Velindre Rebuild March update
Mar
Welcome to the latest Acorn/Sacyr UK new Velindre Cancer Centre (nVCC) project news update.
Every quarter, we will tell you about project progress, what is going on within the community around the build, as well as initiatives that are taking place around the community connected with the project
Culture
Acorn Ambassadors board welcomes four new members
The new Velindre Cancer Centre (nVCC) has welcomed four new members to its Acorn Ambassadors board.
The Acorn Ambassador scheme supports and advises on the project’s community benefit scheme. The Ambassadors communicate news to residents, attend community events to raise awareness of social values and advocate for the project to the surrounding community.
Now four new board members have been recruited to the scheme, strengthening the connections between the nVCC project and communities and charities across Cardiff and the local region.
Charity fundraiser and businessman Lindsay Doyle has been recruited to the board, bringing extensive experience in the financial sector and fundraising. Lindsay is well-known in the Cardiff business world.
Musician, student and technical engineer at Diff Radio, Meg Uppington, has also been appointed to the board. She offers valuable knowledge of youth culture and emerging trends.
Matt Cutrupi is another welcome addition to the board. He is the manager of Diff Radio and runs his own business. Matt has extensive knowledge of social media engagement, youth relations and cultural trends.
Velindre fundraiser and Director of Edie & Ludlow Marketing Agency, Alexandra Otley has also joined the board. Alex’s fundraising for the current cancer centre and her skills in global marketing and digital strategy made her an obvious candidate.
The Acorn Ambassadors board is chaired by Sacyr UK’s Community Benefits Manager Katie Hathaway and is supported by members of the nVCC Community Benefits Team.
Applications for new board members remain open, and interested parties should apply here Acorn Ambassador Application Form – Fill in form
SACYR wins New Employer Partner of the Year at ACT Training Awards
Sacyr UK has been nominated for New Employer Partner of the Year by ACT Training at their annual award celebrations.
ACT who provides training to over 13,000 pupils in the UK, gathered 25 lucky student winners at Cardiff and Vale College for an evening of celebration and recognition. Young entrepreneurs had their chance to be recognised for their achievements and hard work and categories ranged from Apprentice of the Year to Best New Business.
The Community Benefits team were overjoyed to learn that Sacyr had won the New Employer Partner of the Year award and collected the award on the behalf of the company. The award recognises employers who have gone above and beyond to invest in their staff, through upskilling and training efforts.
Sacyr has also been shortlisted for the MIPIM Best New Development award, for their work on the new Velindre Cancer Centre, and look forward to updating readers on the outcome.
Sacyr UK hosts coffee morning with project partners
Sacyr UK held a coffee morning between its community benefits team and Nelco Radiation Shielding, Mac Scaffolding, Pacegrade, Falcon 3 and Zitron, the subcontractors building the new Velindre Cancer Centre (nVCC).
The group discussed Sacyr’s commitment to social value, the positive impact
the project will have on the community, how they can support the project’s social value objectives and new ideas for community engagement.
Leading the discussions was Sacyr UK’s Stakeholder Engagement and Community Benefits Manager, Katie Hathaway, Community Benefits
Coordinator, Jo O’Keefe, and Workforce Development Coordinator, Hannah Jenkins.
Hannah Jenkins said: “We are committed to supporting initiatives that strengthen the local community to ensure the positive impact of our project. Thank you to the subcontractors who attended the coffee morning and contributed to the discussion on how we can better serve the local community.”
Nurture
We’re celebrating National Apprenticeship Week with our Velindre Apprentices!
National Apprenticeship Week brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy.
It’s been six months since Sacyr UK & Ireland brought onboard four new apprentices at the Velindre project. Many colleagues feel the new additions are now part of the furniture as they’ve embedded into the team so well.
As our apprentices are reaching the end of their probation period, we checked in with them to see how they’ve been progressing.
Mechanical & Engineering apprentice, Ollie said: “I’m proud of how much I’ve changed since I started. I’ve done more important and independent work which I would never been able to do before.”
In the last few months, the apprentices have moved up the ranks of responsibility, from shadowing to taking on more independent self-maintained pieces of work.
Technical Design Apprentice, Lucy said: “This is my first time working on a real project so I’m grateful that this apprenticeship has given me the opportunity to be involved in something so meaningful”.
Community Benefits Apprentice Sam said: “Every day is a new challenge, but always in interesting and illuminating ways. It’s nice to be part of building something good”.
Faith has been blessed with a healthy baby girl and is currently on maternity leave, but we did check in with her, and mum and baby are doing well.
Sacyr is proud to see how well its young apprentices are progressing and looks forward to seeing them grow in the future.
Sacyr staff lend a helping hand at ToyBox Project
Sacyr UK & Ireland committed to supporting local charities leading up to Christmas last year. One charity we supported, the Toybox Project, provide new and used toys free of charge to children from families experiencing financial hardship.
Members of the Community Benefits Team Jo O’keefe, Hannah Jenkins, Sam Rees, and Katie Hathaway, were joined by colleagues from the Sacyr UK & Ireland office, Damian Talis, Anthony Robson, Adriana Lizeth Ramírez Hernández, Andrea Toledo, and Javier Jorba Coloma. Manager of the project, Donna Pearce O’Halloran welcomed the support during the busy holiday season.
The Sacyr team focused on sorting and organizing donated toys on shelves to prepare for families in need, and tested toys to identify faulty batteries and ensure safety. More than three bins of toys were sorted and restocked on the shop floor to create space for new donations.
Sacyr subcontractor SGM Waste Management arranged for a refuse collection vehicle to remove broken or unusable toys.
CBT Workforce Development Coordinator Hannah Jenkins went on to volunteer independently to assist Toybox Project with their fulfilment efforts.
Ray of light calendar sale at nVCC
Sacyr UK linked up with Ray of Light, a Cardiff-based charity supporting people with cancer.
Ray of Light produces photo calendars featuring stunning photographs of nature, taken by their members and clients. The Community benefits team were impressed by the artistry and care put into the project, by staff and patients.
The Sacyr team took calendars to sell before the Christmas site shutdown. The calendars were snapped up by generous workers across the site, raising more than£100 for the local charity.
Velindre World Cancer Day Crafternoon
To mark World Cancer Day, the new Velindre Cancer Centre team hosted a Crafternoon open to the public, and Sacyr UK were there to lend a helping hand.
A crafting workshop was held at the centre and focused on creating World Cancer Day ribbon badges to raise funds for the Velindre Cancer Service, supporting its efforts to combat cancer in Wales.
Visitors helped to knit, sew, craft and create some beautiful items together while also raising funds and enjoying tea, coffee, cupcakes and great company.
Future
Sacyr UK attends job fair to support inclusive careers
Sacyr UK’s Community and Workplace Development team attended the Purple Tuesday’s job fair at St David’s Centre in Cardiff encouraging and supporting those with disabilities to get back into work.
Hannah Jenkins and Katie Hathaway were joined by Dan Biddle, Director of Nationwide Access Consultants, where they engaged with shoppers, introducing them to career opportunities in construction.
Dan Biddle began his career as a construction manager before he was seriously injured in the 2005 London terrorist attacks. He has rebuilt his life and retrained as an access consultant. Dan works tirelessly to ensure access to career opportunities for people with disabilities through his company, National Diversity Employment and Advisory Service (NDEAS).
Sacyr UK will be launching an initiative through its Disability Access Employment Academy, in partnership with Nationwide Access Consultants to help and support disabled people into employment and providing an inclusive environment.
Katie Hathaway said: “Attending the Purple Tuesday jobs fair gave us a deeper understanding of how we can work with Nationwide Access Consultants to help disabled people into work and provide financial stability for them”.
Monthly Resident Drop-in Sessions
The next resident drop-in is scheduled for Wednesday 25 March 2026, from 6pm to 7pm at the Noddfa building at 19 Park Road by the Velindre Cancer Centre rear car park. Members of the Sacyr and Velindre team will be on hand to discuss progress on our works and answer any questions.
These take place on the last Wednesday of the month for the duration of the construction programme.
For more information about the project, visit the website at: https://newvelindre.info/
