CRASH is the construction industry’s charity that helps homelessness and hospice organisations with their construction projects to create places that care for people when they are at their most vulnerable.

By uniting the industry and channelling the expertise and products of companies, CRASH transforms hostels and day centres for homeless people across the UK as well as helping adults and children who need end of life care in a hospice by creating caring environments where families can spend precious time together.

By working collaboratively, CRASH supports to deliver assistance through its patrons, free of charge professional expertise, sourcing and specifying building materials, and awarding cash grants donated by the construction and property industry.

Flat roof manufacturer Bauder has been a patron of CRASH since 2008 and is delighted to have been presented with a number of awards, most recently ‘Most Donated Materials’ in 2019.

Bauder area technical manager, James Utting, was also honoured with a Special Recognition Award following his incredible fundraising deed. James, a keen runner, took on the infamous Marathon des Sables challenge - dubbed as the toughest foot race on earth. The event consists of 6 marathons over 5 days across the Sahara Desert whilst carrying food, water, clothing, and bedding. James completed the race and raised a staggering £6,630 for CRASH.

As well as donating materials and undertaking individual and companywide fundraising activities, Bauder supports CRASH by providing services such as project management, complimentary specification writing and enlisting Bauder approved roofing contractors to contribute their skills.

CRASH and Bauder projects

Archcliffe Fort, Dover
Bauder teamed up with roofing contractor, G Baker Roofing, and rooflight specialist, Xtralite, to help CRASH and homelessness charity Emmaus with the refurbishment of the Emmaus’s Dover facility, which is situated on the historical site of Archcliffe Fort.

On the clifftop overlooking the harbour of Dover, the Emmaus community comprises several buildings set on a large Scheduled Monument site. Over the last 12 years there had been no developments on the site and maintenance had generally followed a reactive approach due to limited finances. As a result, Emmaus Dover Trustees approached CRASH for urgent help to develop the site including refurbishing the main roof area, which had exceeded its serviceable life and been experiencing water ingress.

After an initial visit to the project with fellow CRASH patrons, Bauder undertook a comprehensive roof survey and discovered amongst other issues that because of the nature of restrictions on a Scheduled Monument, Emmaus had not been able to install many energy saving features such as double glazing, resulting in them having large heating and energy bills.

Consequently, it was proposed that Bauder approved contractor G Baker Roofing would not only replace 300m² of the failing existing waterproofing with Bauder’s high quality, long lasting bituminous system Bauderflex, but would also improve the thermal performance of the building with Bauder’s 120mm PIR FA-TE insulation. 11 state-of-the-art Xtralite rooflights were also installed to effectively provide daylight and ventilation to the interior.

In order to make this renovation project possible, CRASH awarded a grant of £30,000 to help restore the building’s structure, while Bauder, G Baker Roofing and Xtralite provided expert technical advice and all roofing materials free of charge.

Jesus Centre, Coventry
Homeless charity, Jesus Centre, applied to CRASH to repair the roof of its day centre that had been neglected for over 20 years and was showing clear signs of damage. Following a Bauder conditional survey several areas of fragile deck were identified as well as a lack of insulation, resulting in poor U-values for the building.

Bauder then put together a specification that included compliance to building regulations, in particular Part L thermal performance, which encompassed the Bauderflex system with 120mm FA-TE insulation. Keen to involve other operatives from the roofing industry, Bauder enlisted the help of Martin Rice, Managing Director at General Asphalt Ltd to install the system.

Ann Hawker, Services Manager at Coventry Jesus said: ‘‘We would like to say a huge thank you to CRASH, Arcadis, Bauder and the General Asphalt Company for all their hard work in assessing the condition of our flat roof, determining the best solution to provide a new waterproof roof, and carrying out the work within a very tight time-frame. The finished result is fantastic and will help us to continue to provide a safe and welcoming space for our visitors in our basic needs drop in.’’

Halton Haven Hospice, Runcorn
Halton Haven Hospice provides specialist care to people who have life-limiting and terminal illnesses, along with support for their families in Widnes, Runcorn and the surrounding areas. The hospice applied to CRASH to help restore their conservatory roof which was showing clear signs of leaking.

‘‘The roof of our Inpatient Unit conservatory was not fit for purpose and was prone to leaking during poor weather. As a result, the conservatory had become inaccessible for long periods of time during the winter months’’ said Chris Andrews, Senior Fundraising Manager at the hospice.

Bauder and Arcadis offered their professional expertise and donated materials to allow the project to go ahead.

Paul Munley, Bauder Regional Manager for the North of England, project managed the scheme and said, “It was great to be involved in a project which will have a huge impact on the people coming into the hospice. The lounge and conservatory areas at Halton Haven are large, meaning entire families can gather in one place which is so important when a patient is coming towards the end of their life and the whole family wants to be together. The hospice had been struggling to resolve the issues within these rooms for some time and the solution was complicated and costly, the hospice would not have been able to fund and organise this on their own. Working with our key partner contractor and CRASH, we were able to transform the space and resolve all the issues of water ingress.

“Working with CRASH on projects such as the Halton Haven Hospice in this capacity allows us to donate more than just funds. By offering project management services, we can save costs on the overall scheme whilst ensuring the job is handled professionally.

“Having a hands-on approach enables us to understand the needs of the patients and specify a fitting solution. To play a small part in supporting an organisation which provides such an important service for people was fantastic.”

How can you help?

For many companies, Christmas celebrations will be pared back in response to social distancing guidance and economic challenges this year. Yet just a fraction of your usual Christmas entertainment budget could dramatically change this Christmas for those in need of help. Join Bauder by making a company donation to CRASH’s Christmas Card Appeal.

In return for a donation, your company will be provided with a co-branded CRASH Christmas e-card that you can send to your clients and employees and help charities that support people who are homeless or in a hospice.

“In today’s digital environment many people already prefer to send communication electronically rather than by post, so donating the money that we would have used to buy printed cards makes sense and is a great opportunity to help others less fortunate. Being a long-standing patron partner of CRASH, provides us with many occasions to help in a practical and tangible way and we will proactively continue to do so in the future, whether it is donating time, money or our roofing products.”, Andrew Mackenzie, Managing Director, Bauder Limited.