Ad
Friday, August 1, 2025
15.3 C
London

The Voice of Scaffolding Since 2008  |  U.K. Edition

Band of Builders charity appoints first CEO

- Advertisement -

Band of Builders has appointed its first Chief Executive Officer as part of ambitious plans to significantly increase the registered charity’s ability to help members of the UK construction industry who are battling illness or injury.

The fast-growing charity – which was founded in 2016 before becoming registered in 2019 – has appointed its former Chair of the Board of Trustees Gavin Crane into the newly created role as it looks to build on its solid foundations to expand its scope, reach and influence within the construction industry.

Mr Crane explained that his first challenge is to map out the strategy and direction of the charity for the next 5–10 years as it looks to build on its three cornerstones of providing practical support by completing projects, offering financial help to tradespeople facing hardship and making wellbeing services readily accessible to anyone in the construction industry who is in crisis.

“In its simplest form, the new CEO role will mean ensuring that more people support Band of Builders, so we can help more people,” said Mr Crane.

“It’s a very exciting time to be part of Band of Builders because the charity is gaining huge momentum, which is all down to the commitment of so many of our base of volunteers, who give their time generously to support the charity and its activities. It’s also down to the benefactors and sponsors who have given us significant financial support – in many cases making us their official charity partner.

“The board of trustees has ambitious plans for the growth of the charity, and the creation of this role is a huge statement of intent. I’m looking forward to being at the heart of taking Band of Builders to the next level.”

As well as being tasked with building more strategic partnerships and developing more fundraising opportunities, Mr Crane also has a wider-reaching ambition to be a positive voice on issues affecting the construction industry, such as apprenticeships, the skills gap, inclusion and gender discrimination.

His appointment comes at a time when the charity is working to complete a record-breaking 12 projects this year, is well underway with plans for its second annual Big Brew event this October (to highlight mental health within the construction industry and raise funds to expand on its recently launched wellbeing support service) and is bracing itself for a predicted rise in cases of requests for financial assistance if the cost of living crisis continues to bite.

He added: “I want to publicly thank everyone who helped Band of Builders get to this point, including all our volunteers and wider membership base, which is approaching 50,000 people. I’d also like to thank our sponsors and partners, including DeWALT, JewsonGibbs & DandyV12 FootwearTalaseyResideo and Haemmerlin. I’m very excited about what comes next, and I’m looking forward to more people becoming part of our charity and activities.”

The 38-year-old from Cambridgeshire has 20 years’ experience as a commercial  landscaping contractor and first became involved with the charity in 2017, when he was the Project Lead on Band of Builders’ second project, from which he says: “I got the bug.”

He joined the admin team in 2017, continuing to be involved closely with the charity, from taking part in projects to building relationships with corporate partners and joining in fundraising activities. Mr Crane became a trustee of the fledgling board in 2018 and its Chair of Trustees in 2020, before stepping down from the role earlier this year and winding down his own contracting business to take up the position as CEO.

Away from work, he and partner Louise have recently taken on an allotment as a way to relax.

- Advertisement -

Popular Categories

Most Read >

TG30 Update Drives Surge in Scaffold Compliance Downloads

The National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) has seen...

New Zealand to Ease Scaffolding Rules on Construction Sites

New Zealand is set to overhaul its scaffolding regulations...

New PERI UP Stair System Launched in UK After Global Debut

PERI’s latest addition to its scaffolding range, the PERI...

Scaffolding Industry Mourns the Loss of Founding Leader David Spice

Christchurch, New Zealand — The scaffolding community across New...

U.S Scaffolding Industry Leaders Sign Safety Pact

Two leading American safety organisations have announced a formal...
- Advertisements -

Related Articles >

BrandSafway Appoints Gabriel McCabe to Lead the Company Into 2025

BrandSafway, a global leader in access and speciality services, has announced Gabriel McCabe's appointment as its new President and CEO, effective January 1, 2025.  The announcement follows the planned retirement of current CEO Karl...

Latest Topics

ScaffCycle Launches to Help Firms Trade Surplus Scaffold

A new online platform designed to help scaffolding companies...

U.S Scaffolding Industry Leaders Sign Safety Pact

Two leading American safety organisations have announced a formal...

New PERI UP Stair System Launched in UK After Global Debut

PERI’s latest addition to its scaffolding range, the PERI...

Nominations Open for ScaffStars 2025

Nominations are now open for this year’s #ScaffStars –...
- Advertisement -