Inspire 2 Ignite CIC, a Cambridge-based organisation focused on helping young people aged 12 to 24 who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training), has successfully applied for funding to deliver a number of initiatives encouraging young people to take their first steps into entrepreneurship with confidence.

The group applied to Durkan Homes’ just-launched Community Fund, a new scheme in Cambridgeshire set up by the leading regional and family-owned housebuilder to support organisations and groups local to its new homes sites. Durkan Homes is asking organisations and charities in Cambridgeshire to consider its fund if they need support.

With the funding, Inspire 2 Ignite CIC is delivering three bespoke programmes for young Cambridgeshire entrepreneurs, with the first already completed. The campaign saw a young team learn about the journey to building a business in the setting of St Neots Farmers Market. The group took on an Apprentice-style challenge, looking at product selection, customer engagement, financial management and market presence. The work culminated in a busy day of trading, giving the team hugely valuable real world business experience that will help set them on the path to a successful career.

Young entrepreneurs will next be working with charity St Neots Initiative to develop solutions to local community issues, and will then take on the challenge of building and marketing a new ice cream brand. The focus is on building confidence and business know-how.

Durkan Homes’ Community Fund offers financial support to eligible applicants in Cambridgeshire who are delivering work or specific projects that benefit their local communities. The fund, which is now open for applications, is part of an ongoing commitment from Durkan Homes to support local charities, organisations and not-for-profit groups.

To learn more about the eligibility criteria and how to apply, anyone interested should visit: https://www.durkan.co.uk/community-fund/

Sam Squire, CEO of Inspire 2 Ignite CIC, said: “We are deeply grateful for Durkan Homes’ generous support through their Community Fund which has been instrumental in delivering our innovative programmes for young people in Cambridgeshire. This funding not only helps us to ignite the spark of entrepreneurship in young people, but also equips them with the confidence and skills needed to succeed.”

Bill Beyzade, Managing Director of Housebuilding at Durkan Homes, said: “A big focus for us is making sure we enhance the communities we build in, leaving a lasting positive legacy beyond just the high-quality homes we’re creating. That’s why we’ve launched this fund in Cambridgeshire, and we’re really proud that Inspire 2 Ignite CIC has benefited and delivered something hugely valuable for the local community.

“Through our new fund, we can help organisations access funding that will ensure local initiatives make a difference to individuals and groups within the community. From education and sports, to society and nature, we’re interested in supporting a range of good causes. If you think we can help you, please read our information online and find out how to apply.”

To find out more about where Durkan’s developments in Cambridgeshire are, visit: www.durkan.co.uk/all-developments

Front is Alex Hughes, Inspire 2 Ignite Founder, Left is Sam Squire, Inspire 2 Ignite CEO, Back, Alex Richards, Entrepreneur/Inspire 2 Ignite Community Manager &

Right, Bo–Entrepreneur/Programme facilitator

Durkan Homes and Laser Electrical Central have teamed up with Futurehope Hertford and Ware, a youth charity that supports teenagers with issues from mental health and addiction to anger management, to upgrade the heating and lighting at Pioneer Hall in Hertford.

Near to Durkan Homes’ Granary & Chapel site, the hall is used by Futurehope for an after school drop in cafe, giving young people a safe place to go and play games or relax with their friends.

The funding for this project came from Durkan Homes’ community fund, which was launched in 2023 and remains open for applications. The fund offers financial support to eligible applicants in Hertfordshire who are delivering work or specific projects that benefit their local communities.

As a successful applicant, Futurehope received funding to help upgrade their facilities, making the hall a more welcoming environment for young people.

Durkan Homes enlisted the help of local business Laser Electrical Central, the sub-contractors on their Granary & Chapel development, to undertake the work on Pioneer Hall. The improvements, including the installation of new heaters and more energy efficient lighting, means that it is now also a viable space for the charity to provide for community groups, with donations for usage supplementing their income and helping to fund their work in the local area.

Bill Beyzade, Managing Director at Durkan Homes, commented: “As a Hertfordshire-based business ourselves, it’s important for us to support organisations that operate in the area we call home. Our work as a housebuilder puts us at the heart of local communities and our fund allows us to enhance the areas in which we operate, and support good causes locally.”

“We want to say a massive thank you to Laser Electrical Central for completing this project, which has helped Futurehope continue the vital work they are doing with young people. We look forward to seeing what they will do with their improved facilities.”

Dave Hollis at Futurehope added: “While Pioneer Hall is a great space for the work we do as a charity, it was in desperate need of some upgrades so that it could be used to its full potential. As a small, local charity it can be hard to get funding for projects of this size, so we’re really grateful to Durkan Homes and Laser Electrical Central for all the hard work they’ve put into improving our hall.”

“Durkan Homes’ community fund is a great support for smaller organisations such as ours, and we would thoroughly recommend others consider applying too.”

Futurehope has been supporting teenagers for twenty years. As well as its after school drop in youth club, the charity also runs a programme of one-to-one mentoring and educational sessions in local schools. It also has a converted minibus that visits popular areas in Hertford and Ware on Friday nights, giving young people a warm place to get off the streets and have something to eat and drink.

The Hub brings together all those involved in home building to achieve the climate and environment goals for the sector in line with the Government’s legally binding net zero and wider environmental targets. The scale and speed of change is significant, and the new homes sector has set out its ambition in the delivery plan.

Members of the Hub are working together on a broad range of topics, including the Future Homes Standard, embodied and whole life carbon, zero carbon placemaking, biodiversity net gain, water efficiency, resource efficiency and air quality.

Ed Lockhart, CEO of The Future Homes Hub said:

“New homes are undergoing rapid change to be ready for the climate and environmental challenges of the 21^st century. No area of the economy is moving faster in this transition than the homes we build; the new homes sector will be nature positive through biodiversity net gain in 2023 and will be zero-carbon in operation through the  Future Homes Standard in 2025.

We have a collective responsibility to deliver the sector’s climate and environmental targets while building higher quality homes at the scale needed. We can only do this if we all work together. I am therefore delighted that Durkan has joined the Future Homes Hub to be part of this positive change.”

We’re looking forward to working together with this growing community to share our solutions and expertise, accelerating progress to a net zero future.

Find out more about The Future Homes Hub

A food pantry group, a local primary school and a community festival are all among the first successful applicants to receive community funding from Durkan Homes, a leading regional housebuilder developing a number of sites in Hertfordshire.

Durkan’s Community Fund, which opened to applications earlier this year, has chosen the three applicants, who will all now receive funding towards their local initiatives:

• The Hertford Pantry is a collaboration of organisations and individuals which aims to reduce food waste and support local Hertford residents with good quality free food.
• Durkan’s funding enables the group to provide lunch bags for families over the six week summer holiday, when access to free school meals isn’t available.
• Hoovesfest is a one day festival of music, sport food and more, designed to spread awareness of Therapeutic Hooves, a non-profit organisaton, that provides support for young people and adults with additional needs and life limiting illness.
• Durkan’s funding is for sponsorship of the main stage at the event, to bring the festival to as many local people as possible.
• St Philip Howard Catholic Primary School, located in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, aims to ensure all children are recognised as unique individuals with unique needs and are helped to develop their skills and talents to the best of their ability.
• Durkan’s funding supported the school’s programme of regeneration including landscaping to the front of the school, a new turf area for the nursery, a painted road track in the playground and new bike sheds.

The programme offers financial support to eligible applicants in Hertfordshire who are delivering work or specific projects that benefit their local communities.

Bill Beyzade, Managing Director of Housebuilding at Durkan Homes, said: “We’re doing lots of work in Hertfordshire and are really proud to have selected three great applicants to receive funding as part of our community fund programme. The Hertford Pantry, Hoovesfest and St Philip Howard Catholic Primary School are each playing an important role and supporting them is one way in which we can help shape and improve local communities which goes beyond our core activity of providing new high-quality homes.

Shelly, volunteer at The Hertford Pantry said: “The Hertford Pantry are delighted to receive the community grant from Durkan Homes. This will enable us to provide much needed lunch bags to some of the most vulnerable families we support during the school summer holidays. We would like to offer our sincere thanks for this generous grant.”

Paul, Owner of Therapeutic Hooves said: “Without the amazing generosity of Durkan homes supporting our fundraising festival Hoovesfest, we wouldn’t have been able to provide the local community with an incredible main stage which helped create a focal point for our successful fundraising drive. The funds raised will help us to continue to support children, teens and adults across Hertfordshire with additional needs and life limiting illnesses.”

Mairead Waugh, Headteacher at St Philip Howard Catholic Primary School said: “We are extremely grateful to Durkan for their generosity. The additional funds mean that our nursery children will have an amazing new playground. Our older children are loving the new road track on the playground which is in constant use during our playtimes. It has made such a difference.”

 The fund remains open for applications and is part of an ongoing commitment from Durkan Homes to support local charities, organisations and not-for-profit groups. In the future, Durkan is looking to expand the scheme beyond Hertfordshire.

Beyzade continues: “Through our community fund, we can help organisations access funding that will ensure local initiatives make a difference to individuals and groups within the community. From education and sports, to society and nature, we’re interested in supporting a range of good causes. So if you think we can help you, please read our information online and find out how to apply.”

To learn more about the eligibility criteria and how to apply, interested parties should visit Durkan’s website: https://www.durkan.co.uk/community-fund/.

Local contractors join forces to create new forest school for Bengeo pupils

Durkan Homes has teamed up with a group of twelve contractors working at its Bengeo housing development, The Stiles,  to transform an overgrown area, at the back of Bengeo Primary School’s playing fields, into a forest school and place for outdoor learning.

The contractors have neatly landscaped the once overgrown land to create new pathways and flower beds and a large fire pit area where the children will be able to enjoy outdoor stories and performances.

The work, which has been funded and completed by Durkan Homes and its contractors, free of charge to the school, has also involved the installation of a new timber cabin, providing an extra classroom for all forest school activities.

Bill Beyzade, Managing Director at Durkan Homes commented, “This has been a real labour of love for all involved and the entire team has worked tirelessly to transform the area. We’re delighted with the results and are looking forward to seeing the reaction of the children when they return in September for the new school term.

“Community is very much at the heart of what we do. We’re not just building homes, we’re creating communities for the future and that means investing in the education and learning of young people in the areas in which we work. Post-pandemic we’re all much more aware of the benefits that time outdoors and proximity to nature can deliver for both physical and mental well-being. It’s been a real pleasure for all involved to donate our time and create a space that we hope will last for generations to come.”

Justine Page, Headteacher at Bengeo Primary School, said, “Outdoor learning has an important part to play in our approach and reinforces our desire to provide children with learning opportunities that support their physical and mental wellbeing.

“A forest school is an outdoor environment providing opportunities for a child-centred learning process that focuses on investigation, exploration and supported risk-taking. It will make a huge difference to our pupils to have a dedicated forest school area, and because we plan to use our forest school whatever the weather, the new cabin will provide valuable under-cover space as we head into autumn and winter.

“We’re sure our pupils will love the opportunity for more outdoor exploration and really benefit from all a forest school has to offer. We’re grateful to Durkan Homes and all its contractors for the time and effort they’ve contributed to this project.”

The project team has consisted of representatives from the following companies:

• Durkan Homes – Homebuilder

• Down to Earth – Landscapers

• Allgood Services Limited – Bricklayers

• J F Lindsay Civil Engineering Limited – Groundworkers

• Graywood Engineering Limited – Metalworkers

• D and B Scaffolding Limited – Scaffolders

• PJA Carpentry Limited – Carpenters

• JSJ Roofing Limited – Roofers

• R G Taylor Engineering Limited – Plumbers

• Shortlands Limited – Plasterers

• Wheeler Electrical Limited – Electricians

• Unique Window Systems Limited – Window Installers

• H S Hurst Limited – Painters

• W R S Contracts Limited – Ceramic Tilers

The next phase of work to build new family homes is underway at Wintringham in St Neots, with Durkan, one of London and the South-East’s leading independent development and construction companies, starting construction at the site and inviting local children to spend the morning as VIPs on site.

To mark the milestone, Durkan organised an exciting treasure hunt challenge with St Neots town Mayor Stephen Ferguson.  Partnering with Round House Pre-school and in keeping with the breaking ground theme, the challenge saw local children digging for buried toys at a specially created area at Durkan’s site.  The children were also treated to a fun display by Durkan’s groundworkers, demonstrating how they’re able to help transform sites with diggers and machinery.

Bill Beyzade, Managing Director of Housebuilding at Durkan, said: “We’re always keen to mark our key milestones with fun events.  Starting our first development in St Neots is a real achievement and it was great to get the children involved to celebrate it with us.”

“We’re so pleased the treasure hunt was a success and that the children enjoyed it.  We’d like to thank Mayor Ferguson and the Round House Pre-school team for helping us put together a really fun morning.  Hopefully we’ve inspired some of the children to eventually follow a career in construction!

Durkan is developing 293 new homes at Wintringham, a site that’s seeing the strategic expansion of St Neots by master developer Urban&Civic. Durkan is creating two, three and four-bedroom family homes, and one and two-bedroom apartments. The new homes will be within easy walking distance of the primary school and planned District Centre, tree lined streets and a landscaped central square for residents to meet and enjoy some quiet time in a tranquil setting.                                                                                    

Bill added: “At Durkan we have a reputation for excellent quality and our homes in St Neots will be no different.  We’ve carefully developed the designs for our homes so they’re in keeping with the strict design codes for Wintringham.  That means our homes will integrate well and help create a new thriving community whilst reflecting and enhancing the local environment as well.  We are fortunate to be adjacent to the newly constructed school and within a short distance to the train station, surrounding countryside and all the amenities a thriving town like St Neots offers.”

Rebecca Britton  at Urban&Civic, said: “Durkan starting onsite marks a significant milestone in the development of Wintringham.  Importantly, its well-designed homes will complete not only the frontage to Wintringham coming forward along Cambridge Road, but also be an important neighbour – along with the fantastic school building – to the main community space in the District Centre which we will be bringing forward in the next two years.  We look forward to working with Durkan and seeing more people make their home at Wintringham.”