THE FAMILY ALBUM

Everyone knows Carole. Or it certainly seems like that.

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In former times, when such things were ordinary, if you ever came to a face-to-face APS conference people asked where Carole could be found and then stood chatting as if to family or a favourite neighbour. Listen in to calls to the association today and it’s the same: a friendly voice on the end of the line serving up information, support - and a measure of tough love too when needed. Carole also represents continuity and a link to the founding fathers of the association. Competence. And patience [sometimes this in more measured amounts!]. The welcome of home.

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Carole is the best of APS. And I make no apology for talking about her today because, as you may have seen, Carole has been propping up the association, the APS membership and conference bars around the country for a silver serving of 25 years. We cannot do without her. And we wouldn’t want to.

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But, like it or not, life moves on. Thankfully Carole has no intention of leaving us – or you. But we do need to refresh who we are and what we do as new things come in and the old ways of doing things are replaced.

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Who would have thought that, in just so few years, we could all be using IT for things that were once only achieved when we got together or through laborious exchanges of reems of paper [sent by post or courier]. I appreciate I have a bit of a nerve saying this as I am definitely one of those anti-people persons for whom the presumed proliferation of meetings is just more things that could have been better done by email. I know I am too old to be part of the modern trend to eschew human contact but, nevertheless, I have always preferred print to people – words have always been my sanctuary and it’s always been a huge surprise to me that other people find me sociable. Despite how it comes over I’ve always been a bit of a quivering wreck when going into a room of strangers. Perhaps, that is not so unusual and we all cover it up in our own ways.

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So, think back to your own experiences of starting new jobs and take a moment to consider what it has been like for people joining the workforce today. Let’s talk about new additions to the APS family.

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But, starting with the core team we are fortunate that headquarters – as well as Carole - is staffed with names and faces you probably all recognise: Nicola, Andrew, Laura, Sheena and Debbie. Me. But in the post-Covid era we have also added to our numbers.

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He’s been with us a while now and anyone who is anyone - and has attended APS webinars and CPD events - will have come to know Tommy. He has made such a positive impact on the quantity and quality of what we are delivering as part of your membership that is it really hard to imagine the association without him or the before he came.

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Behind the scenes, if you follow us on our increasing number of online platforms – Facebook, LinkedIn, X and now Instagram, there is Constantina who is working away to make our voice stand out. She does more than just advertise what is coming up for you but uses her superior set of modern communication skills to tell a widening circle of followers about what APS does and the benefits of joining our ranks.

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However, it is Claire for whom I feel most sorry. Claire has just joined the team and part of her task will be to organise and revamp the information we hold so it is useful and accessible. Currently, it’s like everyone’s worst cupboard under the stairs - nearly 30 years’ stuff that falls on your head, in no particular order, every time you open the door. It will take some time. But no sooner had Claire arrive than she was taken ill. There’s nothing to dent your confidence than worrying your new employer will think you are skiving. We don’t All we want is for her to get well - and then get stuck in.

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APS has always been a small organisation with big ambitions. There is nothing little or parochial about aiming to make our shared built environment safer and healthier. That we now think beyond the workers to everyone involved and using the projects on which you work is a good thing and reflects the spotlight now being shone on the construction sector in general.

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Construction is – and always will be – more than just the bricks and mortar. What is built is never just the four walls.

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Everyone who has ever collected the keys to a new house – be it humble or baronial - will know the dream always overflows the floor plan. Your space is more than the kitchen with integrated appliances, the ensuite, a space for a desk and some shelves for your books. Your space contains magic: friends and family; Christmases and christenings; first days at school and last days at work; anniversaries and homecomings. A barrier to our fears. A box holding all our hopes.

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And our workplaces are more than function. Your professional skills may dictate the form and determine the health and safety of the people who clock in and out on a daily basis but it is people who deliver a community.

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There are some who do not think that matters. I think they are wrong. On so many personal levels work gives us more than wages. My parents met at work. I have made lifelong friends in the workplace. APS seeks to be more than an anonymous body because we believe that knowing you well means we serve you better.

So, next time Carole tells you off, remember, we are doing it for your own good!