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2020 has been a year like no other – however, despite the difficulties the past twelve months have presented, we’ve been proud to have worked on some exceptional and rewarding projects.
January: Our Nottingham depot began the year by working with innovative housing provider Melius Homes on a ground-breaking project. Melius Homes was appointed by Nottingham City Homes to deliver a whole-house retrofit to 155 homes using the net-zero energy Energiesprong approach, which has significantly improved the energy efficiency of thousands of homes in the Netherlands. Ainscough was appointed by Melius Homes on a contract lift basis to lift the energy-efficient cladding into place using a 40t crane.
February: There were celebrations for our Cambridge team this month when it was announced by Highways England that work on the A14 upgrade meant the new road would be opening more than half a year early. Ainscough had worked on numerous elements of the project since it began in November 2016, including a landmark role at Section 3, which covers the area from Huntingdon to Godmanchester, lifting into place the last bridge beams in the sector.
March: Our Special Projects team undertook one of the year’s most interesting jobs this month, working with Metcalfe Farms Haulage at Catterick Garrison. Located near the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors, Catterick is the largest garrison of the British Army, comprising several barracks with a population of about 13,000. An LTM1750-9.1 crane was used to lift two decommissioned tanks onto concrete plinths as Gate Guardians, positioned at the entrance to the barracks.
April: The following month, Ainscough’s Invergordon depot has completed work refitting various locomotive parts for Strathspey Railway, as part of a scheme to restore some of their iconic steam trains to their former glory. Ainscough’s team lifted a new boiler into a steam train known as the 5025, the oldest model of its type currently in preservation.
May: During the third month of lockdown, our Heavy Cranes team was appointed by Dodfrey Engineering and Princes Ltd to help with major investment works at Princes’ food manufacturing site at Long Sutton near Kings Lynn. Long Sutton is Princes largest food manufacturing site in the UK, producing a range of canned products – the work was crucial with ongoing food production identified as a key national priority by the UK Government during lockdown. Ainscough undertook a large scope of work, lifting various M&E items onto the property.
June: At the height of summer, our Preston depot worked with Aggreko, a supplier of power generation temperature control equipment, to assist a client whose production had stopped due to a broken chiller. The customer required a 300kW chiller to connect to its existing air handling unit (AHU). After discussing their requirements with Aggreko, a solution was identified and we were enlisted to help install the unit.
July: Our Heavy Cranes team was appointed by Keltbray Lifting Services, in collaboration with Keltbray Decommissioning and Wentworth House Partnership in order to safely remove a fire damaged turbine on behalf of the client EDF. The activity took place at Walkway Wind Farm in Billingham, County Durham, and involved the safe recovery of a fire damaged nacelle.
August: Heavy Cranes were also in action in Stockport this month, working with CTS Bridges to help install a new 40m bridge over the River Goyt in Stockport, representing a landmark moment for a council project that has helped to transform the town’s transport networks.
September: Further bridge installations took place in September, as we worked with Nu Steel Structures to install two new pedestrian and cycle bridges over areas of the Lincoln Eastern Bypass as part of lead contractor Galliford Try’s work on the major infrastructure project.
October: At the start of this month, team members from our Preston and Manchester depots worked to lift new air‐handling units onto the top of The Spine – the flagship building within Paddington Village, the £1bn development project within the city’s Knowledge Quarter. The work was undertaken for M&E contractor TClarke, working on behalf of main contractor Overbury, who are completing the fit-out of the building.
November: This month, we celebrated supporting our client Rig Lift (UK) Limited with the complex installation of the world’s first ‘Sky Pool’ at Embassy Gardens in Nine Elms, London ‐ one of Europe’s most significant regeneration projects. Adjacent to the US Embassy, the fully transparent swimming pool will hold an estimated 148,000 litres of water and is anticipated to open in Spring 2021.
December: During a highly unpredictable year, our Preston depot was happy to return to Southport to once again work with electrical contractor IllumiDex UK Ltd. to lift Southport’s iconic 18 metre conical Christmas tree into place.
Thank you to all our clients and partners for helping us deliver our work during what has been a challenging year for us all. On behalf of everyone at Ainscough Crane Hire, wishing you all a happy new year – we look forward to working with you again in 2021.
