John chats about the Demolition Degree

Recently, our very own John Woodward was asked a few questions about the Demolition Degree at the University of Wolverhampton. The university was kind enough to share the footage with us, which you can watch above.

Inspiring the Future shares its results

The Inspiring the Future scheme, launched by the government to get industry leaders to visit schools on a volunteer basis to talk to pupils about their career and future employment opportunities, has long been supported by C&D Consultancy and John Woodward. John actively visits schools to talk about the demolition industry and hopefully inspire a few kids to set their sights on entering it.

With the scheme having run for quite some time now, the organisers have shared some fascinating insights into the results of the initiative. You can read all about them in the latest Inspiring the Future mail out.

Some highlights include the compilation of some of the key findings from various research reports explaining how the impact of interactions with young people is positively affecting them. Recently, 150 volunteers from all over the country took part in Blackpool Aspirations Week, the Chartered Institute of Building have developed a handy resource to help students know more about the range of careers in the construction industry, and the scheme got a new high-profile volunteer in the form of Andrew Price, EMEA Finance Director at BSI.

Keep up-to-date with all Inspiring the Future news on their website, and please consider becoming a volunteer.

C&D featured in the latest edition of DRI magazine

We were very happy to be featured in the May-June edition of D&Ri magazine. Both John Woodward and Mike Kehoe get a mention when talking about the World Demolition Awards.

John Woodward talks career choices in latest issue of Demolition

The latest edition of the world's biggest and most widely-read publication for the global demolition industry, Demolition, includes an article entitled "Save Lives Through Engineering" featuring our very own John Woodward.

The article discusses John's efforts to back an initiative and encourage children to consider a career in engineering, which of course includes the demolition sector.

Issue 18 of Demolition is free to read online. John's two-page article can be found on page 10.

John Woodward to be WDS 2017 Session Chair

We are very pleased to announce that our own John Woodward, along with Howard Button, CEO of the NFDC, will be session chairs at this year's World Demolition Summit.

The Summit is being held at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel London Kensington this year on November 2nd. Howard Button will chair the morning session before John takes over for the afternoon.

If you haven't booked your places yet, then head over to the official website for full details

John Woodward to be session chair at World Demolition Summit

We are very pleased to announce that our very own John Woodward has been confirmed as chairing the afternoon session of the World Demolition Awards this year. He will follow on after lunch from Howard Button, CEO of the NFDC who is handling the morning.

This year, the World Demolition Summit will be held on November 2nd at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London. It's the 9th year of the summit, which celebrates excellence and innovation in the demolition industry. As well as the awards, there's a high level technical conference which is currently calling for papers to be submitted.

As the conference organiser, Demolition & Recycling International (D&Ri) magazine is looking for presentations in the following areas:

• Challenging and innovative project reports
• Examples of best practice in recycling, health and safety and demolition
• New technology or techniques to solve problems
• Research with direct relevance to demolition and recycling contractors

If you'd like to submit a paper or simply to learn more about the conference, please email Steve Ducker at steve.ducker@khl.com.

Source: KHL

A trip down memory lane… Thursday, 16th January 2014

Three years ago today, C&D’s founder John Woodward visited Smestow School to speak at their school assembly as part of a government initiative called ‘Inspiring The Future’, which encouraged UK engineers to devote some of their time to promoting engineering as a future career choice.

The talk was designed to encourage school leavers to consider a career in demolition in which John showed the audience examples of both high reach and explosive demolitions and how ground-breaking technology is taking the industry to new heights.

He spoke passionately about the myths and stereotypes surrounding the industry, comparing the media’s view of demolition to that of teenagers – outdated and, ultimately, completely wrong.

John also used examples of where demolition has cleared the past to make way for the future, citing London 2012 as a case in point where the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) demolished a former industrial site in Stratford, East London to clear the ground ready for the construction of Olympic Park, which included a main stadium, aquatics centre, velodrome, three sports arenas, a hockey centre and accommodation for competitors.

John’s talk had an immediate impact on one particular student who contacted C&D a few days later to enquire about the possibility of work experience.

That young man was Matt Birch, who now works full-time with C&D as a trainee demolition engineer.

It’s amazing what a little bit of inspiration can do.

John Woodward appears on Made in Birmingham TV show

A few weeks ago our very own John Woodward appeared on the Made in Birmingham TV Business Show, presented by Carl Jones, with Stourbridge media wizard Nick J Townsend. You can watch the full show above.

We'd like to thank the production team at Made in Birmingham for allowing us to share this episode with you.

A chat with Matt Birch about the Demolition Degree

Last week we brought you the news that the UK’s first ever demolition degree had been announced.

C&D’s very own Matt Birch, trainee demolition engineer, was one of the first people to sign up for the course, which will be officially launched at the University of Wolverhampton in September 2017.

Here we speak to Matt about his journey with C&D so far and to find out what he hopes to achieve from the course.

What made you want to pursue demolition as a career?

It all happened when John Woodward (C&D founder) came to Smestow School in 2014 to do a talk as part of an initiative called ‘Inspiring the Future’. He spoke really passionately about the demolition industry and its use of ground-breaking technology, which I found very interesting.

Feeling inspired, I contacted John a couple of days later to ask if I could do a week’s work experience with C&D. He agreed and following that I returned for a further four week placement in 2015. Then earlier this year, I joined C&D full-time as a trainee demolition engineer.

Why did you want to sign up for the degree?

When I first heard about the degree, it was a very easy decision to put my name forward.

I enjoy learning and I have developed a real thirst for knowledge during my brief time working in the demolition sector and this gives me the ideal opportunity to develop my skills and knowledge even further, not to mention the chance to secure a national qualification in the process.

What impact do you think these developments will have on the sector as a whole?

There is a lack of understanding about the complexity of the industry as a whole, there is a lot more to it than just knocking down buildings and clearing the rubble. No two projects are the same.

Now is an incredibly exciting time to break into the demolition industry. Hopefully the course will go some way towards eliminating the common misconceptions surrounding the sector as well as presenting demolition as a viable alternative to other engineering career choices such as mechanics or architecture.

Will you continue to work at C&D during your studies?

Yes. The degree is going to have a big emphasis on working in industry, so the hands-on experience will only benefit my studies.

"It's goodbye from me and it's goodbye from him"

Next Friday sees the 2016 IDE AGM when Dave Darsey succeeds Duncan Rudall as President and either Gary Bishop or Richard Dolman becomes Vice President, but it's also the day when Steve Jack steps down from the CoM after over 20 years round the table and I also step down after 10 years round the table!

Will we be glad to step to down? I am sure that Steve will agree when I say that it will be strange not attending CoM meetings, but we both believe that now is the right time to go to make way for a younger element on CoM who can continue our work and take us to chartered status.

The days saved by not attending the meetings will be used by Steve to improve his golf and by me to improve my fishing as we both move towards retirement.

When I asked Steve about his golf this week he said:-

For some time, my wife's had this ridiculous idea that I'm playing too much golf. Actually, it came to a head at about 11.30pm last night. She suddenly shouted at me: "Golf, golf, golf. All you ever think about is bloody golf!". And I'll be honest, it frightened the life out of me. I mean, you don't expect to meet somebody on the 14th green at that time of night.

And for myself:-

This week I was asked to do a very important after-dinner speech. I said: "Do you want me to be funny?" They said: "No, just be yourself."

Goodnight!

Late payments are really hurting the construction and demolition sectors

The excellent website SmallBusiness.co.uk has recently posted an article about the impact of late payments on the construction and demolition industries. In particular, referencing the Asset Based Finance Association (ABFA) regarding UK businesses facing an average wait time of 61 days for payment.

The article is well worth your time and includes a shout out to our very own John Woodward where he talks about The Construction Act and how 30 days used to be the norm, but now we see small businesses waiting as long as 120 days for their money.

Business Quarter interviews John Woodward

Our very own John Woodward has taken part in Business Quarter's Meet the MD series.

As part of the interview, John was asked to describe his role in 100 words, explain what C&D does, give a full account of his career, and discuss his challenges among other things. It's well worth your time to give it a read.

The interview in full is available on the Business Quarter website.

High-profile judging panel reunites for 2016 World Demolition Awards

We are very happy to announce that the World Demolition Summit and Awards is bringing back together the same elite team of judges for the Awards as convened last year, and that includes out very own John Woodward.

The panel of judges includes:

• Henrik Bonnesen, Cowi, Denmark
• Dan Costello, Costello Dismantling Company, USA
• Pilar de la Cruz, EDA past president, Spain
• Clinton Dick, Liberty Industrial, Australia
• Patrick Frye, Cardem, France
• Bill Moore, ERM, USA
• William Sinclair, Safedem, United Kingdom
• John Woodward, C&D Consultancy, United Kingdom

For more information on the judges, awards, and summit, please visit the official website.

Demolish & Dismantle continues to grow, now popular in Russia

When we launched Demolish & Dismantle back in 2008, we knew the audience would be small and niche. We were getting 50 visitors a month after a few months of hard work, and they were all coming from the UK. Then with the help of John Woodward's growing online presence, especially through his Twitter account, Europe began reading and we started getting over 100 visitors a month. Next up, the USA, and we jumped again to regularly see over 500 visitors a month with traffic growing from the UK, Europe, and the US.

We've been steadily growing ever since, and 2016 has seen a new area of the world start reading D&D: Russia. Our monthly traffic? It now averages 5,000 pageviews, which is a huge achievement. And last week we went past 300,000 total.

Here's last month's pageviews, which shows you just how wide-ranging our readership has become:


We'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who visits the sites, and hope that you will continue to spread the word.

Latest issue of Demolition and Recycling International contains a great article about C&D Consultancy

The January-February 2016 issue of Demolition and Recycling International is now available to download and read. Alongside content including the European demolition market report, demolition excavators, and mobile crushing, you'll find within its pages a great, two-page article about C&D Consultancy. As the article begins:

"C&D Consultancy celebrated 10 years in existence in 2015 with a memorable 12 months and three major company or individual awards. D&Ri talks to John Woodward, the man who started the company."

You can read the full article, completely free, by downloading it for Apple devices, Android devices, or as a PDF to read on your PC or print out.

John Woodward features on Construction Worx magazine cover

Here at C&D we are delighted that John features on the cover of the new Construction Worx magazine that was published on Friday.

You can read the latest issue in your web browser.

John Woodward named ICM’s Construction Manager of the Year

Our very own John Woodward has every right to celebrate in the run up to Christmas as he's become the first demolition expert to be named the Institute of Construction Management’s Construction Manager of the Year.

John beat more than 50 other professionals to take the title. His ongoing efforts to educate the young, promoting demolition as a great career, and his work in general spanning from London all the way up to Glasgow were reasons why he came out on top.

Speaking about the award, John said:

"This came as a bit of a shock to me if I’m being honest, but I’m delighted that my industry, which often gets overlooked, has been recognised for the work we do in clearing the way for the future. It has been a massive year for the business and one that has seen a number of the projects we’ve been consulting on hit the national headlines.

I’m keen to use this ICM Award to do even more Primary Future talks to promote and push our sector, showing the future generation of workers that demolition offers great career opportunities both at home and abroad."

Everyone at C&D is extremely proud of John!

Source: Express & Star

C&D and The Fox at Shipley join forces to sponsor Castlecroft Rangers

We are very happy to announce that in conjunction with The Fox at Shipley we have managed to secure sponsorship on the home shirts and training tops of the Castlecroft Rangers. However, this sponsorship does come with a twist: neither the C&D Consultancy name or The Fox at Shipley name will appear on the shirts. Instead, we've decided to allow the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity to benefit from the exposure.

Speaking to the Express & Star, our very own John Woodward explained:

"We are both big football fans, so wanted to get behind a local team that was going places. If we could help raise the profile of the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity in the process then all the better ... Neil Taylor, owner of The Fox at Shipley, has already helped raise £75,000 for the charity after it saved his daughter’s life. When he approached me with the idea of sponsoring the team, it was a no brainer."

The goal of Castlecroft Rangers this season is to gain promotion into Division One of the Birmingham Amateur Football Assocoation League. We wish them luck and will enjoy watching their progress.

Source: Express & Star

Construction News Specialist Awards 2016 shortlist announcement

John has been a judge of the Construction News Specialist Awards for the last three years but this year the judging panel has been changed and John is not required.

Here is the list of the shortlisted companies that will require judging by the new panel.

Access & Scaffolding Specialist of the Year

• AFI group
• Chris Sedgeman Scaffolding
• Everlast Scaffolding
• GKR Scaffolding
• SafeTime
• St Helens Plant
• TIGER Scaffolding
• UK Platforms

Apprentice of the Year

• Aaron Barrett : Breyer Group
• Conor Divilly : FK Group
• David Miles : NG Bailey
• Dean Fry : Chris Sedgeman Scaffolding
• James Symon : Jones Bros. Civil Engineering
• Tom Morris : Severfield UK

BIM Excellence

• FK Group
• Furrer+Frey GB
• Mabey Hire
• Metek UK
• Prater
• SES (Engineering Services)

Building Services Specialist of the Year

• CBES
• Dodd Group
SPIE

Business Innovation of the Year

• APEM and the AWPR Construction Joint Venture : AWPR Aerial Surveys for Earthworks Calculation
• Atlas Cloud : Atlas Cloud BIM Enablement Platform
• D-Drill : D-Drill invents new D-Kerb machine
• dorsaVi Europe : Wearing it Well - Wearable Tech Helps to Reduce Risk
• F-Board
• Garic : Garic Revolutionises the Welfare Market with Industry First
• Morrison Utility Services : Drone Technology Leads the Way for Yorkshire Water Pipeline Project
• Pinsafe

Demolition Specialist of the Year

• AR Demolition
• Cantillon
• Carey Group
• Coleman & Company
• Cuddy Group
• Erith Contractors
• PP O'Connor
• Thompsons of Prudhoe

Equipment Supplier of the Year

• Advanté
• Fast-Form Systems
• GAP Hire Solutions
• Garic
• Hilti
• Hird
• JCB
• UK Platforms
• Western Global

Ground Engineering Specialist of the Year

• Bachy Soletanche
• Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering
• Erith Contractors
• Hydrock
• Keller
• PP O'Connor
• Van Elle

Health & Safety Excellence

• Abbey Pynford Geo Structures
• AR Demolition
• Cantillon
• CEMEX
• Mabey Hire
• Morrison Utility Services
• Novus Property Solutions
• STIHL GB

Materials Supplier of the Year

• Aggregate Industries
• Elite Architectural Ironmongery
• Hanson UK
• Jewson
• MAGSCAPES
• Plumbase Industrial

Project of the Year (subcontract over £2m)

• Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering : 100 Bishopsgate, London
• Cantillon : 69-89 Oxford Street
• Coleman & Company : Birmingham Gateway Project
• Freyssinet : Hammersmith Flyover - Post Tensioning Replacement
• Keltbray : One Angel Court
• MAC Roofing & Contracting : MoD Lyneham, Wiltshire
• Severfield UK : Etihad Stadium Expansion
• Structural Systems UK : Hammersmith Flyover Bearing Replacement
• T. A. Colbourne : Land Rover BAR Team H.Q
• VolkerLaser : Woodhouse Tunnel A58(M), Leeds - Refurbishment and Strengthening

Project of the Year (subcontract up to £2m)

• AR Demolition : Centrica Storage Easington – Tier 1 facility Project
• Arkoni : Forbury Place, Reading
• Avondale Construction : Bloomberg London - South Building Welfare Facility
• Chris Sedgeman Scaffolding : Chris Sedgeman Scaffolding - Lloyds Maintenance Contract on Penzance and Bristol
• EIC : M&E installation at the University of Exeter's new Science and Engineering Research Support Facility (SERSF)
• Knights Construction : Vantage Farm
• PTSG and Cofely : Fixed Wire Testing at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
• SRW Engineering Services : Birmingham New Street Station
• T.P Aspinall & Sons : Whitworth Art Gallery
• Tudor Stonework : Burlington Arcade Walkway

Roofing Specialist of the Year

• B and C Roofing
• BriggsAmasco
• CA Roofing Services
• Claude N Smith
• David Jameson Roofing Services
• Greenough & Sons Roofing Contractors
• MAC Roofing & Contracting
• Organic Roofs

Specialist Contractor of the Year (turnover over £25m)

• EIC
• FK Group
• Keltbray Group
• Mackley
• O'Brien Contractors?
• Oktra
• Van Elle

Specialist Contractor of the Year (turnover up to £25m)

• Britplas Commercial Windows
• Cranbrook Basements
• Deconstruct
• Dragon Infrastructure Solutions
• Fire Design Solutions
• JLES Group
• Littlewood Fencing
• Premier Technical Services Group (PTSG)
• Speedclad

Structural Specialist of the Year

• Bourne Construction Engineering
• Carey Group
• Metek UK
• Precast Concrete Structures
• Taziker Industrial

Sustainable Project of the Year

• AR Demolition: Brackley Saw Mills
• Erith Contractors: Shoe Lane
• Skanska Rashleigh Weatherfoil: Bentley Works Redevelopment

Training Excellence

• Abbey Pynford Geo Structures
• AFI group
• AR Demolition
• CEMEX
• Chevron Traffic Management
• Hilti GB
• Jones Bros Civil Engineering
• Subscan Technology

Source: Construction News

John Woodward talks about the talent pipeline for demolition

Earlier this year, in April to be precise, our very own John Woodward wrote an article for Construction News entitled "Creating the talent pipeline for demolition."

The article discusses how green-lighting multi-million pound construction projects across the country is all well and good, but you first have to demolish the buildings that stand in the way of this regeneration. And what do you need for that demolition? Fresh blood in the demolition industry, especially for technical roles.

The article is well worth your time and touches on recruitment, apprenticeships, education, politics, promotion, and training support. Head on over to Construction News to give it a read.