledge, expertise and experience across the team and we are always available to provide advice.

We are always very grateful for your feedback. Without this we would be unaware of any issues and improve services, which is of paramount importance to us.  Therefore I encourage you all to make comments with regards to PSG either directly to me or one of the team.  We promise to continue to not only work hard but work better!

Best wishes, Steve Carpenter

The 2020-21 submission deadline is December.   

ESFA feedback from last year's submissions was that bids were marked down due to a lack of contribution from the academy/ college.  The academy/college should also keep track of any evidence of impact on teaching (photographic evidence) associated with the required work and keep a record of repair work invoices.  This will assist in providing evidence to support the bid.

Our consultancy service will support the application process on a ‘no-win-no-fee’ basis if you agree to award the professional services contracts to PSG once funding has been awarded. 

Now is the time to think about your condition requirements so contact us on 01743 281079. 

http://psg.shropshire.gov.uk/what-we-do/#cif-bids

It has been brought to our attention that a number of energy saving adaptors (example opposite) have been failing. In addition to the general life expectancy/ misuse failure of the adapters, there have been isolated incidents where the units have shown signs of thermal degradation. The thermal degradation has been primarily identified from building occupants noticing a smell of burning or through activation of the buildings fire alarm system.

It would be advisable for you to review your premises lighting installation to identify any energy adapters. If identified as being installed, as a precaution, it is suggested to remove the adapter and for the light fitting to be restored back to the original design. Alternatively, the fitting could be upgraded to a modern LED design, where further energy saving benefits can be achieved. This should be carried out by a qualified and competent person.

Contact us for advice on 01743 281079.

Meole Brace Primary School - 2 classroom extension

Construction of the 2-class extension at Meole Brace Primary School was completed in August ready for the start of the new school term in September.  The classrooms are already popular with both the children and the teachers who are enjoying working in a brand new building with excellent acoustics and modern services.

Thomas Adams School - art block

Shropshire Council provided funding to carry out an extensive refurbishment of the Art building located on the Sixth Form site of Thomas Adams School.  For the last twelve months, the Art building has been out of use due to subsidence problems.  Work included underpinning the building, constructing a new roof and installing windows.  New toilets have been installed as well as flooring, lighting and decoration throughout. 

Photo L-R – Gareth Jenkins, Mark Cooper – Headteacher, Claire Harrison, Pete Brown and Terry Kerr  

Greeanacres Rural Unit - solar PV

Work has been completed on a ground mounted Solar PV installation at Greenacres Rural Unit, Walford Heath.  The installation provides an estimated 46,660Kilowatt hours energy per year with an associated reduction in Carbon Dioxide emissions of 28,000 kg per year.  The energy created powers the buildings and machinery on site with the excess exported back into the electricity grid.  Grant funding for the project was secured through the ‘Sustainable Energy in Public Buildings’ stream. 

Whitchurch Junior School - Salix funded lighting, windows, redecoration

The Salix Bid to replace LED lighting was carried out by PP Electrical over 3 phases with the final phase being carried out in the first week of the summer holidays.  The estimated annual kWh savings are 30,710kWh which is a 63% saving on the existing with a predicted annual financial saving of £4075 that will pay back the Salix Fund of £28K in 6.87 years.

New suspended ceilings, steel cross strengthening supports and redecoration was also carried out as part of the window replacement.

Oakmeadow Primary School - entrance lobby

A new entrance lobby has been constructed for the school. The lobby provides a welcoming reception and visitor waiting area for the school while also enhancing school security. The school are delighted with this addition to the building.

The entrance lobby was designed by our building surveyor Andy Clough and the project was managed by Daniel Davies. The main contractor was Keith Phillips & Sons, with the glazing and cladding by HTL Windows & Doors.

Mary Webb School - toilet refurbishment

A refurbishment of the dilapidated 30+ year old toilets at Mary Webb School and Science College was undertaken last summer. PSG were commissioned to design and manage the project with the aim of creating a vibrant, user friendly space that also increased the amount of available toilet facilities. The layout was designed to reduce the amount of space available for pupils to congregate, prevent items from being hidden and provide floor to ceiling cubicles for privacy.

Severn Hospice Dragon Boat Race

For the fourth time running we took part in the annual Severn Hospice Dragon Boat Race on Sunday 7th July 2019.   After reaching the final in 2018, expectations were running high and mood in the gazebo was tense. The weather didn't disappoint yet again but we managed to keep our cool.

We managed to win all our races but unfortunately we were beaten to the final four by less than a second!

However, we are so pleased with our 5th place and our aim is to improve and reach the final next time.

A big thank you must go to all who sponsored us to allow us to take part in the event. To date we have raised £1,095 for the Hospice which will go directly to help them caring for terminally ill patients and their families across Shropshire and Mid Wales. 

Our online donation portal is still open should you wish to donate 

Severn Hospice charity quiz night

To raise even more money for Severn Hospice we held a charity quiz on the 20th June.  In total we raised £324 towards our boat race sponsorship. 

We will be holding a second quiz on the 24th September at the Unison Club at 7pm to help smash our target, all welcome to attend!

Pontesbury Potter

Steve Carpenter and Helen Hale raised over £1,600 for Severn Hospice, completing the 13 miles Potter trek knee deep in mud.  Helen has witnessed first hand how important this charity is in not only caring for patients but for the whole family, after she sadly lost her father in December.

Sense Ridge Walk

Steve Carpenter completed the gruelling 52 mile Ridge Walk on 22/23 June 2019 for the charity Sense. Sense is a national charity in the United Kingdom that supports and campaigns for children and adults who are deaf blind. Sense connects sight, sound and life.

The walk started and finished in the village of Marlborough, Wiltshire and began at 10am on Saturday 22 June and Steve was one of the first over the finishing line at 6.45am on Sunday 23 June. A trek of rough terrain over a distance of 52 miles, to date he has raised just over £1500!