Construction work is well under way on a £1.7m expansion of a youth centre in Blackpool that will provide new opportunities for young people in the area.

Warden is the main contractor on the state-of-the-art centre which will be built on Gorton Street in the Talbot and Brunswick area of the town.

The existing outdated facility has been demolished and is being replaced with a single storey, multi-use building roughly three times the size, that will include an activity hall, canteen, office space, kitchen and washroom facilities.

The expansion will allow for more youth work activities and opportunities for young people, providing a safe and supportive space to learn and develop their talents.

The scheme, expected to complete in February 2025, is being funded from a grant from the government’s Youth Investment Fund, which was secured by the Blackpool Boys and Girls Club and Blackpool Council.

Ian Williams, managing director at Warden Construction, said: “The expansion of Blackpool Youth Zone is a fantastic project for Warden to be involved in, and one that very much aligns with our core values around community impact.

“Working closely with Blackpool Council and Blackpool Boys and Girls Club, we hope to see the new and improved facilities flourish and provide a host of opportunities and benefits to young people in the community.”

Cllr Kath Benson, Cabinet Member for Young People and Aspiration, said: “This development is much-needed and what our young residents deserve. I’m delighted with the progress that has already been made and look forward to seeing it in use early next year.

“Blackpool Boys and Girls Club have ensured that young people have been at the heart of the development plans so that it delivers what they want and need. It will provide them with a safe and supportive space to learn, grow, and develop their talents.”

Jed Sullivan, Youth Worker at Blackpool Boys and Girls Club, said: “Our staff, volunteers, trustees, Chairman, and, most importantly, the young people we serve are brimming with excitement as they watch this incredible new youth centre grow before our eyes.

“The support from Blackpool Council and the Youth Opportunity Fund has been instrumental in making this dream a reality. We can’t wait to open the doors and make this space our own, providing countless opportunities for Blackpool’s youth to learn, grow, and thrive.”

The facilities will also support local efforts to reduce anti-social behaviour, which has seen a 42% reduction since Summer 2023, following a collaboration with Lancashire Police as part of Operation Centurion in the Brunswick and Talbot wards.

Warden has completed work on a £4.4 million project to create two state-of-the-art operating theatres and a recovery ward at Whiston Hospital in Prescot.

The complex 12-month conversion project was delivered on behalf of VINCI Facilities and Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

It involved the part conversion of a third-floor administration hub and the complete strip-out and remodeling of a floor area of around 1,100 sqm.

The converted space has enabled the creation of two level 4 operating theatres and a five-bed high-dependency recovery ward, together with associated technical and administrative support rooms.

Ian Williams, managing director at Warden Construction, said: “We’re incredibly proud of our whole project team and supply chain for delivering this project on schedule and ensuring as little disruption as possible for hospital patients, staff and visitors.

“The new operating theatres and recovery ward will have a transformative impact on patients and hospital users, something that gives all of us a great deal of comfort and sense of achievement.”

The works included significant alterations to sanitary installations and the extension of installations for medical gases and pneumatic tubes systems.

The creation of a new dedicated plant room required significant adjustment to the building facade through the removal of large-scale curtain walling installations and replacement with wrap around louvre vent systems.

Ian added: “This was a highly technical project because it involved reconfiguring lots of existing systems above occupied rooms and wards. In addition to these technical complexities, the project was logistically challenging as it was positioned directly above the main hospital entrance and throughfare.

“Our experience in handling healthcare construction and refurbishment projects like this one enabled everything to run smoothly.”

Our work on the project also included a comprehensive fixed furniture and equipment package comprising bespoke installations and new finishes applied throughout. All works were completed to meet the technical standards within the Hospital Technical Memorandum compliance guide.

Whiston Hospital opened in 2010 and is a state-of-the-art facility offering outstanding care to patients across Merseyside, Cheshire and beyond.​

Staff from Warden have raised £6,700 for children from disadvantaged communities by taking part in the gruelling Tough Mudder challenge.

A team of 20 from Warden took part in the event which sees competitors supporting each other to complete an exhausting 10k obstacle course in Heaton Park.

The team raised the money for our 2024 Manchester charity of the year Wood Street Mission, which supports struggling families in Manchester and Salford.

The funds raised by Warden will go towards Wood Street Mission’s Smart Start campaign which provides children from struggling families with the right school uniform, ensuring children feel confident and comfortable and can achieve their full potential.

Ian Williams, our managing director and one of our 20 participants, said: “We found out about the amazing support offered by Wood Street Mission during our work on the installation of the Manchester Christmas Markets.

“We decided to make it our Manchester charity of the year for 2024 and we’ve done a number of things to support them, but this was by far the toughest. We’ve been blown away by the generous support from our friends, colleagues and customers and would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who donated and got involved in our fundraising activity throughout the year.”

Des Lynch, chief executive at Wood Street Mission, added: “Warden’s team have done an incredible job raising money that will make a life-changing difference to many families living in poverty.

“It was great to visit the team earlier in the year and see the amazing work they have been doing to drive donations; we thank them for their ongoing support.”

As well as the Tough Mudder challenge, our staff have taken part in a variety of activities to support Wood Street Mission, including a Christmas jumper fundraiser, book sale donations, and support for the Wood Street Mission Christmas Appeal.

We have also supported a number of other charities and good causes through our commitment to building social value.

If you’d like donate to our Tough Mudder fundraising for Wood Street Mission visit our JustGiving page.

Warden employees past and present came together for a celebration event marking our 70^th anniversary.

Our team gathered at the Ivory Tower venue in Preston on Friday 17 May for the event which marked seven decades since the company was founded in 1954 (see our photo gallery below).

Ian Williams, managing director of Warden, commented: “It was great to spend time with so many of our staff and their partners, as well as welcoming back some of our former and retired colleagues.

“We’re immensely proud of our heritage and what we have achieved, especially over the last few years, with our growth and diversification into new areas. Not only was it a great opportunity to celebrate how far we’ve come, it was about looking to the future too and how we can continue progressing and growing our people.”

Adrian Atkinson, commercial director, added: “Ivory Tower hosted a fantastic event that enabled us to celebrate the past, present and future of Warden Construction.”

Warden is organising several events and social value initiatives will be going on throughout the year to mark the anniversary. You can read more about the history of Warden Construction in our previous article looking ahead to our anniversary.

Warden Construction colleagues past and present will come together next month to celebrate the company’s 70^th birthday.

May marks seven decades since the business was founded in Lancashire in 1954 by the Kenworthy family, initially as a building supplies business before becoming a contractor in its own right in the early 1960s.

Ian Williams, managing director of Warden, said: “From its early days as a building materials supplier to becoming the regional contractor it is today, the Warden story is an eventful and successful one.

“While the business has grown significantly, it still feels like a family firm – which is very important to us. Our current leadership team always talk about us being custodians rather than owners of the business.

“We want Warden to be around in another 70 years, still delivering buildings that have a positive impact on people and building social value for our communities.”

Adrian Atkinson, commercial director of Warden, added: “Everything that is important to us now, like looking after people, investing in skills and training, and going above and beyond for our clients, has been there from the very beginning.

“Our 70th anniversary comes at a time we’re we continue to grow and diversify, helping clients in a wide range of sectors, and also supporting our clients with big challenges like fire safety and decarbonisation.”

The history of Warden Construction

In 1954, Robert (Bob) Kenworthy left his job as managing director of a large regional building contractor to set up Warden Builders Supplies Ltd. The company supplied building materials and construction plant to large construction companies and initially provided gravel, stone and excavators for runway building projects throughout England.

In the early 1960s, Warden Building Supplies became Warden Builders as the company started undertaking groundworks, predominantly for petrol filling stations forecourts. By the mid-sixties the firm was undertaking building work for the first time, with one of the first projects being the refurbishment of the Midland (now HSBC) Bank in St Annes-On-Sea.

David Kenworthy joined the business in 1972 and was followed by his brother Peter. During the 1970s the company became a well-respected building contractor with a strong specialism in the construction of petrol filling stations for major oil companies and supermarket retail operators. During the 1980s, Warden continued working on petroleum installations throughout the UK, but also developed a strong presence as a respected local builder with the public and private sectors.

Following a management buyout in 1984, David Kenworthy became managing director, and the business grew throughout the 80s and 90s into a regional building contractor undertaking housing, commercial, industrial, education and healthcare projects for public and private sector customers.

In 1997, Richard Kenworthy joined Warden with the company progressing into partnering framework arrangements with blue chip and public sector clients. As the service offering developed, the company became Warden Construction Limited and began offering a full end to end service from land acquisition to facility management.

In the 2000s, Warden continued to build a reputation for delivering challenging projects in the education, healthcare, public sector, and commercial and industrial sectors, with Ian Williams and Adrian Atkinson becoming a key part of the management team.

Ian and Adrian continued to oversee the growth of Warden and led a further management buyout of the company in 2021. The existing management team has instilled a strong ethos of attracting, developing and retaining talented people, as well as putting social value and sustainability at the heart of the business.

Eagle-eyed motorsports fans caught a glimpse of the famous Warden blue and yellow as it flashed by at this month’s North West Stages – a rally event that marks the first round of the 2024 British Rally Championship.

Warden was proud to support local rally team 3AMotorsport during the event which took place on rural roads around Lancashire.

Held over the weekend of March 22^nd and 23^rd, the North West Stages featured over 130 competitors from across the UK, Ireland and even Australia, competing over 10 closed road stages in areas including Chipping, Garstang, Scorton and Lancaster.

Thousands of spectators lined the roadside during the event, all getting a chance to see the Warden branding adorning 3AMotorsport’s Mitsubishi Evo 6.

The event also gained coverage on ITV and was publicised by many well-known brands including ProTyre, M-Sport, Motorsport UK and Probite.

The North West Stages has always had a strong focus on raising money for charity and more than £250,000 has been raised throughout the history of the event. This year the event raised money for a number of local charities and environmental projects, which are due to be announced soon.

Warden has supported the North West Stages for many years, including providing operational and logistical support for the event in the past.

Warden’s work on two decarbonisation and net zero projects has been recognised at some of the construction sector’s leading business awards for sustainability.

Our project on behalf of Manchester City Council to create new solar car ports at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester won in the low value project category at the North West Construction Hub Awards.

The project was also highly commended in the Large Project of the Year category at the North West Energy Efficiency Awards on February 15.

Meanwhile, our work with Greater Manchester Combined Authority to improve the energy efficiency of a number of its key buildings was named Gold Winner in the Energy Saving category at the recent Green Apple Awards.

Susie Harrison-Serella, business development manager at Warden, said: “We’re working on a growing number of decarbonisation projects as the journey towards carbon net zero gathers pace. It’s an area where we have built a real specialism.

“These projects require true partnership working to make them a success and we’re absolutely thrilled this collaborative approach has been recognised by these leading industry awards.”

Warden’s work with GMCA involved the installation of solar photovoltaic panels at Ashton-Under-Lyne Fire Station, Bury Fire Station, Greater Manchester Police Headquarters, Greater Manchester Police North Manchester Divisional Headquarters, and Greater Manchester Police Openshaw SOCH Building.

Meanwhile, our project at the National Cycling Centre saw us construct new solar car ports within two car parking areas. These car ports provide shelter for parked vehicles while generating renewable energy for use on site or for the charging of electric vehicles. The project was delivered as part of a wider programme of renewable energy projects across Greater Manchester funded by European Regional Development Fund.

Warden’s vision for growth and building social value was shared with colleagues at our recent company update and staff engagement event.

Team Warden came together at Bolton’s Toughsheet Stadium to learn more about our future plans and to recognise colleagues with a series of staff awards.

We also used the event to shine the spotlight on our nominated charity for the year, Wood Street Mission in Manchester, which works to improve the life chances of children and families through a wide range of support.

Ian Williams, our managing director, said: “It was great to bring the whole team together to help everyone understand what we’re looking to achieve as a business and also to recognise the outstanding contribution made by colleagues.

“It’s important to us that our people see we’re not just delivering construction projects, we’re part of something much bigger – helping to build value for communities and make society better.

“This was demonstrated when we had a presentation from Wood Street Mission who do some amazing work to support children and families in Manchester. It was very humbling and inspiring to see the work they do and to understand how we can help them.”

Awards presented at the event included Apprentice of the Year (Martin Hehir), Health and Safety Award (Neil Addison), Above and Beyond (Tom Davies), Hero of the Yearo (Gordon Dawson) and Project of the Year (group effort).