The 30th April will be a day that will be forever etched in our hearts. It’s the day we lost our father and founder.
On the 25th May we gathered at the Coniston Hotel and heard speeches from friends and colleagues. If our father could have been with us we think he would have thoroughly enjoyed the celebration, and that it was, a celebration of a character who many had grown to love, despite his to-the-point nature! The overarching theme of those who spoke about him was that he was a man driven by his values. A man who came from nothing, but had big dreams. Those values are what drives us at Skipton Properties. Brian set out to build better and we’ve done that for over 35 years. Sarah and I will be honouring our father each and every day to ensure these values continue to flow through the company.
Charity has always been one of those values so in honour of our father we raised almost £5,000 for Manorlands Hospice from friends, family, colleagues, suppliers and contractors. We’re doubling it and will be donating a whopping £10,000 to the charity. From Sarah and I, we’re like to say a BIG thank you to all those that donated. As well as a further thank you to all of your kind words you’ve sent. It really has meant the world to us.
Today, I thought I’d personally write this post and owing to the fact we’re a family company, share a few of our family through the years.
We are looking for a new addition to the team. You’ll join our Sales Manager and Marketing Manager to form the core support for our sales in our Head Office in Cross Hills.
We need someone dynamic, who works really well in a team and is able to take on new and exciting tasks with ease.
You’ll be assisting the team in delivering an excellent customer experience for our homebuyers. From the moment they walk through the door of our Marketing Suites until they get the keys to their home.
Your benefits:
The annual salary is £21,000 plus a performance related bonus
There’ll be opportunity for personal development and progression
Access to the company physio, pension and more employee benefits
A little about you!
You will be a whiz with Microsoft Office, including both word and excel
An eye for detail
Strong communication skills and the ability multi-task
A confident speaker, with a customer focused outlook
Previous experience in a customer facing role would be beneficial
You will work well in a team with a ‘muck in’ approach, being flexible and highly resilient
You must have a strong work ethic, working well under pressure with excellent organisational and administrative skills and the ability to meet deadlines.
A UK driving license will be required to carry out development visits
A little about the role (it isn’t exhaustive!):
Monitoring sales progression including review of reservation documents to ensure information is complete.
Legal chasing on a Tuesday and Wednesday when our Sales Advisors aren’t in the office, reporting any issues to the Sales Manager in order to quickly resolve them.
Organising Customer Care Snagging prior to handover of our homes, liaising with the Construction Manager and Directors.
Ensuring all notes on our sales system are clear, concise and portray the latest on each sale.
Ensuring the sales database is kept up to date, including adding or removing discontinued products to the selection area.
Approval of all selection forms before they are distributed to Site Managers, including checking for stock levels/discontinuations and accuracy. Raising any issues with the Sales Manager and Ordering.
Ensuring information on site is present and correct, and liaising with the Sales Advisors to ensure they have all they need.
Regularly checking the website for accuracy/presentation to assist the Marketing Manager.
Liaising with estate agents on sales.
Checking all plans against construction specifications.
Being the main point of contact for all new sites, discussing potential homeowners requirements so that when a Sales Advisor is assigned we have full information about their position and affordability.
Assisting the Marketing Manager in taking progression photos on site to use for our portfolio and to be able to properly vet the photos/information that goes out to customers.
Assisting the Sales Advisor on the handover of properties on busy months/holiday/sickness.
Preparing head office handover information in conjunction with Customer Care.
Admin duties related to sales and marketing.
We’d like to hire someone a fantastic candidate as soon as possible and encourage those applying to be ready for interview. As this is a new role in the business we are offering a temp to perm contract. The temporary contract would run for 6 months and would be reviewed at this point.
Your working hours would be Monday – Friday 8:30-5pm, with the occasional need for weekend work during launch events (this might be a few times a year).
Apply here. We look forward to receiving your application!
£2560 raised for our charity partner, The Principle Trust
We continued in the footsteps of our late founder over the weekend, raising money for our charity partner, The Principle Trust at the Dragon Boat Race at the Coniston Hotel. We’ll admit though, we don’t think Brian would have got in the boat! The team didn’t make it all the way, but it was a close call in the semi-finals. As they say, it is the taking part that counts, especially when it is for such a worthy cause.
A BIG thank you to our team members who were happy to take themselves a little less seriously for the day. Special thanks go to our Quantity Surveyor, John, AKA David Bowie, who looked especially fetching in his red wig!
We help two families a month take some time out of their every day by partnering with the Principle Trust. We’ve committed to support them all year round, by donating each and every month, but also by focusing our fundraising initiatives on the charity.
We thought it fitting to share one of our meet the team interviews with one of Brian’s very first hires, Alan Massie
Alan has worked with Brian for 32 years and has been by his side decade after decade, first joining the company as a bricklayer and moving through the company to Site Manager. Alan has had a long career in the building industry and has been an instrumental member of the team. To date, he’s probably had a hand in building over 1500 homes.
What is it like to work for Skipton Properties?
I’m proud to have worked for Skipton Properties for over 30 years. You don’t work for someone for that length of time without having an enormous amount of respect for the family and their values, the team they have built, and for our homeowners. Many changes have taken place over three decades but Sarah and Caroline still live and breathe those values.
What is your most significant professional achievement working for SP?
Working alongside Brian, assisting him to make Skipton Properties the company it has become. I can think of no professional title that fits that working relationship.
You’ve worked here now for 32 years, what has kept you here for so long?
The love of the Construction trade I learnt from a 16yr old apprentice brickie through to becoming a Site Manger. The comradeship between BV and his staff that moulded us to be the best, to build the best homes and do it with pride.
What is the most interesting and involved project you have worked on so far?
We’ve taken on a lot of interesting and difficult projects over the years that many companies would walk away from. Ebor Mills and the conversion of three traditional workers cottages have to be the most difficult, yet interesting renovation to date. Seeing the beautiful renovation of the first building, The Warehouse, and seeing our customers make them home, makes it all worth it.
What was your first development?
The first development I worked on as a bricklayer was Balderstone near Preston where we converted 5-6 barns to new properties. The first site I was a Site Manager was Waterside at Oxenhope where I won my first site manager award and a top 100 award with the NHBC. BV went on to win The Region Award for the site across the road a few years later.
It was with profound sadness that we announced the passing of our father and founder on the 30th April 2022. Brian was a man who loved a celebration and certainly liked to raise a glass at such events. Instead of a traditional funeral and wake, we will be having a private cremation for family only and later we will be celebrating his life at the Coniston Hotel.
All that knew Brian are welcome at the celebration. Join us in the Bannister Suite at the hotel between the hours of 1 and 4pm on Wednesday 25th May. We invite you to join us to raise a glass to Brian and share in some of our memories of him. There’ll be a guest book at the event that we encourage you to share a few of your thoughts in so please look out for that. We’ll also be preparing a few buffet bites.
In lieu of any flowers we are encouraging donations to Sue Ryder’s Manorlands Hospice. You can bring a little change on the day or make a donation here.
Brian felt sport provided an avenue for children and young adults to learn perseverance and discipline. It’s the reason why he supported Wharfedale Rugby Club and many other sporting institutions for much of his life. Our heartfelt thanks go to the President of the club, John Spencer, for these touching words.
‘Members of our club are so sorry to hear that Brian Verity passed away on 30th April. Our sincere condolences go to Linda, Sarah and Caroline and their families.
Brian was impressed by the values which Wharfedale Rugby Club offered to young people in the sporting world. We often hear about principles of discipline, inspiration, stimulation, encouragement and quality of performance. These were all aspects of rugby to which Brian thoroughly subscribed.
In days when serious sponsorship was in its infancy, Brian had no hesitation in offering Wharfedale substantial financial support to enable us to compete at a level which was probably well above that which was justified by our geographical situation, competition from other sports and our comparatively small population of rugby promise. But Brian had faith. He visited us on a very regular basis as well as supporting other clubs and charities which met his criteria. The result is that, despite intervening turbulence and difficulties, we were able to build a foundation that was strong enough to survive any tribulations thrown at us.
Brian was always encouraged by his dear wife, Linda, who was an ever present guide and who gave equal support, and his two daughters, Sarah and Caroline.
Brian’s business acumen was amply illustrated by his success in founding and developing Skipton Properties, a company which now thrives in a challenging market and which Sarah and Caroline continue to promote successfully. One can fully understand why Brian thought that core values in rugby are just as relevant to the commercial world.
Brian was often direct and tenacious in his communications but his attitude was usually based on humour. I recall vividly introducing Brian to Sir Clive Woodward at a post match dinner at Twickenham when England had lost and when Clive was the head coach. Brian told Clive unmercifully that his selection was wrong, his game patterns were appalling and the decision making on the field was hopeless! He was probably right – and laughed about his approach immediately afterwards.
We have shared great memories with Brian and Linda and extremes of emotions.
We are so thankful for the huge encouragement that Brian and Linda have so freely given to us. Our performances on the field, as a total club, at the end of the season, and the character that is so evident, are an appropriate tribute to Brian’s invaluable contribution over the years. We are privileged to acknowledge Brian’s spirit and understanding.
It’s with profound sadness we share the news that Brian Verity, our founder and chairman passed away on 30th April 2022 after a short but brave battle with myeloma.
Brian had a significant impact on the business landscape in and around Skipton; his legacy can be seen in bricks and mortar across Yorkshire and Lancashire. Brian was a man who had a dream; a dream to build better homes and that is exactly what he did. Starting with his very first development, Carleton Park in Skipton, where he built over 100 homes. This is no small feat for a first project, and he accomplished this with the help of several contractors, but the experience ignited his desire to build homes with his own team. Over the years he has built a long-serving and loyal team of people who have worked for the company for a significant period. His first Site Manager, Alan Massie, is still with us to this day and remembers Brian’s two daughters as young girls.
Over the course of Brian’s life, he has built over 3500 quality homes across the two counties. A very passionate man, he put his heart and soul into his business, and was well respected by his employees, consultants, and peers. Brian was also a businessman that wanted to change the way things were done and voiced his frustrations regarding planning. A position his daughter continues to champion in her role as Chair of the National Federation of Builders. Brian and his daughter’s visionary approach to our business and commitment to high standards has earned us many awards, most recently Housebuilder of the Year at the Construction Awards of Excellence.
Brian was a man who wanted to share his success with local causes and has been a long supporter of local sports clubs, Manorlands Hospice, Airedale Hospital, Cave Rescue and many other worthy charities across the region.
He leaves behind his loving wife and two daughters who have, with his guidance, shaped the company into what it is today. Sarah Barraclough has been the company’s Managing Director since 2019 and continues in this position. His youngest daughter, Caroline, continues her role as Sales, Marketing and Design Director.
We plan to celebrate Brian’s extraordinary life in the next few weeks, all that knew Brian are welcome. The celebration will take place on Wednesday 25th May, 1 until 4pm in the Bannister Suite at the Coniston Hotel. In honour of our late founder, we will be closing our developments and Head Office for the day. We request that any donations in lieu of flowers are given to Manorlands Hospice, collections plates will be available on the day or donations can be made here.
The Construction Awards of Excellence are an independent awards ceremony, where all construction businesses across Great Britain are eligible to enter.
The awards recognise individual and team excellence, and identify companies that set the gold standard in the construction sector. The National Federation of Builders (NFB) established the Awards, which were judged independently and chaired by Lord Stunell.
The award judges said that in a very strong category, we delivered outstanding projects of high quality with an acute awareness of both environmental and social factors – and also built on difficult sites which other developers wouldn’t have wanted to touch!
So what does this mean to us? Well, a great deal! In the past few years we have taken on some every difficult developments that have tested us to our limits, including regeneration projects at St Stephens Place in Skipton, and more recently Ebor Mills, Haworth and sites with either steep topography or where water runs right through our development.
Sarah Barraclough, Managing Director adds ‘Thank you to our team for your passion, and our homeowners for believing in us, we couldn’t have done it without you! We are always trying to re-imagine our homes and the way we do things to build better homes for our customers, being awarded House Builder of the Year 2022 definitely gives us a spring in our step.’
Our ‘Community Grants’ is changing. This year we’re partnering with The Principle Trust Children’s Charity so we can make a big difference to underprivileged children in the region.
Making the announcement Mike Davies said “We are delighted that Skipton Properties has joined The Trust as a patron; they are a family firm with traditional values which align closely with our own ethos of supporting families. This partnership will form a significant part of our plans to expand services across the region”.
A bit about the Trust: Established in 2011 by Mike Davies, MBE, the charity serves families throughout Yorkshire, providing free respite holidays to children who are underprivileged, disadvantaged, disabled, have life-limiting conditions, or who have experienced poverty, trauma or abuse.
Their aim is to improve the mental and emotional wellbeing of children and provide some relief from the poverty, crime, disability, and any other disadvantage they may be enduring. Between 2011 and 2021, The Trust provided free holidays t0 4100 children. The Trust owns and operates six holiday homes, 2 in the Lake District, 3 near Blackpool and one in Ribble Valley.
Sarah Barraclough, our Managing Director, said “We are excited be joining the Principle Trust as patrons. Our family-first ethos is reflected in everything we do; from the design of our homes to our responsibilities to our employees. Our commitment to the Trust will help them to provide free respite holidays to dozens more families every year”
Why is there a need for what they offer?
As well as disadvantage due to poverty across the UK there are 1.2 million disabled children. Families with disabled children face extra costs, on average £581 per month and in almost a quarter of families with disabled children their extra costs can amount to more than £1000 a month. These extra costs will undoubtedly exacerbate circumstances for those families that may already be in poverty and unable to afford day to day living, never mind a holiday.
As a children’s charity they work with several referring partners, including teachers, children’s hospices, special needs schools, social services and other local authorities across Yorkshire.
How do they address the need?
The Trust currently own 6 holiday homes, 3 of which have been adapted specifically with disabled children in mind, one at Ribblesdale Park, Gisburn and the other 2 at White Cross Bay, Windermere. Their other 3 homes are caravans at the fun filled Haven Marton Mere site, near Blackpool. Each child that is referred to them and is eligible receives a FREE week at one of their holiday homes, along with their siblings, parents or carers.
What differentiates them from other small charities?
‘At The Principle Trust 100% of every £1 raised goes straight to the development of the charity and is not used for administration or wages. Our 2 full time and 1 part time staff salaries are paid for by owned company ‘Corporate Sponsorship’ who we also share an office with. We can therefore safely say that every penny we raise foes towards providing disadvantaged and disabled children (and their families or carers) a free respite holiday at one of our holiday homes. No other charity in Yorkshire provides 200 FREE holidays for underprivileged, disadvantaged, and disabled children per annum. What the charity offers is truly unique!’
Have you ever dreamt of living in a brand new community in a popular West Yorkshire town benefitting from great transport links and stunning surroundings to explore?
If you answered yes, then The Ermystead at Bolton Gardens could be for you! This attractive house style has a double bay frontage and features four double bedrooms and a luxury specification.
On the ground floor, the left-hand bay is occupied by an integrated single garage. The right-hand bay is home to the living room, which features a traditional wood burning stove and double doors to the dining and kitchen, creating a large, wraparound living space. The central entrance hallway also has a door to the kitchen, as well as to the W.C. An internal door from the garage opens onto the utility room, which in turn leads to the kitchen. The dining area has double doors to the rear patio and turfed garden.
Upstairs there are four double bedrooms leading off the central landing.
The master suite is especially large, with space to create a dressing area as well as an en suite shower room, while the remaining bedrooms share a family bathroom with bath.
As with every Skipton Properties home, at Bolton Gardens our homes have been designed to complement the local architecture and the surrounding landscape, which helps to really set this development apart.
The homes are situated to maximise views over the rolling green fields and their drystone wall boundaries, and are a mix of favourite, tried and tested house types and new house styles designed specially for Bolton Gardens. The development is ideally situated close to the centre of Silsden, a popular, well-connected town that’s convenient for commuting.
Like to find out more? Head over to the development page here or view the home style, The Ermystead here.
