Author: Pete Kelsey

Principal contractor McGoff Construction Limited is celebrating its 50^th year in business with the launch of a short book called ‘The Future is McGoff’.

Established in 1973 by Jim and Ethna McGoff, the company has evolved from trusted regional contractor to market leading national build partner delivering innovative new build and turnkey development solutions across the care, residential and commercial sectors.

Formerly McGoff & Byrne, McGoff Construction now sits at the heart of the privately-owned McGoff Group; a dynamic collective of likeminded construction and integrated support services businesses employing more than 1500 people across its head office and multiple operational locations with an annual turnover of £150 million.

Driven by family values, the McGoff Group is managed by Jim and Ethna’s four sons, James, Declan, Dave and Chris, along with an experienced team of divisional business directors and managers who share the Group vision for continued growth.

Specifically McGoff Construction, along with Panacea and McGoff Group Facilities Services, have consolidated and are now known as McGoff Construction Services and are expertly led by Dean Johnston as managing director.

Chairman of McGoff Construction Services Declan McGoff commented: “Thanks to the hard work and support of our employee team, McGoff Construction has come so far and is almost unrecognisable from the company first established by Mum and Dad in 1973.  However, our vision is to continue to expand, delivering a wholly sustainable approach to the built environment while fully embracing our values of excellence, passion, innovation and collaboration.

“In an ever changing and challenging environment, the McGoff name signifies quality, agility and an unbreakable force for future generations to come.  The importance of family values and a strong work ethic that we hope is reflected in the narrative of our book.”

Designed and conceived by marketing director Sarah Sanderson, the full colour illustrated book called The Future is McGoff will be gifted to all employees and all operational Group settings including care homes, nurseries and apartment settings with special readings at schools and children’s settings across Greater Manchester.

Marketing director Sarah Sanderson added: “I have worked for the McGoff Group for just over 11 years and witnessed the amazing evolution into the fantastic business that it is today.  Anyone who knows the McGoff brothers will have experienced their hard work and determination, leading the business with passion and pride. We wanted to do something a little different to mark the 50 year milestone and it seemed fitting to go ‘back to the future’ with the story book that illustrates the business transformation and will easily accessible by young and old alike.”

The Lord Mayor of Chester, Councillor Sheila Little, and children from Kids Planet on Hare Lane in Chester joined the team at a top-rated local care home to celebrate its fifth birthday.

81-bed Grosvenor Manor, on Hatchmere Drive close to the centre of Chester, is one of the area’s most highly regarded care homes. The purpose-built care centre welcomed its first residents in 2018 and has since gone from strength-to-strength cementing its position as a valuable part of the local community.

Residents Joan Hall, age 100 from Liverpool, and Jean Jones, age 89 from Chester moved into Grosvenor Manor when it first opened and are still very happy at home there today.

They are joined by more than 15 employees including nurses, carers, wellbeing, catering, housekeeping and hospitality who all joined within a few months of opening and are still with the company today.

The Lord Mayor of Chester, Cllr Sheila Little, was delighted to lend her support to the care centre’s birthday celebrations joining residents, the Grosvenor Manor care team and pre-school children from Kids Planet for a wonderful ‘Jurassic disco’ party in the home’s beautiful garden.

Singer Leeann James provided exceptional vocal entertainment and there was fun for all ages with appearances from the Grosvenor dinosaurs, a bouncy castle from White Cloud Events and dinosaur costumes and props made by the home’s residents and supplied by The Prop Hire team.

Residents, friends and guests gathered to enjoy a Jurassic barbecue and sing happy birthday before cutting a delicious cake made by the home’s head chef Julian Davison that featured a bespoke cake topper made and donated by the daughter of Grosvenor Manor receptionist Annette Doherty, Jessica Sullivan from Peggy Doll Designs.

Councillor Sheila Little said: “I am delighted to be invited today to share this special day with some of the oldest and youngest in our local community. I wish you all a happy 5^th birthday and keep up the good work.”

Home manager Anne Hughes added: “One of the things that attracted me to the role of manager here at Grosvenor Manor was the sense of belonging, not only between the residents and care team, but also with our wider local community.  It’s super to have the Lord Mayor and the children from Kids Planet here with us to celebrate and help make today such a memorable occasion for us all.”

New Care’s Grosvenor Manor is a superb care facility close to Chester city centre, offering outstanding residential, dementia and 24 hr nursing care services in a safe and comfortable environment.  For further information, please call Anne on 01244 305330.

Consent has been granted for joint applicants Victor (Old Trafford) Ltd and Southway Housing Trust to develop brownfield land to the east of Warwick Road South in Old Trafford. Victor (Old Trafford) is a joint venture between MC Construction and the McGoff Group.

The one five-storey and two four-storey buildings will provide 80 affordable homes, in a highly sustainable location, alongside Old Trafford Metrolink station. The land is to be transferred to Southway Housing Trust who will wholly own and manage the 100% affordable, mixed-tenure scheme.

Each of the 38 one-bedroom and 42 two-bedroom apartments has either a private garden or balcony and residents will also benefit from communal amenity spaces including a timber pergola, integrated seating, lawns and pocket spaces. Provision has been made for cycle storage for all 80 apartments with a limited amount of parking, including four accessible spaces, situated behind the development out of sight from Warwick Road South.

An original application for 126 units was withdrawn and reduced to 80 following further consultation with local stakeholders and extensive liaison with both partner Southway Housing Trust and Trafford Council.

Along with the reduction of the footprint of the scheme, the latest designs position the buildings at a significant distance from the boundary with Seymour Grove Allotments to ensure there is no adverse impact of overshadowing. Spaces between the blocks have been increased and additional trees and soft landscaping are to be provided within them and at the front and rear to enhance well-being for residents and provide biodiversity.

The scheme was designed by architects Corstorphine & Wright with Paul Butler Associates as planning consultants.

Altrincham-based McGoff Construction will act as main contractors with works due to commence in October 2023.

Director at MC Construction, Mike Purcell, said:

“We are delighted to have been granted consent to develop these affordable homes in an area of Old Trafford that has long been in need of regeneration. Adjacent to a transport hub which provides a gateway to both globally renowned sports grounds and access to higher education institution UA92, it meets both community and strategic needs. We are confident that our partners at McGoff Group will deliver an exemplar affordable housing development for Southway Housing Trust.”

Main Board Director at the McGoff Group, Chris McGoff, added:

“We’re delighted to have achieved consent for this project which will deliver much needed affordable homes in a rapidly developing and sustainable part of Trafford.”

Build complete and now fully operational, the McGoff Group is celebrating the completion of its innovative intergenerational development in Lymm, Cheshire.

The first of its kind in the North West, the £15million development features a state-of-the-art 66-bed care centre, a natural children’s day nursery and 45 individually designed retirement apartments resulting in a thriving new hyperlocal community on the corner of Whitbarrow Road and Statham Avenue close to the centre of Lymm village.

Highlighting the new sense of community, residents from Minerva Place retirement apartments and Statham Manor Care Centre joined children from Back to the Garden Childcare, senior representatives from the McGoff Group and members of the McGoff family to celebrate the completion of the two-year project and plant a beautiful red robin tree for all to enjoy for years to come.

Designed by the McGoff Group and delivered by principal contractor McGoff Construction in partnership with related Group companies including Panacea Building Systems and McGoff Group Facilities Services, the Lymm development has been an incredible success story.

Bringing together the best in care for the youngest and oldest members of the community, it is a new concept in multi-generational living that enables young and old to spend time in each other’s company and enjoy proven heath, social and wellbeing benefits; something that is already working well in Lymm where the new community has come together to share stories for World Book Day, plant a communal flower and vegetable garden and celebrate the recent coronation of King Charles III.

Chairman at McGoff Group Projects, Dave McGoff, commented: “It’s fantastic to be able to stand here with the new residents of this development and celebrate its completion.  Lymm has been a special project for us.  Not only was it the realisation of a concept that we believe so passionately in, but also because it has brought together so many parts of our business model. It is incredibly exciting to see it finally come to life and we hope it can set a blueprint for similar schemes in the future.”

All aspects of the development are being operated by McGoff Group companies. Offering exceptional residential, 24-hour nursing, respite and dementia care services, Statham Manor is being operated by the Group’s award-winning care home provider New Care while the nursery is being operated by Back to the Garden Childcare, the Group’s natural child-led nursery concept focussing on active learning and outdoor play in a garden setting.  The Group’s residential brand Villafont is running the apartments under its sub-brand Villafont Concierge, which offers an enhanced lifestyle package for those looking for a luxury property with the option to ask for elements of domestic support as and when to enable continued independent living.

For further information on the Lymm development, please visit www.newcarehomes.com, www.villafont.com and www.backtothegardenchildcare.com or watch the completion video drone here https://vimeo.com/816947881?share=copy.

Image shows from left to right Minerva Place residents Pat and John Hirst, McGoff Construction construction director Gary Wilson (back), McGoff Group marketing director Sarah Sanderson (kneeling front), group managing director McGoff Construction Services Dean Johnston (with spade), chairman of McGoff Group Projects Dave McGoff (holding Rowan Limb from Back to the Garden), chairman McGoff Construction Services Declan McGoff, manager at Back to the Garden Childcare in Lymm Alison O’Connor Limb (holding Rory Limb), chairman of New Care Dominic Kay, resident at Statham Manor Joyce Hamilton (front, blue cardigan), registered manager at Statham Manor Farai Hanyane (orange shirt), chief operating officer at New Care Cath Fairhurst (pink jacket).  Two children from Back to the Garden hold the tree, Margot (left) and Teddy (right).

In one of her last engagements before her term of office ends, the Mayor of Warrington, Councillor Jean Flaherty, officially opened Grappenhall Manor, the £11million new state-of-the-art care centre on Stockport Road in Grappenhall.

Late last year Councillor Flaherty was invited to open Statham Manor in Lymm, New Care’s first care centre in the borough of Warrington, seeing first hand the exceptional care facilities that the leading care home operator was delivering in the area.

Impressed with the design of the new build home and quality of care, she was delighted to return to meet the new team, enjoy a guided tour of the new Grappenhall facility and cut a red ribbon to declare the home officially open for its first residents.

Grappenhall Manor is the latest care facility to be opened by Altrincham-based care home operator New Care and will provide outstanding residential, 24-hour nursing, dementia and respite care for those in Grappenhall and the surrounding areas.

Working closely with the local authority, Grappenhall Manor has been expertly designed by both architect and clinical lead to ensure it delivers exceptional care from a high quality new build property that combines style and function to ensure a safe, secure and comfortable home-from-home for residents.

Featuring 70 fully furnished bedrooms, each with a private en suite wet room, plus a selection of communal lounges, reading rooms and dining rooms, spa-assisted bathrooms, a nail bar, hair salon and access to landscaped communal gardens and terraces, Grappenhall Manor provides a stunning living environment for its residents who enjoy person-centred individual care, freshly prepared nutritious meals and a daily programme of wellbeing activites.

Positioned on the site of the former Springbrook pub, on the corner of Stockport Road and Warrington Road, it is located conveniently for easy access from all areas of Warrington and beyond.

Commenting on the opening Cllr Flaherty said: “It was a privilege to be invited to open New Care’s second dedicated care facility in Warrington and hear how these two superb centres that will work together to deliver great care for the people in this borough. I’m delighted to have been able to open both properties and meet their wonderful teams and first residents during my time in office.”

Commissioning director at New Care, Dawn Collett added: “It has been our pleasure to welcome the Mayor as the guest of honour at both of our openings and we’re thrilled that she was able to open Grappenhall Manor for us before ending her current term.”

Now officially open and welcoming its first residents, Grappenhall Manor is recruiting locally with approximately 100 jobs expected to be created locally over the next 12 months in multiple roles including nurses, carers, hospitality, housekeeping, wellbeing and activities, maintenance and catering.

Part of the McGoff Group, New Care is one of the UK’s leading care home providers.  Its portfolio of purpose-built ‘new generation’ care centres is fast gaining an enviable reputation for outstanding care that is second to none.  For further information on Grappenhall Manor or to book an appointment to view the home, please contact the team on 01925 596828 or email enquiries@newcarehomes.com. Alternatively, visit www.newcarehomes.com.

Natural nursery group Back to the Garden Childcare has appointed AA Rosette award winning chef Luke Tew to lead its commitment to great food and nutrition as it continues to expand across the North West.

Based at the nursery’s recently opened second setting in Lymm, Cheshire, Luke is responsible for delivering an exceptional early years food strategy that combines top quality, nutritionally-balanced menus packed with locally sourced, seasonal and organic ingredients to provide an all-round social and educational experience for the children learning where their food comes from.

Committed to encouraging young children to be adventurous and experiment with food, Luke will use his award winning catering skills to make appetising and appealing meals that educate the children’s developing tastebuds and prove that food in an early years setting does not need to be bland and boring.

He will also welcome the children into the kitchen to help with the preparing, cooking and serving of food as part of the nursery curriculum and a daily social task to be shared by all, including the babies who are given the opportunity to serve and feed themselves as soon as they are able.

In the past few weeks, the pre-school children have been making their own bread and fresh slow pressed juices and even planted organic pepper seeds that they took from an organic pepper that was used in a lunchtime meal.

A self-confessed ‘foodie’, Luke has had a life-long love affair with food starting off as the local fruit and veg boy at the age of 14 and progressing on to work in a variety of high end restaurants and gastro pubs across Manchester and Cheshire.

With a young family of his own, he fully understands fully the importance of quality food and social dining from an early age and is looking forward to putting Back to the Garden Childcare on the map for food and nutrition.

He said: “I am literally obsessed with food and have been thinking and experimenting with food for as long as I can remember, so I’m delighted to take on this new challenge and consciously think about the quality and nutritional balance of the food that we deliver here at Back to the Garden.  The understanding and enjoyment of great food is one of the cornerstones of a good life so our mealtimes are fun, social occasions not to be rushed with everyone coming together to taste, touch and talk about the delicious food that we are going to enjoy.”

Nursery founder Jeannie Pickering added: “Food is so important in the early years, laying the foundations and establishing good habits for life.  With our organic, fresh food deliveries and Luke’s talent and skills in developing and serving tempting menus, we are confident that we will set new standards in great food, solid nutrition and embracing social dining in our family childcare setting.”

Part of the award winning McGoff Group, Back to the Garden Childcare is an innovative child-led day nursery with settings in Altrincham and Lymm that focuses on active learning through outdoor play in a stunning garden setting.  Its philosophy of allowing children to be children to explore their environment, experiment with the outdoor playscape and harness their own imaginations allows for a natural approach where each child develops at their own pace.  For further information please visit www.backtothegardenchildcare.com.