BUSINESS NEWS
NSBRC CELEBRATES 15 TH ANNIVERSARY
National Self Build & Renovation Centre ( NSBRC ) welcomed its first visitors in January 2007 . Fifteen years later , it remains the UK ’ s only permanent visitor centre designed specifically to meet the needs of individual self-builders , renovators , and home improvers .
Originally conceived by BuildStore ( who remain a founding exhibitor in the NSBRC ), it has since 2014 been owned and operated by ‘ The Homebuilding Centre Limited ’, an employee-owned business .
Harvey Fremlin , Managing Director , NSBRC , said , “ Our employees own the majority of the shares in the business , with the largest shareholder being our Employee Ownership Trust . This means we all have a responsibility for the business and are genuinely passionate about the experience our visitors enjoy .”
Over the last fifteen years , the business has picked up a number of awards . In 2017 , it was named Wiltshire ’ s ‘ Small Business of the Year ’ and in the same year , it won a Build It Award for ‘ Outstanding Contribution to Self Build .’ To complete a hat trick of gongs in 2017 , NSBRC were also highly commended by the Employee Ownership Association in its ‘ Rising Star of the Year ’ category , having also been highly commended in the same category in 2015 .
Harvey , added , “ Our EO culture has given us a huge amount of resilience , which has certainly been put to the test during the last couple of years with the global pandemic .
" It was very challenging having our doors closed for seven months between March ’ 20 and April ’ 21 . However , we not only survived the covid crisis , but emerged stronger than ever before .”
At the end of 2021 , NSBRC won a national Employee Ownership Award which recognised the team ’ s outstanding achievements during the pandemic , an award voted for by its peers . The award celebrated how the team adapted and delivered to multiple stakeholders whilst supporting the health and wellbeing of employees .
NSBRC is passionate about being part of the Swindon community and has supported many events over the years , from sponsoring the Swindon Half Marathon , to supporting The Business Exchange ’ s Love Local campaign through the first covid lockdown .
To celebrate its fifteenth anniversary the team is hosting a special birthday dinner to thank members of the community and key partners and stakeholders for their support over the years .
Harvey , said , “ 2022 is a special year and a real achievement for NSBRC and we can ’ t wait to celebrate in
a few weeks ’ time . It might be time to party , but we ’ re not resting on our laurels this year . We ’ re hosting more events , workshops and courses than ever before to help people build better homes .
“ On Thursday 28th April , Thursday 26th May and Tuesday 28th June we are staying open until 9pm . This ‘ late night shopping experience ’ is a brand new venture for the NSBRC and it ’ s hoped that local people , who have been intrigued to discover what self build is all about will join us , at a time that ’ s potentially more convenient to them . We ’ ll be offering hot food , relaxed talks and guided tours of our unique educational zones .
“ We regard ourselves as custodians of this fantastic resource and believe the NSBRC is at the heart of a thriving sector . We are often the first destination for anyone selfcommissioning a home , we believe we have the very best manufacturers , suppliers and service providers in the UK on show here at the NSBRC . Come and see for yourselves .”
For more info : www . nsbrc . co . uk
6 www . tbeswindonandwilts . co . uk