October Overview – Lizzy Painter
To introduce myself, I am the new Chair for the G4C South West. We are the professional voice of young people in the UK built environment industry. Our agenda is to drive change in the industry, through the development and connection of the future leaders. Our South West contingent is particularly focused on encouraging school leavers to consider a career in the industry. On this basis, we produce a monthly podcast interviewing inspirational individuals in the industry about their passion and the vast range of opportunities available. Please have a listen (or share with someone you think would be interested) – https://audioboom.com/channels/5050671.
The G4C is something I am very proud of, and I look forward to expanding on our joint goals with Constructing Excellence South West. It is fundamentally important to share experience, knowledge and ideas across the industry, to help create a more cohesive force for change. If you would like to hear more about the G4C and what we do, please get in contact.
Moving onto my reflection of the last month. How is it October already?! The replacement of long evenings and al fresco dining with woolly jumpers and fingers twitching to turn on the heating, makes summer feel like a lifetime ago.
September brought the first major physical event in almost 2 years – the Constructing Excellence South West Awards 2021. A big congratulations to all involved. It was brilliant to celebrate the tremendous successes of our region, especially after such a long ‘face to face’ hiatus. From personal experience, I know this is the tip of the iceberg for physical events. G4C South West will also be hosting a breakfast event at the end of November. My local Constructing Excellence Club (Bath) also has a fantastic programme of site visits and social networking opportunities over the next few months. Remember to sign up to your local mailing list (and/or follow them on social media) for further information and tickets.
And finally, the petrol crisis. I’ll keep it brief, as my only comment is to note that the industry’s gradual movement from petrol/diesel business fleets and plant to more hybrid electrical models, appears to have helped it get through the initial stages of panic. That being said, such a crisis reiterates our nation’s reliance on fossil fuels. Another reminder (if we ever needed one!) to drive our climate change agenda, and achieve our Net Zero targets not only on site (for the delivery of carbon zero projects) but also within our infrastructure itself. In the words of Greta Thunberg, no more ‘blah blah blah’. Time to take action.
Lizzy Painter is a construction and engineering solicitor at Royds Withy King LLP, based in Bath (https://www.roydswithyking.com/solicitors-for-business/construction-and-engineering/).
