Hopkins proudly sponsored 2 of our staff, Nick Jones and Mick Quinlan, in their quest to conquer the 2016 La Marmotte cycling race in the French Alps which took place the last weekend of June.
With the help of our supply chain and subcontractors, money was raised in support of treatment for a local little girl, Gracie. For further details and support please visit Groovy Gracie.
La Marmotte features three HC climbs over its 174km route and has a total of 5,180 metres of climbing, making it one of the toughest courses of any sportive in the world.
La Marmotte starts with a climbs of the Col du Glandon, which weighs in at 27.5km with an average gradient of 4.5% to a height of 1924 metres. From there you drop down (on a route so steep that it is not included in your overall time to try and stop riders from dangerously speeding) to the start of the Col du Telegraph.
That leads to the Col du Galibier, one of the most famous climbs in worldwide cycling. The Telegraph/Galibier combination is 35km of almost continuous climbing at an average gradient of 5.48% to a height of 2642 metres. Towards the top of the Galibier the gradient gets up to 15% and on a windy or cold day it is brutal.
There then follows a rapid 47km descent to Bourg d’Oisans and the start of a final ascent of the 21 hairpin bends of Alpe d’Huez. For all but the elite riders this is usually a major struggle as the sun is usually baking in the early afternoon.
The guys did amazing to complete the race, with Nick finishing in 8hrs 27mins (Gold Time 8hrs 24mins….!) and Mick for completing the race for the 6th year in a row, in 10hrs 04mins. They would like to thank everyone that helped encourage and support them through their journey.
Following an especially busy spring and summer period spent completing student accommodation projects in and around central Southampton, students from all corners of the world are now settling into their new student homes in readiness for the new academic year.
Hopkins played a significant role in the smooth transition from building site to prestigious new accommodation on three separate projects. Each design & build project was built by different developers, all of which had their own bespoke requirements which had to be factored in to the completion programme’s. The projects, Chamberlain Halls, Crescent Place and Bernard Street had a total of 930 rooms.
We are pleased to announce that all three projects handed over on time and within budget, having our own directly employed design, site management and installation teams was a significant factor in this achievement.
We hope to be involved in the next batch of projects for the next two years intake of students.
We at Hopkins are proud of our design department and its ever growing high reputation within the Construction Industry. We always strive to offer practical cost effective design solutions and our day to day experiences gained as a leading M&E contractor ensures continuous feedback from the construction side of the business. Our aim is to be at the ‘cutting edge’ of the services sector with a knowledgeable and innovative design team.
With this in mind our design manager’s roll out a programme of CPD seminars throughout the year, inviting all interested personnel within the company together with any clients who find the subjects relevant to their areas of operation.
October saw the recommencement of the CPD programme following the summer recess. Mitsubishi Electric were the ‘guest’ presenters carrying out two sessions. The first being a general introduction and overview of equipment and applications for all our new trainees and graduates. The final session was aimed at our more senior staff including designers, estimators and project staff and included industry and product updates with an emphasis on energy conservation.
We look forward to many more CPD presentations over the coming months involving many areas of Technical Product Manufacturers and Supply Chain.
As part of our Company commitment to training we have announced a major investment in our management team by enrolling on an Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) approved training programme to support many of our Managers to be fully accredited.
We have a growth strategy that has realised a healthy improvement in business performance as well as a controlled and structured increase in staff numbers over the last few years. We understand that empowering Managers – particularly those who drive quality and customer satisfaction – to develop their teams will help to enhance employee engagement across the whole organisation.
Our Managing Director, Phil Lambden, states “Our business ethos is based on family values and to encourage our staff to work using their natural flair, enthusiasm, initiative where new ideas can flourish. The feedback from the Managers who attended the first course is that their confidence has increased and that has contributed positively to the ongoing success of our business.”
Our HR Manager, Tim Samuel, was challenged to find the right training provider. Tim says “Selecting the right training provider is so important, after reviewing five providers, we trialled an Impellus course and were impressed with the course content and the flexibility of the model which will also allow us to offer the ILM Award to our Managers.”
Our aim is to ensure that our Managers facing the challenges of continuing growth will be equipped in the future to focus on developing their own people as well as themselves.
Tucked away in the gardens of Jacksplace sits a beautiful new wooden cabin, Jack’s Cabin, as it is called and is proving really popular with those cared for at the hospice for young adults. Featuring a television, bar and comfy seating, Jack’s Cabin is the perfect place in which they can relax with their favourite television show or catch up with friends.
Jacks cabin was built with help from B&Q and the Kier Group, and Hopkins were invited to be part of this special project by providing Mechanical and Electrical services comprising of small power, heating, decorative & emergency lighting and external taps.
In true Jacksplace fashion, the young people officially opened their new space with a lavish Hawaiian themed mocktail party.
Naomi House & Jacksplace hospices provide expert hospice care to more than 340 life-limited and life-threated children, young people and their extended families from Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Berkshire, West Sussex, Surrey and the Isle of Wight.
Main photo – Kier, Hopkins and staff from Naomi House at the official opening of Jack’s Cabin.
Hopkins proudly sponsored 4 of our staff, Adam Hill, Nick Jones, Mick Quinlan and Nick Westmore, for the International Cycletourist Tour of Mallorca, better known as Mallorca 312, which took place on April 29th, 2017. It is the longest amateur cycling event in Europe and is considered by many the toughest one too.
Nick Jones quotes his experience of the tour –
“The first 20km, until you reach the town of Pollensa, are relatively flat and gave us a chance to warm up. Then, before we knew it, we found ourselves in Serra de Tramuntana and climbing the first ascent of the day, the category 2 Coll de Femenia.
For the next 120km it is pretty much a roller coaster ride going up and down some of Mallorca’s best climbs. Puig Major is the highest point of the route. The penultimate climb, Coll Des Pi, is the shortest and also the steepest one of them all with an average of 7%.
We undertook the full course and thought that the hardest part of Mallorca 312 was over once we left leave Serra de Tramuntana and its climbs behind, but that was not really the case. There was another 150km to go!
Apart from a couple of long drags there weren’t any major climbs to come, but the inevitable wind and the thousands of meters of climbing already in our legs will definitely made the rest of the route a huge challenge.
Our physical and mental strength was put to the test and we had to dig deeper than we had ever thought possible. At the end of the day, pushing ourselves to new heights and discovering new limits is what makes Mallorca 312 such a wonderful cycling experience.”
The guys did amazing to complete the race and they would like to thank everyone that helped encourage and support them through their journey.
At the glittering, Oscars – style Southampton City College awards ceremony in November, J&B Hopkins was selected to receive 1 of just 2 Employer Recognition Awards.
These awards recognise businesses, from across the region, that have consistently shown a commitment towards the training and personal development of their own workforce as well as supporting college student’s development through providing support such as work experience and careers advice.
Phil Lambden, Managing Director of J&B Hopkins said;
This is terrific recognition of the Company’s desire to invest in our staff and the community. ‘Well done’ to all staff, trainees and apprentices for representing the Company in a way that has been recognised externally and for the positive energy given which has been clearly identified by the panel of award judges at the College.
The Company is very much geared to continue to provide opportunities to young people starting off in their careers as well as to delivering progressive training through all means possible to all staff and at all levels.
On the 14th February 1978 John and Barbara Hopkins established their mechanical and electrical services company using their own garage as a business premises. Forty years later in 2018, from this modest beginning, the company has grown to be an employer of over 170 employees operating from its purpose-built headquarters located at Segensworth, North, Fareham, PO15 5RL.
The Hopkins family is actively involved across three generations striving to build upon the enviable reputation the company has gained within the sectors it operates.
Hopkins clients recognise its great strengths, especially in design and build projects, and drive for engineering excellence every time.
As a responsible employer Hopkins have always had a strong commitment to develop and train its staff, indeed their first apprentice still works for the company.
To learn more about or participate in our next forty years then contact us on 01489584706.
At J&B Hopkins we have recently decided to refurbish our head office based in Fareham, Hants. We have introduced larger working spaces, new equipment such high tech printers, more meeting rooms for our staff and visitors and luxury water dispensers that at a push of a button produce hot water, ice cold water and sparkling water. We also have plans to build a gym and showers for all employees to enjoy before and after work.
Congratulations to Ian Brunsdon who has been awarded ‘Operative of the Month’ in the Farrans ‘Safety First’ campaign at Chichester Free School.
Ian is our senior site supervisor who is responsible for the overall health and safety on site including direct labour and supply chain partners. He has worked alongside Farrans to eliminate any health and safety issues.
Ian was presented with his framed certificate and engraved glass bowl by Jenny Clough, head teacher at Chichester Free School and Dave Inglis, construction manager for Farrans.
