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It's the easiest way to keep updated with what's going on in new Velindre Cancer Centre. It’s here where we will keep you updated on the construction progress and the extraordinary community work.
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We will be working extended hours on Thursday, January 16th and Friday January 17th to carry out the required finishing of the concrete to achieve the standards required. We expect to complete the concrete pour within working hours, although will require three power floaters on site working after 6pm both dates.
Please stay tuned for more information on upcoming concrete pouring. We appreciate your understanding and support during this time of critical foundations.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience as we strive to provide you with the best experience possible. We look forward to completing this project successfully and continuing to keep you informed throughout the process.
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Sacyr UK, the contractor building the new Velindre Cancer Centre (nVCC), is inviting applications for a new apprenticeship role on the project.
The community benefits and stakeholder management team is looking for a self-starter, with either a business administration or communications background to join them in spearheading local initiatives, news updates and community schemes around the project.
The successful candidate will get the chance to be part of the team working on this state-of-the-art build and will be able to make a real difference to the communities it will serve.
As part of the role, they will get the opportunity to liaise with stakeholders, partners and those working on the build. They will form part of the team that will liaise with the community and create legacy projects that will serve the local communities for generations to come.
They will also have a chance to run a brand-new community platform and forum and update the project website with news and happenings from the build.
Katie Hathaway, stakeholder and community benefits manager on the project, said of the role: “This is the first time we are creating a role like this on a Sacyr UK site and so the successful candidate will able to make this job their own. They will help with all aspects of the community benefits initiatives and will be a key part of the work we carry out here.
“I’m really excited about this role and the insight, enthusiasm and energy this new person will bring, not only to my team, but to the whole project.”
If you are interested in hearing more about the community benefits apprenticeship job, please email Katie Hathaway at khathaway@sacyr.com
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Meet Barry Fabian: 72-year-old crane lift supervisor helping to build the new Velindre Cancer Centre
One of the crane lift supervisors working on the new Velindre Cancer Centre project is 72-year-old Barry Fabian.
Barry works for sub-contractor MPS Crane Operators and reaches the ripe old age of 73 in January, but still loves coming to work each day on site and helping to build this state of the art health facility.
We caught up with Barry and asked him what keeps him working in all weathers on a building site, when most people his age are long retired.
“I just enjoy working. Of course, the money comes in handy too and one of my daughters is heading to Melbourne to live next year and so I’m saving up to give her a good start over there, but also, I enjoy it.
“I’m not much of a drinker, but I do go out for the company here and there, but not in pubs as such, so it’s great to come to work and get to spend the days with and chat with a good bunch of people.”
Barry has been working on building sites up and down the country for around 55 years and says he loves the job: “It keeps me fit and healthy, but obviously sometimes it’s not as good when you have to get up in the morning in the really cold weather or pouring rain, but all in all I enjoy it.”
Most of MPS’s team on site here at the new Velindre Cancer Centre are in their 20s to 50s, but Barry says that adds to the attraction of staying in work in his mid-seventies.
“They are a good bunch and we have a wide spectrum of experience here and so some do look up to me I suppose and ask about my experience and knowledge in the industry. “It’s nice to see them listening, learning and progressing and I enjoy helping them with that.”
Barry and MPS will be on site for the duration of the project while the crane works are finished and we at Sacyr UK wish him, and the MPS team, all the best on their next project and hope to see Barry continuing to work and sharing his expertise for many years to come.
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A key member of Sacyr UK’s social value team, Hannah Davies, attended the Welsh Labour conference in Llandudno earlier in November.
Hannah Davies, the Head of Social Value for People Plus Wales – an organisation that helps support people into employment, and employers grow through socially responsible recruitment – has been seconded to Sacyr UK two days a week as its Workforce Development Co-ordinator. She leads on socially responsible recruitment for the project.
During the conference, Hannah had the opportunity to engage with the First Minister of Wales and several key Labour party members. She discussed her work at People Plus as well as Sacyr UK and discussed the launch of People Plus’ Social Recruitment Covenant. The Covenant is a commitment from organisations and businesses to implement inclusive business practices, aimed at reducing employment barriers for people facing societal disadvantages.
The agreement called "Together We Can Make a Difference", focuses on supporting employers hiring from disadvantaged groups while leveraging social value initiatives to create a more diverse and equitable workforce.
Sacyr UK has signed the agreement, pledging to adopt inclusive business practices that support long-term unemployed people (LTU), those not in education, employment, or training (NEET), and disadvantaged workers in south east Wales as part of the new Velindre Cancer Centre (nVCC) project.
Hannah will remain working on the project until completion of the Cancer Centre and will support Sacyr UK in employing a more inclusive and diverse workforce.
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Watch last month's construction progress!
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We would like to inform you that the nVCC construction site will be having a Christmas shutdown starting on Friday, 20th December. Our senior management team will be on site on Monday, 23rd December to ensure that the site is safe and secure for the holiday period.
During the shutdown period, Boss Security will be in charge of site security from 5pm on the 23rd December until 7am on January 3rd, 2025. Should you need to contact Boss Security during this time, you can reach them at the following numbers:
- Security Guard based at TCAR2 (City Hospice Entrance): 07810315021
- Will Powell, Operations Manager: 07733283078, will@bosssitesecurity.co.uk
The surface water drainage system and monitoring protocol will remain in operation during the shutdown.
From all of us at the Acorn/Sacyr team, we wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.
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Staff from Sacyr UK, the contractor building the new Velindre Cancer Centre (nVCC), donned their Christmas hats to help play Father Christmas as part of an initiative to help The ToyBox project.
The ToyBox project is an initiative that asks supporters to donate unwanted toys at drop off points, or organise their own donation drive, and then distribute the toys to children who might be going without this Christmas. It works with the NHS, charities and community groups to donate as many toys as possible and keep them out of landfill.
The Community Benefits team at Sacyr UK held its own donation drive and asked staff and subcontractors to collect and donate any unwanted toys – which they did in their droves.
Katie Hathaway, Sacyr UK’s stakeholder engagement and community benefits manager at nVCC, said: “We were overjoyed by the outpouring of support from our wider project team at Sphere Solutions Ltd, Breedon Group plc, and colloborators at DENVALCO LIMITED.
“We have shown that by coming together and lending a helping hand, we can make a real difference to children who may have gone without this Christmas. It is through partnerships like these that we can create a brighter future for our local community”.
Special thanks also go to Aleksandrs Novozilovs of Tredomen Ltd who stepped in on Sunday afternoon to collect a vast amount of toys from various locations in his pickup.
James Morgan, Director of The ToyBox project, added: “We are deeply grateful to everyone involved, who were able to quickly gather an incredible amount of toys to gift to local children who might not have received anything this Christmas. Your swift and generous response exemplifies how companies and communities can unite efficiently to ensure that no child goes without a gift.
“Toybox Project operates year-round, providing toys to hundreds of children each week. This act of collective effort not only brings joy to many young hearts during the festive season but also sustains our mission throughout the year. We hope that this shining of example of teamwork will inspire others to join us in 2025 and beyond, helping us reach even more children in need and keeping toys out of landfill”.
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Members of Sacyr UK’s, the contractor building the new Velindre Cancer Centre, Community Benefits team visited the Pear Tree Federation at Coryton Primary School, in Cardiff, to donate 50 advent calendars.
The advent calendars were donated, in partnership with leading aluminium windows and doors fabricator Denval Ltd, to the Foundation’s pantry, which will then be donated to any families that are struggling to make ends meet this Christmas, enabling those children to still have an advent calendar to count down to Christmas day.
The Pear Tree Federation is an initiative set up to support Tongwynlais and Coryton Primary Schools.
Katie Hathaway, stakeholder engagement and social value manager at Sacyr UK, said of the initiative: “Social value is at the heart of everything we do here at Sacyr UK and so being able to donate these advent calendars to families who might not be able to afford to get one for their children this Christmas, matches our ethos perfectly.
“Making small gestures like this can make a huge difference to those who might go without and so it was a pleasure to work with the Pear Tree Foundation and Denval on this donation”.
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Due to the storm last week, we were unable to carry out planned works and will be working extended hours on Monday, December 9th to continue with work related to the concrete pouring to achieve the standards required. We expect to complete the concrete pour within working hours, although will require three power floaters on site working overnight up to 8:00am on Tuesday 10th. Depending on weather conditions we may also be working extended hours on Thursday 12th overnight until Friday 13th at 8:00am, and will update you accordingly.
Please stay tuned for more information on upcoming concrete pouring. We appreciate your understanding and support during this time of critical foundations.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience as we strive to provide you with the best experience possible. We look forward to completing this project successfully and continuing to keep you informed throughout the process.
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Dear local residents and community members,
We are aware that there have been concerns raised about the cranes as a result of the storm. Once we were aware of the weather forecast for the weekend we put a plan in place to ensure the site could cope with the expected bad weather and remain safe for all.
Our construction team has conducted a thorough check of the site today and we can assure you that everything is safe. The team will continue to monitor the site over the weekend.
We are also aware that there have been an intermittent alarm sounding on one of the cranes, which has just been turn off. This is as a direct result of the wind speed. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this time.
Timelapse Camera
Watch last month's construction progress!
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We wanted to inform you that we will be carrying out tree removal works on Saturday 30th, starting around 8am. The works are expected to take a couple of hours to complete. The tree in question is located outside the site boundary and is a risk to public safety. The tree in question has been condemned as dead, dying and dangerous and does not fall under TPO status.
We will be marshalling the pedestrian area where the works will be carried out to ensure the utmost safety for any passers-by. The area will be sectioned off and the footpath will be temporarily narrowed. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your cooperation.
If you have any queries directly relating to the above notice, please contact hlewis@sacyr.com
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Acorn, Sacyr and the Velindre NHS Trust were delighted to support Cllr Marc Palmer and Tomas Champ in ensuring the Christmas lights could shine bright in Whitchurch for another holiday season.
Tomas said 'On behalf of WCP, we would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and thank Acorn, Sacyr and Velindre for their continued support enabling our amazing community Christmas lights.'
Elena Castro, Construction Director building the new Velindre Cancer Centre said ‘We understand how important these lights are to bringing joy to the community during the dark winter months, and we are grateful to have been able to contribute to their continued presence this year. On behalf of the project team and our supply chain, we wish the local residents of Whitchurch a joyous holiday season filled with Christmas cheer!’.
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We will be working extended hours on Thursday, November 29th to continue with work related to the concrete pouring to achieve the standards required. We expect to complete the concrete pour within working hours, although will require three power floaters on site working overnight up to 8:00am on Friday.
Please stay tuned for more information on upcoming concrete pouring. We appreciate your understanding and support during this time of critical foundations.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience as we strive to provide you with the best experience possible. We look forward to completing this project successfully and continuing to keep you informed throughout the process.
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The team at Sacyr would like to express our gratitude to Breedon Group for hosting a productive morning session to discuss the HGV movements for the Concrete required to support the new Velindre Cancer Centre. The concrete will be coming from three local RMX plants based at Tongwynlais, Cardiff and Newport, with aggregate and cement supply coming from Taff's well quarry, Cardiff wharf, and Theale & Port Talbot. Special thanks to Cllr Marc Palmer for attending to learn more and support his constituents, as well as Cllr Mike Jones-Pritchard and Chair of Tongwynlais Community Council, and Nadine Dunseath as Clerk. It was an informative session and a great opportunity for community engagement.
Television Program
New Velindre Cancer Centre - Summary Monitoring Report - October 2024
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We would like to inform you that on November 22nd, there will be extended working hours from 6am to 9pm due to a large concrete pour taking place at the nVCC construction site.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. Further updates regarding the upcoming large pours in 2025 will be provided in due course, if required. If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to reach out to us.
Thank you for your cooperation.
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We will be working extended hours on Friday, November 15th to continue with work related to the concrete pouring to achieve the standards required. We expect to complete the concrete pour within working hours, although will require three power floaters on site working overnight up to 8:00 am on Saturday.
Please stay tuned for more information on upcoming concrete pouring. We appreciate your understanding and support during this time of critical foundations.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience as we strive to provide you with the best experience possible. We look forward to completing this project successfully and continuing to keep you informed throughout the process.
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Anna Davies, Sacyr UK Community Benefits Officer, and Sphere Solutions, recruitment partners on the new Velindre Cancer Centre, welcomed students from Idris Davies School in Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent, to Sphere Solutions headquarters in Morganstown, Cardiff, to deliver a GCSE construction session.
In partnership with Careers Wales, Anna and the team from Sphere Solutions delivered a unit on Planning construction, which forms part of the student’s GCSE course.
By teaching the lessons practically, they brought it to life and taught the students how the build process works, from projects briefs, tolerances, calculation, materials and the job roles involved.
The students then used their newly gained knowledge to measure an empty room at Sphere’s offices and design a construction classroom which will be called the Sacyr Solutions Hub, which will be operational next year.
The children have been tasked with preparing their designs using CAD technology over the next few weeks, and then team members from Sacyr UK and Sphere Solutions will assess the designs to decide upon a winner. The successful design will then be brought to life and used to create the Skills Hub. The Hub will support the long term unemployed, those without any training or formal education as well as those who have recently been made redundant, gain new skills and become site ready to work on the new Velindre Cancer Centre project.
Idris Davies School teacher, who is leading the construction curriculum, said: “Today was such a fantastic day because of your efforts. I am so grateful that you matched the visit to part of our curriculum, it was so worthwhile and the pupils are excited to get started on the work back at school”.
Sacyr UK would like to thank Jordan and Robyn from Sphere Solutions for their help in preparing and delivering the lesson, and we look forward to returning to Sphere Solutions to see the students’ hard work come to life.
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Acorn, the developer working on the new Velindre Cancer Centre (nVCC), and the Velindre University NHS Trust have come together to launch a community benefits scheme called Thrive Communities.
Thrive Communities will be available to all voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations operating across South East Wales and will offer either voluntary hours, grants or resources to successful applicants.
As part of its commitment to add social value to the new Velindre Cancer Centre build, the Thrive Communities initiative will be available throughout the life cycle of the project, and therefore ends in early 2027.
The Board will meet on a quarterly basis and will consider everything from small grant applications to community volunteering schemes.
One hundred hours of volunteer days will be available from Acorn staff, sub contractors and its supply chain to successful applicants, as well as small grants of up to £1000, with 20 being awarded over the next two years.
Thrive Communities Resource Bank will also be available to charitable organisations, with unused or excess materials from the construction phase of the project donated free to voluntary organisations.
Katie Hathaway, stakeholder and engagement manager at Sacyr UK, the contractor building the nVCC on behalf of Acorn, said of the scheme: “Social value and giving back to our local communities is a key target for us during the build of the new Velindre Cancer Centre, and Thrive Communities further extends the reach and positive impact we can have on local voluntary and charitable groups.
“Applications are open to all voluntary, charitable and social enterprise organisations who could do with our help. From simple manpower to make a project happen, to a small financial boost to get a scheme over the line, or simply some extra building materials to finish off a project, drop in an application form, chat to us about it and we will do our very best to help.”
To apply for the Thrive Communities initiative, please click here