The last few weeks have seen several events, shows and meetings taking place across the region, with members taking part in many of them, and it’s been great to meet and speak with many of you during this time. This update covers a few of the things that have taken place across the South West and Southern Counties and there are plenty of other things planned over the next few months which I’ll share updates on so keep an eye out for these.
First area board meetings of the year
Recently, the region’s two area boards (South West and Southern Counties) held their first meetings of the year. Both boards heard about the upcoming changes linked to the Building Safety Act as well as updates on key FMB activity linked to the developing new strategic plan which will set out the focus for the organisation for 2025 onwards. The Southern Counties Board held their meeting at FMB partner TradePoint’s Farnborough store and also heard about the offer from TradePoint for FMB members. The South West Area Board held their meeting in Bridgwater in part of the facilities which have been built for those involved with the construction of Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
These boards are made up of Master Builders who’ve been elected to the board to represent their fellow members from the region and are a great example of the FMB being run for members by its members. Keep an eye out for updates on the upcoming opportunities to get involved with your local board.
Meeting members
I’ve recently been invited by several members to visit them and also see some of the projects they’ve been working on. These include Lewis Aitken from LA Carpentry and Construction Ltd who’s working on a large renovation and extension of a family home for a client in Hampshire.
I also met with Joe Cole from All Build Developments Ltd who are working on a refurbishment project on a former Methodist chapel which will see nine new homes built.
Richard Green from Forest Edge Building Services Ltd showed me round a refurbishment and extension of bungalow for a client in Romsey.
I also had the opportunity to meet up with Darren from Chewton Bespoke Homes Ltd and Simon Banham from Aztech and hear more about how they got in to the industry, their thoughts on the key issues affecting FMB members and some of the projects they’re working on. If you’ve a project across the south region you’d like to showcase, then I’d love to hear about it.
FMB members help homeowners with advice on their projects
In January, as part of the FMB’s consumer-facing work, Master Builders Joe Cole (All Build Developments Ltd) and Mark Peggram (MRP Construction Ltd) attended the National Self Build and Renovation Show in Swindon while Robert Lea (Berrywood Contractors Ltd) and Chris Collyer (Collyer Construction Ltd) were at the Homebuilding and Renovation Show in Farnborough.
Both shows saw the members speak with hundreds of homeowners as part of the FMB presence in the Ask an Expert area to offer advice, answer questions, and provide guidance on a range of topics. Joe also gave a presentation to a packed audience on choosing a building contractor and there were plenty of questions for him afterwards as well.
With so many homeowners attending, they all received plenty of enquiries and I look forward to hearing more about these projects in the coming months. My thanks to Joe, Mark, Robert and Chris for their time in representing the FMB at the show.
Events like this are a great way to spread the word about the quality and standards of FMB Master Builders and there are plenty of opportunities throughout the year, including the Homebuilding and Renovation Show at Sandown racecourse, Surrey on 29 & 30 June. If you’d like to support this one or future events across the south, please do get in touch.
Sharing opportunities
I’ve been speaking with a number of local authorities and other industry stakeholders to learn more about their work and the opportunities they may have for FMB members as well as promoting the FMB and the standards and quality of our members. From this I’ve also been sharing updates and information with members where appropriate. This has included tender opportunities, training & development support and networking events. I’ll continue to share these with members across the region so look out for updates.
Authors
Iain Kirtley
With over 20 years’ experience of membership bodies, not for profit organisations and the private sector, Iain joined the FMB in August 2023 from the Chartered Institute of Building where he worked with construction companies of all sizes to support them with training, development and accreditation.
