Member Article

Smith Brothers powers to the rescue of new community hub

Yorkshire power contractor Smith Brothers has salvaged a local not-for-profit project, after providing charitable domestic supply work for the new Bradley Park community centre.

The Elland-based contractor was approached by Friends of Bradley Park to help with the activation of a brand-new community hub, after the relationship with the incumbent provider failed. Smith Brothers provided all labour, cable and equipment free of charge, whilst NPS Group also donated a meter housing.

The new community centre will provide a much-needed home for local charities, sports teams and groups, including the Bradley Brownies and Guides. The building will also be used by various youth and after-school clubs and can be hired for events, meetings and private parties, as well as for use by local sports teams.

Smith Brothers delivered technical assistance through cable calculations and cable route design as well as resources and expertise to assemble the power supply. This involved the building of a new plinth to site the metering kiosk, as well as excavation and preparation works to lay 100 metres of 3c95 copper cable.

Other electrical works included jointing, installing a single-phase connection, removing the condemned supply and reconnecting a temporary supply to provide power and lighting whilst snagging works were being carried out.

Emma Charlesworth, project manager at Smith Brothers explained; “It was a pleasure to be able to help Friends of Bradley Park with the new community centre. Smith Brothers is committed to supporting our local area, and when two of our employees mentioned the struggles Bradley Park had encountered, we were keen to offer our expertise.

“The team did a fantastic job to turn the project around in two days – we even built a rockery out of the surplus spoil and landscaped the site prior to leaving, which is testament to the hard work of our dedicated colleagues. We also have to thank residents Betty and Dave for providing plenty of tea and biscuits along the way!”

The four-strong team, led by senior design engineer Richard Furniss, completed the project in early September, with Northern Powergrid making the final connection live on October 3.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Katie Mallinson .