Selco News

A Tewkesbury triathlete will be flying the flag for Team GB on the other side of the world in his quest to become a world champion – with a little help from us at Selco.

Dan Derrick is preparing to compete in the World Triathlon Age Group Championships in Wollongong, Australia, in October.

Dan’s quest to compete on the global stage has been supported by us and Cheltenham-based commercial and residential property specialist Coombs Group.

The two of our businesses have each provided Dan, who turns 40 in August, with £1,000 to help fund the cost of the trip.

Dan, who is Chief Executive of health and wellbeing charity Move More, which helps children to live healthy and active lifestyles, said: “To compete for Team GB in a world championship in any sport is an absolute dream come true.

“The sponsorship Selco and Coombs Group have provided has made travelling to compete in the event financially viable as it’s a very expensive trip otherwise. I’m extremely grateful to both companies and hopefully I can do them proud.

“I used to play rugby for Tewkesbury and have only been doing the triathlon for 18 months. It’s going to be a great experience and the aim is definitely to come away with a medal.”

Dan will compete in the 40-44 year category of the two-discipline Aquabike event, which features a 1,500m swim and a 40km bike ride.

Hanna Mclean, branch manager of Selco Cheltenham on Runnings Road, said: “We learned about Dan’s exploits through one of our customers, the Coombs Group, and we're delighted to be supporting him.

“It’s a fantastic achievement for Dan to have reached such an elite level within a very short space of time competing in the sport.

“We look forward to following his performance in Australia and hopefully bringing back a medal for Team GB.”

We're delighted to mark National Apprenticeship Week by committing to deliver 500 apprenticeships for our colleagues by 2030.

We've delivered a number of innovative apprenticeship programmes in recent years, ranging from Rising Stars for colleagues working in branches, Driver Academy for team members wanting to switch to a career as a HGV driver, and a new Women In Leadership programme launched last year.

We've now taken our apprenticeship offering to the next level with the pledge for the next five years, as part of the Builders Merchants Federation’s challenge for the industry as a whole, to deliver 15,000 apprentices by 2030.

Our commitment has got off to a flying start with more than 100 colleagues already engaged in, or signed up for, an apprenticeship – including 37 new Rising Stars and Sales Academy enrolments just prior to Christmas.

Sally Kerr, HR Director for Selco, said: “We're extremely proud of our training offering to colleagues and the apprenticeship delivery plays a huge role in that.

“There are a number of reasons we are so passionate about apprenticeships and they include driving career development progression opportunities for our colleagues and ensuring our teams are constantly pushing the boundaries when it comes to delivering outstanding customer service.

“We've seen great success in our apprenticeship programmes so far and look forward to seeing that continually expand in the months and years to come.”

Run in conjunction with one of the UK’s leading training providers Realise, Rising Stars is available at gold, silver and bronze level and helps branch colleagues move to the next level of their careers.

Sally added: “All our programmes are tailored to meet the specific needs and offering of Selco. We select courses with a high level of practical elements and then make it bespoke to the requirements of our operations here at Selco.

“That means that our colleagues are learning by putting into practice the work they do on a day-to-day basis, gaining greater knowledge for their current job and having a tangible benefit to their careers.

“We've already seen a high number of our colleagues not only complete their apprenticeship and achieve their qualification, but also secure a promotion off the back of it.

“We're committed to giving colleagues the chance to create a genuine career path and providing them with the skills, techniques and self-development to do that. We're looking forward to celebrating many more apprentices in the future.”

In addition to the main schemes, we have colleagues currently completing apprenticeships in other business areas including finance, data analysis, HR and project management.

All apprenticeship successes are marked at special graduation ceremonies where colleagues are donned in traditional university cap and gown attire.

As part of our National Apprenticeship Week celebrations, we are also helping trade apprentices by giving away two toolkits wort £1,000 through a competition running on our social media channels. This coincides with the launch of our brand new blog, The Toolkit, which features a 'New to the Trade' section dedicated to supporting newly-qualified tradespeople, those branching into a new speciality, or anyone that might need a quick refresher, with plenty of guides to help with their latest projects.

Good causes, clubs and charities across the UK have the chance to win their share of a huge prize pot in our biggest ever Community Heroes campaign.

We've revamped our annual Community Heroes competition and increased the total prize fund to an eye-catching £57,500 – nearly five-times more than it has been in previous years.

It means more community groups, clubs and charities than ever before will benefit from winning either building materials or money to make a huge difference to their futures.

The campaign was launched February 3 with entries open until the end of September. Applicants will be looking to follow in the footsteps of the 2024 winners, Fox Wood School in Warrington.

The school will be using its prize to fund new specialist wheelchair-friendly play equipment for its pupils after winning the public vote.

Simon Humpage, Head of Multi-Channel Marketing, said: “This is the fifth edition of Community Heroes and it will be the biggest yet. The award-winning campaign has already made a substantial difference to dozens of charities across the country - but we wanted to go even further in 2025.

“It’s extremely exciting to dramatically increase both the prizes on offer and the number of winners. We look forward to welcoming lots of fantastic organisations into our branches to benefit from our vast range of stock, allowing us to support many key projects.

“We're also committed to our colleagues from around the country engaging in a volunteering day in 2025, and many of these opportunities will come from our Community Heroes entries. It means, as well as the possibility of winning building materials and money, there is also the chance of benefitting from the support of Selco colleagues to work on a project.

“We welcome entries from any group that benefits the local community, whether that’s a scout group, a charity, a grassroots sports club, a community centre or anything similar.”

Nominations can be made online over the course of the next eight months. Each month, five winners will be selected – 40 in total – to secure £1,000 worth of building materials from their local Selco branch.

Our colleagues and customers will then select 10 grand finalists from those monthly winners to go before a public vote, with the overall winner receiving £10,000 in cash. There will also be prizes of £5,000 for the runners-up and £2,500 for the organisation that finishes third.

Rachael Penn, chair of the Fantastic Fox Wood PTA and the winner of last year’s campaign, said: “I’d urge any organisation which benefits the local community to enter Selco’s Community Heroes campaign.

“It’s a truly fantastic scheme which has made the world of difference to us. The chance to win building materials is extremely useful as those type of improvements to rooms, buildings and infrastructure are one of the things that can be overlooked when an organisation doesn’t have a bottomless pit of money.

“Winning the competition has given us the chance to make our dream a reality when it comes to a playground for our pupils in wheelchairs and we will always be grateful to Selco.”

The scheme is open to any charity or group which is at the heart of its local community and entry can be made online by explaining in no more than 100 words how the building materials would be used to benefit members.

A famous London hospice is planning to revamp some of its tired wards after finishing second place in our Community Heroes competition.

St Christopher's Hospice in Sydenham picked up the second highest number of votes from the public in the exhilarating finale of our annual contest.

There was more good news for the hospice when they were told we had increased the prize money from £1,000 to £5,000!

St Christopher’s – the home of the modern hospice movement started by its founder Dame Cicely Saunders - has around 1,800 patients in its care at any one time.

“We were delighted to finish second and to win £1,000 from Selco, but it was such a fantastic surprise when we heard the prize was being boosted to £5,000,” said John Vickers, Director of Finance and Corporate Services at St Christopher's.

“Most of our service users are cared for at home, but we also have people with particularly complex needs that stay on our wards. We are planning to upgrade these wards as they have not had much work done to them in a decade. This funding from Selco will make a big difference – and will also allow us to buy specialist, noise-reducing equipment so that disruption is kept to a minimum while the work takes place.

“It has been very exciting to be part of Community Heroes and we are grateful to Selco for their support.”

Organisations, schools and charities were invited to enter our Community Heroes 2024 initiative, which had a total prize pot worth £21,000.

More than 2,000 groups put themselves forward, with 12 winners selected over the course of six months, each winning £500 of building materials from their nearest Selco branch.

The dozen finalists went before a public vote to decide the winners. The overall winner was Fox Wood Special School in Warrington, which secured more than a quarter of the 9,000 votes to scoop £10,000, a prize that was increased from £5,000.

Simon Humpage, Head of Multi-Channel Marketing at Selco, said: “Community Heroes is our flagship initiative for charities and community groups or organisations that always captures the imagination. We're proud to be able to demonstrate our commitment to supporting good causes right across the country at a time when, for many, the need is so great. We look forward to launching Community Heroes 2025 shortly.”

A school in Warrington is set to buy specialist wheelchair-friendly play equipment for its disabled pupils after winning top prize in our 2024 Community Heroes campaign.

Fox Wood Special School successfully scooped the jackpot after securing the most votes from the public in the culmination to our campaign.

There was more good news for the school, based on Holes Lane in Woolston, when we surprisingly announced the prize money had been doubled from £5,000 to £10,000.

Fox Wood Special School caters for children with complex learning needs, giving them meaningful and exciting opportunities to improve their day-to-day lives and their mental health.

“We just couldn’t believe it when Selco turned up at the school and told us we had won £10,000,” said Rachael Penn, PTA Chair at Fox Wood. “To come first up against some other fantastic good causes was exciting enough, but now we are ecstatic.

“This money will make such a big difference to our pupils who use wheelchairs. They will get so much enjoyment from the new equipment, including a wheelchair swing and a wheelchair trampoline.

“We will also be able to make the whole play area wheelchair accessible. School budgets just don’t stretch to things like that so it means a lot to us and Selco’s donation is helping make the dream become reality.”

We invited organisations, schools and charities to enter our Community Heroes initiative, which had a total prize pot worth £21,000.

More than 2,000 groups put themselves forward, with 12 winners selected over the course of six months, each winning £500 of building materials from their nearest Selco branch.

The dozen finalists went before a public vote to decide the winners. Fox Wood Special School secured more than a quarter of the 9,000 plus votes.

Rachael added: “The whole Community Heroes experience has been an incredible journey. We will be eternally grateful to Selco for what they have done for our community and to all the people who voted for us to win.”

St Christopher's Hospice in London finished a close second – and its prize was also boosted from £1,000 to £5,000.

David Lennon, our Commercial Director, said: “It was fantastic to visit Fox Wood School and announce we were going to significantly increase their prize money.

“It was a brilliant moment and it was great to hear what a huge difference the donation will make to the school and its pupils.

“Community Heroes is our flagship initiative for charities and community groups or organisations that always captures the imagination. We are proud to be able to demonstrate our commitment to supporting good causes right across the country at a time when, for many, the need is so great.

You can view our YouTube video on the moment Fox Wood School received their £10k prize.

We're proud to have launched 2025 by significantly enhancing our family leave policies to support colleagues during important life events.

We've now introduced 16 weeks of full pay – up from six weeks previously - for colleagues on maternity or adoption leave.

It's our latest move in supporting our near 3,000 colleagues and creating a supportive and inclusive workplace environment.

In addition, we have doubled paternity leave to two weeks of full pay.

The moves follow on from the introduction of paid leave for colleagues undertaking fertility treatment which was introduced last year.

This entitles colleagues to five paid days leave per treatment cycle, or three days per cycle of IVF to attend key appointments if the Selco colleague is the partner of the person receiving the treatment.

Sally Kerr, HR Director at Selco, said: “We're committed to supporting colleagues, who are the biggest asset in our business, in every way we possibly can and championing them both in their careers and during key moments in their personal life.

“Over the past 12 months we have been listening to feedback, including that of our recently-created Women’s Forum, and been exploring ways to better support colleagues when they are navigating the demands of work and family responsibilities.

“These new enhancements to our family leave policies are a significant step forward in creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and supported.

“While we recognise there is still room to grow, this initiative reflects our commitment to building an inclusive environment and solidifying our position as an employer of choice in our sector.”

One of Coventry’s longest standing scout groups is undertaking a major refurbishment of its hut after more than 60 years in its current premises – and we are delighted to be supporting the project.

The 74th Coventry (Whitley) group has started work on the project to modernise the facilities at its base off Abbey Road.

Our Coventry branch donated £1,000 worth of building materials to the group which has 65 young people attending four groups each week.

On top of that and to cement our support, a team of 10 volunteers from the Marketing team at our Support Centre and the Coventry branch also visited the scout hut for a day to support with the ongoing works by building decking and two sheds.

Simon Caughey-Rogers, lead volunteer for 74th Coventry, said: “The scout group has been going since 1943 and we have been in our current hut since the 1960s.

“Inevitably over that time, the condition of the building has deteriorated and we need to carry out changes to make our facilities suitable for 21st century scouting.

“A couple of years ago, one of our leaders - Stanley Visley - sadly passed away and he left a small amount of money to the scout group which made the renovations something we could think about doing.

“We do, however, still need support from the community and the backing from Selco makes an absolutely massive difference.

“We are so grateful for the materials they have provided and then to have members of the team come down to volunteer was truly a fantastic gesture.

“Amongst the improvements we are making are building a new camp fire area, upgrading the storage areas so that we keep the kit we have in good condition and making the toilets accessible to all.

“It’s a big project but will enable us to future-proof the scout group for many years to come.”

The 74th Coventry group includes beavers, cubs and scouts, as well as playing host to the Godiva Explorers, and hosts meetings on three different nights each week.

Matt Hunt, branch manager of Selco Coventry which is based on Austin Drive, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the 74th Coventry group.

“It provides a fantastic service for the young people in and around Coventry and supporting its quest to create a new hut is something we are very proud to be a part of.

“Any initiative which helps secure the long-term future of community organisations such as scout groups is something we see as vitally important.

“We were determined to support the group with materials and it was also fantastic that members of the team from the branch joined forces with our colleagues from marketing to put in a hard day’s volunteering to support the ongoing development of the hut.”

A Birmingham DIY skate park is expanding to make its facilities more accessible to a larger section of the local community – thanks to the help of one of our branches.

Based in Selly Oak, Bournbrook DIY Skate Park was the first facility of its kind to be officially opened by a council in the UK and is now set to increase its number of ramps and features to make its facilities more suitable for learners looking to take up the sport for the first time.

Our Stirchley branch, based on Charlotte Road, has donated bricks, cement and other materials which will be used to help provide additional ramps, banks and obstacles for skateboarders just taking up the sport to enjoy.

Berni Good, director of Birmingham Skate Spaces, a Community Interest Company which created the facility, said: “Since we opened in 2021, Selco has been one of our largest and most consistent supporters.

“This is the third time that we have received materials from Selco and each time they have helped us take the skate park to the next level.

“Our main priority in the short term is to build an extension to the skatepark to help ensure we are able to accommodate people just starting out on their skateboarding journey, as well as those who have great experience and ability.

“We will be installing two further ramps and features to add to what we already have to increase our offering to the Birmingham skateboarding community.

“Now skateboarding is an Olympic sport, there has been a surge in interest and we want to do everything we can to encourage people to participate.

“So much of what we have achieved would not have been possible without the support of Selco’s donations. We will be forever grateful as funding is very difficult to secure.”

Michael Mushen, branch manager of Selco Stirchley, said: “We have formed a close relationship with Berni and the Birmingham Skate Spaces team and it’s been fantastic to watch – and support – their progress.

“This latest donation will help the skate park continue to serve as a fantastic facility for the whole of Birmingham and will attract more skateboarders than ever before.

“We are delighted to support a free-to-access outdoor facility that enables people to learn a new activity in a safe location and be part of a thriving and growing community.”

We're proud to have cemented our position as one of the UK’s most engaging and enjoyable employers after being named the 11th Best Big Company To Work For in the Best Companies survey.

Best Companies is an independent award decided by the workplace surveys of thousands of companies measuring workplace culture and engagement, with employee feedback dictating the finishing positions of a business.

Sally Kerr, HR Director for Selco, said: “We're absolutely delighted to feature so highly in the Best Companies list for businesses with more than 2,000 staff and we are proud to be flying the flag for the builders' merchant sector.

“Best Companies is an extremely well-respected guide, so to feature so highly in rankings which are decided by direct feedback from colleagues is very pleasing.

“Our colleagues are our biggest asset and we will continue to work hard to enhance and improve the workplace, embedding a culture for all our people to enjoy a positive and enjoyable workplace environment.”

In 2024, we introduced a paid volunteer day for each of our near-3,000 colleagues, allowing each member of the workforce to take a normal working day away from the individual’s traditional environment to support a local good cause or project under full pay.

The ‘EarlyPay’ scheme, a financial wellbeing tool which allows colleagues access to wages they have already earned in advance of pay day, has also been launched.

Our commitment to offering colleagues career development opportunities has been enhanced further with the introduction of a Women in Leadership apprenticeship. More than 200 colleagues have now been involved in apprenticeship programmes since they were introduced.

We're proud and delighted to have achieved a double success at the prestigious Builders' Merchants Awards.

Friday’s showpiece event at the Park Plaza in Westminster Bridge saw us land the coveted National Builders' Merchant of the Year (51+branches) award.

The Community Initiative of the Year accolade also came our way thanks to our ever-growing Community Heroes scheme.

Around 2,000 community organisations across the UK submitted applications for the 2024 edition, which supported a dozen worthwhile causes right across the UK.

Frank Elkins, CEO of Selco, said: “We're all thrilled to have come away from the biggest celebration of our industry with two awards.

“The National Builders' Merchant of the Year prize is testament to the efforts and dedication of our near 3,000 colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure our customers are receiving the best possible service every day.

“We're also hugely grateful to our loyal and valued customers who visit our 75 branches and shop online, as well as our trusted network of suppliers who continue to show fantastic support.

“Community Heroes, meanwhile, has built a reputation as a campaign which makes a true difference to charities and community groups across the country, whether that be through our donations of building materials or the cash prizes following the public vote.

“Supporting local communities is a key part of our ethos and Community Heroes is the campaign which truly drives that mantra.

“While we're delighted at our successes, we're already planning for next year and beyond to continue to make Selco the go-to builders' merchant for the jobbing builder and other trade professionals.”