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The National Self Build & Renovation Centre has celebrated 10 years of employee ownership with a celebration hosted by BBC News presenter Martine Croxall

National Self Build & Renovation Centre celebrates 10 years of employee ownership

The National Self Build & Renovation Centre has celebrated 10 years of employee ownership with a celebration hosted by BBC News presenter Martine Croxall.

The Swindon-based facility – the UK’S only permanent venue for independent homebuilding advice and support – was established in 2007, and adopted the employee ownership business model in 2014.

Twenty employees now own 80 per cent of the business through a combination of direct shares, and shares held in an Employee Ownership Trust, with the remaining shares held by an investor, Capital for Colleagues, an investment group that specialises in transitioning businesses to an employee-owned model.

On Friday, June 28 the firm held a celebration dinner at the 67,000 sq ft venue, which features several full-size houses, interactive educational zones – incorporating many life-size exhibits – and a huge Trade Village with over 200 specialist exhibitors.

The event was hosted by Martine Croxall, who gave a topical address on the importance of transparency and trust in the media, while James de le Vingne, CEO of the Employee Ownership Association, also spoke on the employee ownership model.

Attended by more than 100 guests, the evening concluded with a surprise awards ceremony, where the NSBRC team recognised and thanked several of their key suppliers and supporters who have helped the business across the last decade.

Martine Croxall addresses the audience

Martine Croxall addresses the audience

Martine Croxall said: “It was a treat to be invited to host the NSBRC’s celebration evening. The hard work of the first ten years of employee ownership and the team spirit they’ve created meant the atmosphere during dinner and the awards ceremony was joyful. Harvey and the other employee owners should be very proud of what they’ve achieved.”

NSBRC managing director Harvey Fremlin said: “We were thrilled to be able to celebrate such an important moment for our business with so many of our colleagues, friends and supporters.

“Every employee was invited to bring along their partner – as our EO culture has created a caring, family environment.

“We were also delighted to celebrate some of our key suppliers, such as our amazing cleaning team – who are often in the background – but have made a massive impact on the customer experience we deliver.

“Having the EOA represented by James, and the fantastic support of Martine, was the icing on the cake and made for a memorable, inspirational night for everyone.”

Employee ownership is a rapidly growing business model in the UK and EO businesses regularly outperform non-EO peers in almost every metric – they are between eight and 12 per cent more productive, and invest more in their people, innovation, and communities.

NSBRC managing director Harvey Fremlin

NSBRC managing director Harvey Fremlin

James de le Vingne said: “Congratulations to everyone at the NSBRC on 10 years of EO, and for celebrating with such flair.

“Your energy and enthusiasm for all you do, and for one another, as fellow employee-owners made for a very special evening.

“As early adopters of the EOT, it’s fantastic to see you flourishing and to have this recognised by those closest to you.

“Thank you for inviting me and for being such fantastic EO advocates, you are certainly paving the way for others to follow.”

Their next major event at the NSBRC is the Heat & Energy Workshop on August 10. The free event will provide over a dozen talks with topics such as heap pumps, solar, electric vehicles, smart controls, and rainwater harvesting.

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