If you haven’t been to Historic Environment Scotland (HES)’s building conservation centre in Stirling I would recommend a visit. The venue, The Engine Shed is right next to the railway and it is here where the knowledge of and skills covering traditional building materials and the conservation of older buildings are developed.
The FMB was invited to the Heritage Skills Procurement event at The Engine Shed in January. My thanks to Pam Wilson of Kevin Wilson Master Builders in securing our invitation. Pam is your Scotland President and has a lot of experience in delivering heritage construction projects. The event was set up so building contractors such as Pam’s business could learn about upcoming contracts and available funding from HES.
Clients learn more about choosing the FMB
On the day, roofing and building contractors including a few FMB members popped in, but it was mainly client groups such as the National Trust for Scotland that attended. Each of them having demand for conservation works on their various heritage buildings in Scotland. They were seeking suitable and reputable contractors to deliver the works. So it was useful for them to find out more about the FMB’s community of members and how they can be found on the FMB website. Some of them quizzing me on our membership criteria and vetting process.
I also met some potential members and talked them through the services and support provided by the FMB. Also present were heritage conservation architects and suppliers of building materials: some of them eager to grab a copy of our Master Builder magazine.
If you would like to find out more about the funding available from HES to help upskill your team to meet the demand for traditional building skills, please get in touch.
Authors
Gordon Nelson
Director, Federation of Master Builders Scotland
