friday update

I do hope tonight’s update, as another month passes and the current financial year is almost concluded, finds you all keeping safe and feeling well and looking forward to the weekend and the shorter working week ahead as the Easter break approaches. Let us hope the glorious springtime sunshine that we have been blessed with recently continues, as it certainly plays a pivotal role in keeping us all a little more upbeat and positively focused.

As Monday 29th signals the next stage in the relaxation of lockdown rules with elements such as the ‘Rule of Six’ returning as well as many outdoor recreational activities, I hope this offers greater comfort that we are well placed on the road to recovery and it is certainly reassuring to hear that any rumour of extensions to emergency COVID laws that the government may need to impose shouldn’t change the plans as they currently stand. If you need a reminder of the governments regulations and what you can do as of Monday, this BBC news weblink offers a succinct overview of the plan ahead: What's the roadmap for lifting lockdown? - BBC News

Whilst many of the current restrictions are starting to ease and we gain greater confidence from falling infection rates and the continued momentum of the vaccination process, this remains a critical time for us all to stay alert to the risks and not to let any signs of complacency slip into our daily routines. With this in mind I would like to offer a polite reminder that the wearing of face coverings remains a mandatory requirement in and around the office as well as on all sites, and this becomes even more essential as face-to-face meetings start to return and you find yourselves within the confines of smaller less ventilated spaces with colleagues. This ruling, along with all other enhanced safety measures will remain in place until advised otherwise, so please do continue to be vigilant and to play your part to aid our efforts to overcome the virus and keep everyone as safe as we can.

Without wishing to focus too much more on the pandemic as I am sure you are all keeping abreast of the news yourselves, with the milestone one year anniversary of lockdown falling this week, I felt it pertinent to reach out and enquire as to the ongoing interest amongst you all in continuing to receive this update on a weekly basis. The company-wide survey conducted last July indicated you would like to see the Friday Update continue as a way of keeping you efficiently informed of all company and project-orientated news and I know from your feedback that many of you found it reassuring during the height of the pandemic. As we start to recover and regain elements of normality I felt it an appropriate time to enquire if this remains the case and, if you would like to see the updates continue, and with what frequency. To help guide us I would simply ask if you could respond with a simple “Yes” or “No” to communications@jenner-group.co.uk so we can determine current levels of readership, and please also do offer your thoughts on the regularity of future updates by adding ‘weekly’, ‘fortnightly’ or ‘monthly’ if you feel inclined to do so.

Whilst I regularly report on progress from our live projects, the work that goes on behind the scenes within the pre-construction team which ensures continuity of future workload is quite often overlooked. This week I’m delighted to share with you that we have pre-qualified for the South East Consortium (SEC) Framework in 2 Lots for future works up to £10,000,000 and in fact, not only did we pass with flying colours we ranked in first place in both LOTS and by a substantial margin above a strong line up of competitor contractors. To put this into context, a vast array of potential clients from across the South East can utilise the framework for procurement of their works making this an important source of future opportunity. A great deal of time, effort and hard work goes into compiling these submissions so praise must be extended to Kelly for her winning efforts. As many of you who know Kelly will recognise she is first to compliment others whilst critiquing herself, so I do hope that perhaps, just perhaps, these exceptionally high scores and our pole position will silence any future doubt she has in her own abilities. Very well done Kelly!

In project focused news, the show homes at ‘The Laurels’, our Littlebourne-based development are now complete and looking really spectacular, ready for viewing by potential buyers. The Laurels is a new collection of three, four and five bedroom homes developed by our sister company Leath Park Developments in partnership with Moat Homes to bring 87 new homes to the village. The show homes have been designed and finished to the highest quality throughout and are a credit to the vision of Leath Park in developing this site to offer quality family homes with a modern contemporary style, and sales are already looking very strong which is hugely encouraging.

As the residential development of Folkestone Seafront continues at pace, much to the satisfaction of our client, I am delighted to share drone footage taken recently and which I do feel speaks for itself to showcase the enormous progress that has been made as the building continues to emerge, and truly depicts its commanding status on the beachfront. To view the footage simply click on the link:

https://player.vimeo.com/external/527888301.source.m4v?s=56dd9fa3a8cc8fd082c186c305d23780db5caa6c&download=1

Alongside this the project also features this week in the online publication ‘Folkelife’ which is produced by our client to promote Folkestone and its renaissance and regeneration as it continues to attract new people to the region. Chris Page was interviewed by the editor to discuss the project and the ongoing progress being made and the article can be viewed here: The Seafront Development - Building and Progress | Folkestone

That’s all from me for another week other than to remind you that the clocks go forward this Sunday (28th) and whilst this means we lose an hour, which seems a little unfair at the weekend, our daylight hours will extend as a result and which is certainly welcome news at this time. Perhaps I might even suggest that the extended daylight may be put to good use in allowing you to get in some training miles to join the Jenner team for the Folkestone 10k at the end of May.

Once again please do keep sending in your project and people focused news and if you can take a moment to return your feedback regarding the Friday Update it would be appreciated.

Please do stay safe and well and enjoy the weekend.