Following on from our Q&A with Jon Pike last week, we welcome another Jon this week! Jon Turnbull is the latest addition to the company and joins us as Contracts Manager.
Joining us with substantial experience, Jon has truly hit the ground running getting stuck in to some fantastic new projects. Read his Q&A below to learn more about his background, experience and new role!
Busy – leaving one company and heading straight into another is always a daunting task but being busy helps!
With over 15 years in the sports building industry I started as a ground worker, building facilities, then progressed to become Operations Director at another well known sports construction company. A particular highlight was working in Angola, building several natural grass pitches for the Africa cup of nations in 2009.
I am joining as one of S&C Slatter’s dedicated Contract Managers, with a team of Site Managers and Site Supervisors.
Back when I started, the sports industry was a very much a ‘summertime’ business and over the winter months you prepared for that. Now it seems there is the extremely busy period and then the very busy period instead!
In my eyes the pandemic didn’t affect us as much as other trades, luckily. We adapted well to allow works to continue onsite – we just needed to sanitise more!
Price increases would be one – particularly with all the changes going on in the world – but I find that planning is becoming more rigorous, with more conditions having to be met prior any build starts.
Organising and finding sub-contractors suitable for our standards of work to match our in-house teams during busy times. Luckily, I have some good relationships with many specialist contractors to help me overcome this. Placing orders early to avoid disappointment is also a challenge we manage, especially with shortages and delays in the current climate.
Having worked at the same company for 11 years, you only really get to see how one company operates and does things in terms of building sports facilities. For me I saw this role as an opportunity to see how another company operates in this field and as a new challenge for me personally.
Get advice from people who know sports facility construction, they can advise on many things including planning.
I’m a big DIY enthusiast and also like off road quad bike endurance racing, 2.5 hour races in some challenging terrain!
Thanks to Jon for taking the time out of his (already busy!) schedule to do this Q&A, welcome to the team!
Our contracts managers oversee our projects across the country. Working with their site managers and site supervisors, they work collaboratively with clients and on-site teams to keep programmes on track.
If you’re considering a sports construction project and want to ensure maximum quality with minimal risk, get in touch with our team on 01635 345 21 or email info@sandcslatter.com.
As the company continues to grow, we’ve been welcoming a number of new faces in recent months, with our latest addition joining our fantastic finance team.
Jon’s role forms a crucial part of our finance operations, looking after our company’s suppliers. Read on to learn more about his background, experience and new role!
Really good thanks. The accounts team have been very helpful and welcoming – treating me to a pub lunch on my first day! Everyone else at Enborne has been friendly and made me feel part of the team, so very positive all in all.
My work background is in the retail industry. I worked for a number of years as a retail manager for an independent garden centre in the Cotswolds and then decided on a career change within the business, moving into their accounts team. There I studied for my AAT qualifications and worked in the role for 7 years.
My role here is to look after the accounts payable function of the business. I am responsible for processing any invoices we have received, and ensuring we pay our suppliers in a timely fashion. My work is based in the main offices at Enborne, and the team I work with includes Suzanne, Sally, Michelle and Jacky.
There are industry-specific schemes that I have had to familiarise myself with, that I had not come across before in my previous roles. These include the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS), Domestic Reverse Charges (DRC), and Job Retentions. The team have been really patient with me and are always happy to help with any queries.
I was keen to move away from retail, and into a new industry altogether. The sports construction industry appealed to me as I enjoy sport outside of work, and I like the family-run aspect to S&C Slatter. I am very happy to try something new and develop some new skills.
I’ve yet to go on site to see how the projects are constructed, but I have seen plenty of images of completed projects on our social media. They all look really smart and professional, so of course I would recommend using Slatters!
I have 3 daughters, and a lot of my time outside of work is spent with them. I also enjoy socialising with friends and family, playing football, cooking, and listening to music.
Jon has fast become a member of the finance family and wider company team, welcome!
Our finance team are an integral part of our company, ensuring the smooth operation of the business, dealing with suppliers, clients and employees.
As with all of our team members, they work with the highest levels of integrity.
If you’re considering a sports construction project and want to ensure maximum quality with minimal risk, get in touch with our team on 01635 345 21 or email info@sandcslatter.com.
S&C Slatter had a fantastic time with our group partners White Horse Contractors at the world’s largest national school’s rugby festival last week.
Following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, we were delighted to be in attendance at the long-awaited Rosslyn Park National Schools 7s tournament 2022, which took place between 21st – 25th March.
As proud event sponsors, our marquee was situated by the try line of the iconic main RE1 pitch, where we welcomed many new and familiar faces during the 5-day tournament.
Across The Slatter Group, we build artificial, natural and hybrid turf rugby pitches for independent schools across the country – as well as for top-flight rugby teams.
With White Horse Contractors delivering the UK’s first hybrid-turf rugby pitch at an independent school, it was particularly enjoyable to catch Whitgift’s U18 team winning 33-0 when our marketing team were filming at the event!
We’re committed to helping pupils thrive through sport. With a longstanding reputation in the independent school sector, it was a joy to see so many schools we have delivered sports facilities for over the years in competition at the event.
Eton College, ACS Cobham, Dulwich College, Eltham College, Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate, City of London Freemen’s, Emanuel School, Bryanston School, Gordon’s School, St. George’s College Weybridge and Berkhamsted School and were just some of our clients we were thrilled to see in action.
Particular congratulations are in order for Wellington College, where we have delivered a number of sports facilities over the years, who were winners of the coveted Rossyln Park National Schools Sevens U18 Cup!
Give our friendly experts a call on 01635 34521 or email info@sandcslatter.com
S&C Slatter were overjoyed to be recognised at the SAPCA Awards 2022 today, where our innovative sports and wellness project at Winnersh Business Park won the SAPCA Award in the project category!
SAPCA is the trade association for sports and play construction and, with over 200 members, sets the standard for sports construction excellence.
Each year, the SAPCA Awards celebrate achievements across the sports and play facility construction industry, with SAPCA inviting members to submit entries across five categories: Product, Project, Innovation, Sustainability and Export. From these entries, 10 finalists are named, from which the five winners are chosen!
During the online ceremony that took place on Wednesday 16th March, we were delighted to be awarded the SAPCA Project Award 2022 for our work supporting the ‘Office of the Future’ at Winnersh Triangle Business Park, delivered for Frasers Property.
Matthew Thompson, Project Manager, S&C Slatter, commented:
“We are delighted to receive the SAPCA Project Award 2022. The project at Winnersh Triangle was delivered in close collaboration with our client, Frasers Property, and evolved in response to the pandemic, resulting in a truly unique, trailblazing approach to health and wellbeing in the workplace. It was a fantastic project to be a part of and we are thrilled with the result, as well as the recognition by SAPCA.”
The official announcement was made by SAPCA earlier today, you can read more about the winners in each category here.
In the announcement, Chris Trickey, Chief Executive, SAPCA, commented:
“The breadth and quality of entries we received for the SAPCA Awards 2022 demonstrates how wide the expertise within our membership truly is. It also shows that, despite the ongoing pressures caused by the pandemic, Brexit and the volatility within the wider construction industry, the sports and play sector has remained robust.
“This year’s awards also have an added significance, as 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of SAPCA – the winners and finalists exemplify how the association has grown in the past quarter of a century. It has also been particularly encouraging that the entries for the awards reflect the significant recent progress that has been made within the industry in the development of innovative new products and solutions, especially those that support the drive towards greater environmental sustainability.”
The award-winning project in question was the sustainable, multi-faceted sports and recreation project we delivered at Winnersh Triangle Business Park. The trailblazing project serves as a blueprint for the office of the future, not only promoting – but providing for – health and wellbeing in the workplace.
Find out more in our case study.
We were also thrilled to see our exclusive artificial turf partners, FieldTurf, win the SAPCA Product Award for their SuReTec artificial turf. It’s this same innovative sustainable turf system, which utilises synthetic turf fibres created from 100% recycled plastic waste, that we used in the construction of the Gen 2 pitch at Winnersh Triangle, supporting Frasers Property’s environmental initiatives.
Thank you very much to SAPCA and to everyone involved, it’s been a fantastic project to be a part of. Congratulations to all the SAPCA Award winners and finalists!
Give our friendly experts a call on 01635 34521 or email info@sandcslatter.com
Following a successful design and planning process, S&C Slatter were delighted to commence construction on a new full-sized 3G football pitch at Frickley Country Park.
With construction now well underway, we were thrilled to host local councillors on site to see how the project is making progress.
Our in-house design and planning team worked closely with the council and Tri-Sports Consultancy to produce a football pitch design specification that best suited the needs of the local area, as well as the proposed pitch location. Design visualisations and drawings were produced in support of the planning application, which was approved in July 2021.
We were delighted to then be selected by the council to see our designs through to fruition, with construction on the new pitch commencing in late January.
The new full-sized artificial turf 3G pitch will feature the high-performance XM7 artificial turf system from our exclusive partners FieldTurf – FIFA Preferred Turf Producers. The pitch will include a variety of line markings to support both match play and training, allowing for 11-a-side and small-sided play, maximising usage for the local community.
With works underway, we were delighted to welcome councillors from South Elmsall Town Council and Wakefield Council, who awarded the funding, to visit the site.
Cllr Michael Graham, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, commented:
“It’s great to see this exciting work getting underway to support community football, which is really popular with children and adults. With as many as 108 teams in the south-east area alone, once open it will be accessible to a range of community groups, schools and local football clubs. “
Working with the FA to encourage local people to participate in football, the pitch forms part of Wakefield Council’s Playing Pitch strategy. The strategy encourages investment and sports development programmes in the district as well as promoting opportunities for residents to get involved.
With more than 150 juniors footballers using grass pitches each week, the council’s aim is to more than double this number with the introduction of the new 3G pitch.
Suitable for between 60-80 hours of usage per week, compared with 6-8 hours per week for natural turf surfaces, the new 3G football pitch will support players of all ages and abilities, offering a safe, consistent, and high-performing playing service all year round.
Cllr Steve Tulley, Chair of South Elmsall Town Council, said:
“Community football is hugely popular with both adults and children, and these brilliant facilities will make a difference, as they can be used all year round for games and for training.”
We are delighted to be supporting the council and FA to promote football in the local area with the new 3G pitch, and look forward to revisiting the site to see the completed pitch this summer!
S&C Slatter are leading sports contractors delivering first-class facilities across the UK.
With in-house expertise across design, planning, construction, maintenance, surfacing & civils, S&C Slatter help councils to create safer, healthier environments through sports, roadway and car park construction.
View a selection of our local authority case studies here.
If you have any further questions on multi-use games, or would like to arrange a free site visit, please get in touch to discuss your needs. Call 01635 34521 or email info@sandcslatter.com
S&C Slatter are thrilled to be nearing completion on an innovative new business park sports hub project we’re delivering at Winnersh Triangle Business Park.
Ready to accommodate a new way of working, the comprehensive scheme includes a new club house, allotments, a living wall and a new Gen 2 sports pitch, featuring an artificial turf system produced with 100% recycled artificial turf fibres.
Work from home, if you can. It’s a phrase that dramatically changed the landscape of working life in Britain overnight in March 2020. For most of us, it meant saying goodbye to office blocks, fluorescent lights and business casual. We just didn’t know how long for.
Fast-forward a year and many businesses and staff adapted well to remote working. Major companies such as Deloitte and Mercer closed down offices as they realised the apparent benefits, where overhead costs were lower, staff were happier and productivity didn’t suffer.
But as lockdowns lengthened, eased, and returned, the novelty for some began to wear off as the pandemic entered its second year. With zoom-fatigue, lack of interaction and difficulty separating work life from home life, remote working is far from perfect for employees. While some businesses and employees adapted and enjoyed this new way of working, many others found that WFH had a negative effect on wellbeing and performance.
So, what does this mean for the ‘office job’ of the future? News outlets from the Financial Times to The New Yorker are asking the same question, with flexibility, or ‘hybrid-working’ touted as the potential key.
With long stretches of mandated home-working for many, formerly packed business parks across the country were forced to rethink. How can they find a way to appeal to those businesses trying to balance the bottom-line with employee wellbeing and performance?
Winnersh Triangle, a 1.5 million square foot mixed-use business park in Berkshire, is already well ahead of the curve. Frasers Property, who own the park, have invested over £6m into their Reworking Winnersh Project, which has already seen extensive development since 2020.
With a focus on sustainability and a ‘there’s more to life than work’ ethos, the development is set to become the blueprint for the office of the future. Winnersh Triangle will cater for employees as much as their employers, responding to the needs of agile working while promoting health and wellbeing in the workplace.
S&C Slatter are thrilled to be delivering the new business park sports hub, featuring a Gen2 multi-use sports pitch, yoga & exercise studio with living roof, urban gardens and living wall.
“As we return to the office, it’s important for us to provide a variety of facilities to enable our occupiers to truly enjoy their time here. Winnersh Triangle is a great location, and the new facilities provide further sports and wellness facilities for our occupiers and the local community.”
– Rupert Batho, Commercial Director, Frasers Property
A commitment to sustainability isn’t just a promise for Frasers Property, it’s something they already deliver on, with Winnersh Triangle powered by 100% renewable energy, procured on site.
Understanding the importance of sustainability to the park, our team designed the new Gen2 multi-sports pitch using the very latest artificial turf technology. This cutting-edge sports pitch will be constructed with 100% recycled artificial turf fibres, delivering the same exceptional performance, safety and durability – without the carbon footprint.
Part of SuReTec, the sustainable recycling technology programme from our FIFA, World Rugby and FIH Preferred Turf Producer partners, FieldTurf, the new pitch will deliver between 60-80 hours of usage per week for sports such football, netball and tennis.
Our surfacing and civils teams, in conjunction with our sister company White Horse Contractors, are delivering hard and soft landscaping on site. Footpaths, seating areas, expansive planting schemes and even a living wall will support the development’s biodiversity and efforts to provide a greener, more connected outdoor space for recreational enjoyment as well as outdoor meetings.
With new office and co-working spaces, sports facilities and outdoor spaces, Reworking Winnersh is embracing the new ‘hybrid’ or ‘agile’ style of working, designed to help manage that all important work/life balance that will attract both businesses and employees back to brick-and-mortar working.
We’re thrilled to be supporting Frasers Property in leading the way for businesses, helping to deliver a more sustainable, happier, efficient workplace, and look forward to officially handing over the site in the coming weeks.
With in-house expertise across design, planning, construction, maintenance, surfacing & civils, S&C Slatter help businesses to create safer, healthier environments through sports, roadway and car park construction.
We’re committed to providing first-class facilities for top performance, maximum use and longevity.
Get in touch now to see how we can help you maximise the potential of your workplace with a business park sports hub.
Call 01635 34521 or email info@sandcslatter.com
As the S&C Slatter team begin to wind down for our Christmas break, we’ve been looking back at another astonishing and unpredictable 12 months.
From vaccine rollouts to fuel crises, an ever-changing 2021 was undoubtedly filled with peaks and troughs, presenting unforeseen challenges across all industries.
As with 2020, we’re focusing on the positives as the year draws to a close, looking back proudly at some of the company’s best moments this year:
30 years of hard-won success
Employees and family across The Slatter Group were thrilled to take part in celebrations for S&C Slatter’s 30th Anniversary earlier this year.
Founded by Stephen and Caroline Slatter in 1991, the company has grown to become the UK’s premier sports construction specialist, enjoying tremendous success over 30 years while always maintaining the family ethos under CEO David Slatter, with a continued commitment across the business to operate with integrity.
The UK’s first hybrid pitch at an independent school
Following the announcement of their new hybrid turf partnership with GrassMaster Solutions, our sister company White Horse Contractors made history at Whitgift School, where they constructed a stunning full-sized hybrid turf pitch – the first ever to be built at a school in the UK.
Award-winning turn at SALTEX
It was exciting enough to step through the doors of one of our industry’s most beloved shows, SALTEX, following its postponement from 2020 – but stepping out of the doors with a stand award under our arms was the cherry on the cake!
Together with our group partners White Horse Contractors, our stand was awarded Best in Stand Category for excellence in exhibition practice and customer experience at SALTEX 2021.
Continually striving to grow our service offering to best support our customers and emerging needs across the industry, we announced two exciting new services:
Finance – Partnering exclusively with leading finance brokers Buckingham Leasing, we launched three finance solutions to enable customers to spread the cost of their sports facilities over time.
Padel – Responding to the growth of this innovative racket sport across the UK, we joined forces with PRO Padel Courts, the only UK manufacturer of padel courts, designed specifically to withstand the Great British weather!
With a continued commitment to developing first-class sports facilities across the UK, we announced new partnerships with two fantastic organisations:
PADSIS/ Independent Coach Education – We’ll be working with the Professional Association of Directors of Sport in Independent Schools (PADSIS) and Independent Coach Education to support the development of sport in schools.
Northern Premier League (NPL) – As the leading non-league 3G pitch contractor in the UK, we were delighted to be selected by the Northern Premier League as their Official Pitch Partner, following a lengthy selection process.
We also welcomed a number of new faces to S&C Slatter, both on-site and in our offices – across our Design & Planning, Sales & Estimation, and Health & Safety teams.
As a one-stop-shop for sports facility design, planning, finance, construction and maintenance, it has been another busy year for our dedicated team! From continued work on world-class facilities for elite performance to small refurbishments that serve local communities, we’re dedicated to delivering the best value regardless of project size or scope.
Here’s a look at some of our favourite projects from 2021:
From specialist deep cleans to routine maintenance and expert repairs, our hard-working maintenance division worked to maximise the performance, safety and lifespan of sports facilities across the UK.
Freedom Leisure maximised their ROI by partnering with our dedicated maintenance division to deliver regular maintenance
Ahead of their fantastic promotion to League Two earlier this year, our team Maintained FIFA Quality Pro Performance at Sutton United
A specialist deep clean breathed new life into a pitch we constructed 9 years ago at Hampton School
That’s nearly it for another extraordinary year!
Our hardworking team will be taking a break over Christmas and New Year, with our offices closed from Thursday 23rd December. We’ll be back on Wednesday 5th January 2022 – Merry Christmas!
With an exciting 2022 ahead we’d like to thank all of our staff, partners and clients for working with us over the last 30 years.
Here’s to another 30 and a prosperous 2022 for all!
With our extensive in-house expertise across design, planning, construction and maintenance, S&C Slatter are your one-stop-shop for first-class sporting facilities.
We’re committed to producing facilities that are designed and built for top performance, maximum use and longevity.
Get in touch now.
Call 01635 34521 or email info@sandcslatter.com
S&C Slatter are delighted to have been awarded a CHAS Elite status, the construction industry’s gold standard for accreditation.
As a committed CHAS (The Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme) Member for several years, this achievement is a testament to the continued high standards of work delivered by our teams and the fantastic efforts of our new health and safety manager.
CHAS Elite is the Common Assessment Standard, the construction industry’s leading accreditation programme. The Common Assessment Standard is recognised industry-wide and developed and backed by Build UK, Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) and other accreditation bodies.
CHAS Elite status builds on the health and safety aspects of standard CHAS accreditation, assessing a company across a variety of additional areas such as quality management, environmental and corporate social responsibility.
It is awarded to contractors who are recognised as having the UK Market-Leading Compliance.
“Our CHAS membership and accreditation is part of our ongoing commitment to support the evolving needs of our existing and new clients. We are delighted that, following an assessment of the procedures and documentation we have in place across the company, we have been awarded this prestigious accreditation by CHAS.”
– Jordan Ostrowski, Health and Safety Manager, S&C Slatter
To achieve CHAS Elite accreditation, we have successfully proven that we have procedures in place to mitigate risks across 13 key areas of risk management:
As with all our procedures, accreditations, and partnerships, we continually strive to maintain and improve the high standards of working practices across the business – and have these regularly assessed and audited by industry bodies such as CHAS.
Our CHAS Elite accreditation demonstrates our proven procedures for reducing risk across our supply chain, to the highest achievable levels. This commitment and compliance with the industry gold standard means that you can be confident when choosing to work with S&C Slatter that your project will be delivered with minimum risk and maximum quality.
Over 30 years, S&C Slatter has evolved to become a leading one-stop-shop for sports facility design, planning, finance, construction and maintenance.
We’re committed to working to the highest standards, delivering first-class sports facilities and associated infrastructure for top performance, maximum use and longevity.
Get in touch now to discuss your needs.
Call 01635 34521 or email info@sandcslatter.com
Following the refurbishment of their sand-dressed hockey pitch, S&C Slatter were thrilled to return to St. George’s Weybridge to construct two unique non-turf cricket pitches for the school.
Cricket is one of the main sports for both boys and girls at St. George’s College Weybridge, so when the school needed to construct a new cricket facility, it was important that the new pitches be suitable for all ages and abilities, while also being capable of top-level performance to ‘fully extend our most talented performers and enable them to play at the highest possible standard’.
Who better to turn to for top-level non-turf cricket construction than S&C Slatter, in partnership with Notts Sport for over 30 years. Having proudly constructed the non-turf cricket facilities at ‘The home of cricket’ for a number of years, we were delighted to install the same non-turf cricket system we installed at Lord’s – a NottsBase D System – at St. George’s, offering students a truly elite surface on which to learn and play cricket.
Learn more in our case study.
Working in close collaboration with the school, the 2x non-turf pitches were specially designed for the school’s requirements and objectives. Featuring a unique design, both pitches are 4m wide (more than 1m wider than a standard pitch) to enable players to run between wickets on the non-turf surface itself, protecting the surrounding natural grass during play.
The layout of the two pitches enables simultaneous play, so that the school (and clubs that hire the pitches) can have two matches running at the same time, or allow for coaching of different abilities at the same time.
Learn how the new non-turf pitches wowed the local cricket club in our case study.
Slatter Cricket & Play is a specialist division of S&C Slatter with an exceptional heritage in building cricket and play facilities, dating back to the company’s formation in 1991.
Projects range substantially in size, complexity and application but all continue to embrace and exhibit the same attention to detail and commitment to outstanding personal customer service.
Call 01635 34521 or email enquiries@slattercricketplay.com to talk to our experts.
