14 July 2010
Breyer Group and Southern Housing Group took their working partnership to the waters for this year’s Construction Industry Dragon Boat Challenge. Employees joined forces to take part in the construction industry’s interpretation of the ancient Chinese tradition of dragon boat racing at West Reservoir in Hackney, London, on Thursday 1 July 2010.
The joint team took on fellow competitors, including Kier and Laing O’Rourke, to raise over £3,000 for CRASH, the construction and property industry’s charity for homeless people.
Kevan Allaway, the Group’s Maintenance Director, said: “We were delighted to be invited to take part in this year’s Dragon Boat Challenge to raise funds for CRASH. We had a great time, although our rowing skills perhaps need a bit more work before we can be considered serious contenders - that's a polite way of saying we came last!
“This year we supported Breyer Group in their growth of B-Line, a Rapid Response Repairs and Maintenance Service for our customers. Repair requests now go straight to Breyer, making our repair services even quicker. It’s this kind of innovative partnership working that makes our companies a great team, and enables the Group to continue to provide the best service we can for our residents.”
Neil Watts, Breyer Group’s Divisional Director, said: “It has been a great opportunity to use such a worthy cause to enhance our relationship with Southern Housing Group, with all levels of staff working together. It has been an exciting year for Breyer Group with the continued growth of our high quality Rapid Responsive Repairs and Maintenance Service.”
Construction Industry Dragon Boat Challenges have taken place at West Reservoir in London, Salford Quays in Manchester, Cardiff Bay in Wales and Manvers Lake in Rotherham. Hundreds of people turned up to watch up to 40 crews battle it out over a 250m stretch at West Reservoir to become the top dragon boat team.
The construction industry’s chosen charity, CRASH, harnesses the skills, products and goodwill of the building industry to improve hostels, day centres, night shelters, training centres and move-on accommodation for frontline homelessness agencies who work directly with homeless people.