V-Tech – Voluntary Technical Help
We often provide VOLUNTARY TECHNICAL HELP. When this is on some heritage projects, we sometimes call ourselves Victorian Technicians!
Some charitable projects often need a ‘kick-start’ at the beginning to help with planning, budgets or physical works on site. This is a direct way of helping charities, but also gives our staff hands on experience.
We give our time, experience and equipment free of charge where appropriate. Staff often work at weekends for no remuneration so that projects can be realised, solved or advanced with minimal cash expenditure. We are very proud of some of the projects we have provided voluntary technical help on, many of which have been community related.
Examples include:
Whoopsadaisy
We help run and provide offices for Whoopsadaisy, a local charity, which gives help, advice and conductive education to children with cerebral palsy and similar motor disorders, helping them and their carers live independent lives. http://www.whoopsadaisy.org/
Hove Lagoon Splash Pool
We helped get this project off the ground by providing drawings, site survey and project management input. The surveying part was helped by making this a project for students. We then went on to detailed design of the splash pool and surrounding play area. We were also instrumental in involving other professionals and contractors, all of whom gave their time and equipment free of charge. Now the children of Brighton, Hove and Portslade have a great place to spend time with their parents.
Sink One 4 Sussex
This involves creating an artificial nursery reef underwater to help replenish fish stocks, but will also be a considerable attraction for divers. We are hoping to sink a redundant Type 42 Destroyer or similar ex-military vessel off the Sussex coastline. HOP is providing all technical planning advice and dealing with the necessary authorities free of charge. http://www.sinkone4sussex.org/
This Rough Magic
This involved bringing a massive ‘oil rig type’ jack-up platform inshore, designing an access ramp that could be used in all states of the tide and thus enabling a modern day production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest complete with offshore motorbikes – big thanks go to Aggrek Generators and Titan Offshore.
Visiting lecturers and teaching services
Although HOP occasionally gets paid (we recently delivered a series of 24 lectures on the new Eurocodes to University of Brighton students) the vast majority of our time and efforts go in to community groups, schools and the like where we give PowerPoint presentations backed up with lively anecdotes from our Engineers’ experience.
Hove Lagoon Skate Park
Again, HOP provided all the drawings and design for nothing – although some of our Engineers have been seen using the skate park!
Adur Sea Cadets Boat Launching Ramp
The existing ramp was decrepit and dangerous. HOP provided all the drawings and applied for the necessary works licences, all free of charge. We even helped physically with the underwater concreting on the same basis.
HOP Training
Congratulations to Adam Ellis who is now a Chartered Structural Engineer, passing first time. This is a very difficult exam with an average 30% pass rate.
HOP staff now have an impressive record:
- LIMICE – 100% pass rate
- MIStructE – 92% pass rate
A number of our staff deliver presentations throughout the south on Engineering and Construction-related topics. We are also lecturers for the Structural Design Module at the University of Brighton. See also “HOP Presentations”.
HOP gives practical, economic engineering solutions on time and with attention to detail.
We work throughout the UK and nearby Europe and we pride ourselves on our learning and training opportunities within the organisation.
We are happy to give early, often informal involvement and respond quickly... Why not get in touch...
T: 0044 (0)1273 223 900
E: ask@hop.uk.com
M/ 24 hr : 0044 (0)7770 720484
