SEH French’s 2024 round-up

2024 has been a busy year for SEH French with lots of exciting news and projects.

We’ve had some big project launches, a host of completions and handovers and some amazing new contract wins – along with lots of community work throughout the year.

As we approach Christmas and the New Year, we thought we’d look back at some of the highlights of a very successful 2024.

Contract wins

It has been a great year for contract wins at SEH French – all of which are now well underway.

In early 2024, we were delighted to be awarded a contract to remodel and refurbish part of Castle East School in Bungay as part of the Suffolk Construction Framework.

During the refurbishment we were asked to dispose of several unwanted smart screens. Instead of throwing these away, we donated some to another local school and another to the Lighthouse Women’s Aid Charity, which we later installed free of charge.

We also won a contract at Murrayside Community centre to construct a two-storey extension to the building and were delighted to be awarded a place on the Norfolk County Council Framework, which officially commenced on April 1.

We were also thrilled to secure a roof replacement and upgrade project at Northside Hospital in Norwich for the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, through our NHS-SBS framework – with work beginning on September 9.

Finally, we secured a project at Ashby House which will see us complete home refurbishments at two locations in Lowestoft and Beccles for Suffolk County Council, and started work on the construction of five homes at The Drift in Ipswich in a joint venture with our sister company SEH Developments – a project worth £1million.

Project launches and handovers

It was another great year for project launches and completions too.

In February, we held a groundbreaking ceremony for The Nexus project, regenerating a vacant industrial zone in Lowestoft for East Suffolk Council.

We had another groundbreaking ceremony soon after in March for 30 new affordable flats on Fore Hamlet in Ipswich on behalf of Ipswich Borough Council’s housing development company, Handford Homes. The project is set for delivery in October next year.

Handing over the keys to a new project is one of the most exciting times for anyone in construction.

In January we were thrilled to attend the grand opening of Genesis Orwell Mencap’s new workshop for its Green Bike Project. As a thank you for our work, we even received a bespoke tricycle from the charity – what a lovely gift!

We were also delighted to handover the keys to a mix of 15 houses and flats, four of which designated for shared ownership, on the former Co-op site in Prince of Wales Drive to Orwell Housing Association in May.

Pupils from the nearby Halifax Primary School planted a tree to mark the handover. To thank them for their support, we presented the school with a £500 cheque as a contribution to fund Lego kits and staff training for its hands-on STEM learning.

Welcoming new members to the team

In 2024 the SEH French team grew even further with a number of new appointments.

These included Senior Project Manager Stuart Summerhill, Design Coordinator Jon Powley, Site Managers Steve Wilson and Trevor Harrington, Contracts Manager Bob Page and Site Agents Kirk Brown and Mark Robinson.

We also welcomed Site Operative Mark Neeson, General Operatives Mark Sayer, Niall Houghton, Stuart Beardsall and Julian Beaumont, Groundworker Chris Daniel, Trainee Quantity Surveyor Toby Barnard and Apprentice Carpenter Jude Hollobone.

Welcome to the team!

We also said a sad farewell to Andy Whitmore, who is now enjoying his well-earned retirement after 24 years at the company. Happy retirement Andy – we wish you all the best!

In the community

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting our local community, it was another big year for community projects and charity work.

In January, our Supply Chain Manager, Liam Bosworth, and BID Writer, Heather Bryan, supported East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices by collecting real Christmas trees for recycling.

In total, they collected 43 trees, raising vital funds for the charity.

We also continued our support of St Elizabeth Hospice, sponsoring the charity’s Garden Trail, which took place in the spring and summer.

In 2024, we were excited to discover we had been awarded ‘We invest in people, Silver accreditation’. Only 22% of organisations achieve silver, recognising the active efforts our team makes to ensure all staff feel valued and supported – so were extremely proud to receive this accreditation.

Later in the year, we were proud to visit Lofty Heights, an organisation for young adults who have come from the justice and care system.

We conducted interviews with seven students to help them gain valuable experience and answer questions to prepare them for their future careers. The following week, we offered a tour of our site and an inside look at industry operations. This led to one student joining us for work experience!

Finally, for the third year running, we supported local mum Danielle Tucker in collecting toys for children at Great Ormond Street Hospital over Christmas.

After her daughter Eva was treated at the hospital, Danielle saw the joy big toy deliveries brought to the children. When a national supermarket stepped back from the initiative, she took it upon herself to collect donations and ensure the kids still had a magical Christmas.

SEH French and our sister companies supported Dani again this year – collecting a mountain of toys and games for the children to play with.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year

Finally, the whole SEH French team would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

2024 has been a great year – here’s to 2025 being even better!