A Tour of Aptus in 2024

Wishing everyone a Healthy & Happy 2025! As we are about to start the New Year we look back fondly on another busy year with so many highlights it was hard to choose our favourites. Here is a quick tour of what we have been up to at Aptus in 2024!

1. Safety Stand Down – we get together the first week back in January annually for a business performance update and health and safety review. This year the session involved driver awareness training and a focus on drivers’ legal rights and responsibilities.

2. Race At Your Pace – we embraced a corporate challenge in February to improve our fitness and encourage people to get outdoors in winter. We smashed our target, walking, running and cycling over 4,000 miles!

3. Apprenticeships & Training – during National Apprenticeship Week in February, the spotlight was on our award-winning training programmes and how Aptus is building a workforce fit for the future.

4. BWFC Sleep Out – in March, two colleagues spent a blustery night in the stands of Bolton Wanderers Football Club to raise funds for charity and highlight issues around homelessness. Aptus United reunited to compete in historic football tournament the Orphanage Cup in support of Child Action Northwest (CANW).

5. Long service recognition – in April we celebrated two colleagues achieving a decade’s service with Aptus, with more team members joining the ‘elite club’ throughout the year.

6. Mental Health Awareness Week – in May we shared the ways we are moving more for our mental health and highlighted colleagues’ fitness endeavours in aid of charity; the Aptus Run Club also launches.

7. Biannual Safety Stand Downs return – forums are reintroduced in June to support our nationwide operations and integrate new team members; this also allows us to examine topical issues around safeguarding our workforce.

8. Exhibitions & Industry Events – attending Housing 2024 and Northumbrian Water Group’s Developer Conference and other events allows us to keep abreast of industry developments and build relationships with suppliers, partners and clients.

9. Investment in Fleet – we bolster our services with the addition of five cutting-edge new water chlorination vehicles.

10. New Government – in July MD Lisa Kerford responds to the election result and Labour’s pledge to back housebuilding, and we examine some of the challenges ahead.

11. Evolving Utilities – Our team offers insights on how housebuilders can prepare for new standards coming into force in 2025, examining the impact of The Future Homes and Buildings Standard, the transition to no-gas in new homes and grid capacity.

12. Yorkshire Growth – more than four years since our Normanton depot launched in Wakefield, we look at how far we’ve come and share our ambitions for the county.

13. Wellbeing Support – we team up with UK Healthcare to offer voluntary health screenings, testing blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels to support a proactive approach to managing health.

14. Family Fun Day – we get together in the September sun to socialise outside of work and thank our team and their families for all their hard work and support throughout the year.

15. Aptus Academy – members came together for a day developing professional skills, teambuilding and learning about AI. We also welcomed new T Level students and four multi utility apprentices graduate.

16. Changes to the Infrastructure Charging Structure – we have been working with customers throughout the year to prepare them for the changes, due to be introduced in March 2025. Our team attends United Utilities Developer Day to learn more about the changes and support our industry partners.

17. Gold Club Members – we were delighted to maintain our Gold status with RoSPA, recognising our commitment to health and safety. We also maintained Gold Membership of The 5% Club which evaluates our training initiatives and commitment to providing ‘earn and learn’ opportunities.

18. Road Safety Campaign – in November we donated hi-vis tops to schools, raised awareness around road safety, and highlighted the importance of effective streetlighting in winter.

19. Awards Sponsorship – November also saw us attend an inaugural property awards ceremony in Lancashire. Sponsoring awards is a great way to show our support for the residential and property sector and celebrate its successes.

20. Aptus Annual Awards – the Christmas party was again the setting for our annual awards which recognise the amazing efforts from people across our business – well done to all the winners and nominees!

21. Charity at Christmas – on Christmas Jumper Day we were out in force wearing an array of colourful and inventive outfits. Thanks to everyone who has supported our charitable efforts this year.

22. ESG & Net Zero – our first Net Zero report shows that Aptus reduced CO2 emissions by 27% between March 2023 and April 2024 and is on track to achieve net zero status by 2046. Read the full report here.

23. Awards recognition for Aptus – in December we were excited to learn the news that our People Director Natasha Clarke has been shortlisted for an HR Leader award. Aptus has also been shortlisted for health and safety recognition by Tomorrow’s Health and Safety magazine: anyone can vote, including Aptus employees, clients and industry partners – you can show your support here!

24. Outlook for 2025 – we are optimistic that the new year will see a kickstart in construction driven by the government’s economic growth plans, with housebuilding and new infrastructure central to their ambitions. We will continue to work closely with our industry partners to prepare them for the challenges and changes ahead, while continuing to invest in developing the skills and talent we need to ensure we maintain a first-class service for our clients.

Make sure you never miss out – keep up to date with all our news throughout the year in Aptus Connections here!

Published on 31st December 2024