Grain Connect secures funding for next phase of its fibre rollout
- £75m equity funding package
- Plan to serve 300,000 premises with hyperfast broadband services
- Creating over 200 new jobs and supporting a further 200 jobs in the wider stakeholder and supply chain
- Founding shareholder, Pinnacle Group, will be retaining a significant proportion of its interest in Grain Connect
Grain Connect, a leading provider of fibre-optic internet access services to new-build and existing homes across the UK, today announced a £75million equity investment from Equitix, one of Europe’s leading infrastructure investors, alongside Albion Capital, its existing institutional backer.
In addition to this equity funding, Grain has begun discussions with lenders in preparation for a £100m debt funding process. The combined funding will support Grain’s plans to extend its footprint to cover an initial 300,000 homes and businesses across Great Britain, with a focus on both new-build housing developments and existing urban housing.
Grain is well known in the new-build housing sector as a partner to many of the country’s largest housebuilders, providing outstanding quality and service in bringing fibre-optic internet access to their developments. Grain works with developers in well over 100 locations across the UK.
As well as bringing excellent fibre internet access to customers, Grain’s growth will generate substantial employment in both Carlisle and the regions where their network is deployed. Covid-19 has accentuated the demand for high-speed broadband and highlighted the importance of providing excellent connectivity for society as a whole. Grain is delighted to be playing its part in achieving this goal.
Peregrine Lloyd, Chief Executive, Pinnacle Group, said of the investment: “At Pinnacle we are committed to working with communities across the UK to deliver the highest quality of service through understanding the needs of residents and adapting to new technologies. This major investment in Grain Connect underlines our commitment to supporting the digital transformation of communities, enabling them to benefit from full fibre hyperfast broadband technology.
"As founding shareholders, we are delighted to see Grain Connect go from strength to strength and we cannot wait to see the company achieve their ambitious growth targets.”
Grain’s Chairman, Sean Williams, said: “We are delighted to have secured such an excellent funding partner in Equitix, a leading investor in European infrastructure with a long-term investment strategy and clear vision for our business. The Grain team are already accelerating the build programme and are hugely excited about the opportunity to scale up the excellent national platform that we have already established.”
Hugh Crossley, Chief Investment Officer, Equitix, added: “We are delighted to have agreed this investment into Grain Connect. Over the past year, the Covid-19 pandemic has emphasised the importance of data connectivity in which Grain is a leading provider. We fully support the management team’s initiatives to improve the scale and quality of their operations by investing in services and personnel, to ensure that they continue to provide best-in-class services to their customers and the local communities they serve.”
David Gudgin from Albion Capital said: “Albion has built up extensive broadband experience across a number of fibre investments, and we think the Grain team is one of the best in the sector. We fully support the plan to grow Grain into a significant nationwide fibre provider over the next five years. Grain’s ability to provide fibre to greenfield developments and existing housing makes its business model unique amongst the new fibre providers.”
For further information please visits Grain Connect.
Pinnacle Group awarded Gold in Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme
Pinnacle Group has been awarded Gold on the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme, acknowledging the organisation’s outstanding support towards the Armed Forces community.
Less than a month since Pinnacle was awarded a 7-year contract to manage 49,000 Service family homes on behalf of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, the company has been recognised for the continued support it provides to the military community.
Pinnacle has proactively demonstrated its forces-friendly credentials as part of its recruitment processes. It also actively ensures that its workforce is aware of its positive policies towards the Service Personnel community as well as advocating support to partner organisations, suppliers and customers.
Pinnacle has an established Armed Forces Network, made up of a mix of veterans, reservists, Cadet Force Adult volunteers and families of Serving Personnel or veterans. This Network supports and promotes the company’s commitment to the Armed Forces community, which includes an additional two weeks of paid leave per year to Reservists to enable them to attend annual camp, and also actively supports military charities such as SSAFA and the Royal British Legion.
"I would like to thank all the organisations who have proven their support for the Defence community during such unprecedented and challenging times. The vast range of those recognised this year demonstrates how employing the Armed Forces community makes a truly positive and beneficial impact for all employers, regardless of size, sector or location.”
Leo Docherty
Minister for Defence People and Veterans
"As a business it is important for us to be advocates for those who protect our nation, and we are deeply proud of all our colleagues who are a part of the British Armed Forces community.
"We realise the responsibility we have to provide this community with an effective path into meaningful employment and to ensure a supportive environment which is reinforced by colleagues who genuinely care about their welfare and realise the value of their skillset. We are on a mission to make a difference and the honour of being awarded Gold in the Employer Recognition Scheme demonstrates that we are on the right path.”
Peregrine Lloyd
Pinnacle Group Chief Executive
Build to Rent: Creating Successful Communities Through Values-led Services
It is not an exaggeration to say that the past year has changed everything - how we live, work and interact with others have all shifted. The vast majority of people will have spent more time in their homes than ever before and being able to enjoy a sense of community has become more important than ever.
For many years, Pinnacle Group has been managing Build to Rent (BtR) properties on behalf of institutional investors across the UK. Pinnacle understands that residential developments are not simply a series of assets, but rather communities that need to be nurtured and require long-term stewardship to be successful. A successful place is one where people choose to live and work long after construction is complete. Much has been written and said over the years about the importance of placemaking and rightly so. At Pinnacle we also recognise the importance of institutional-grade placekeeping.
BtR as a living sector is booming. Despite the COVID-19 disruption the UK property market has experienced, investment into the BtR asset class has seen record highs. During 2020, almost £3.5bn was deployed into the sector and construction of BtR schemes in London has increased by 30% (Savills, 2020).
Where the pandemic saw the rental market shift significantly, with many traditional high street letting agents closing their doors during the first lockdown, Pinnacle found that demand for apartments remained strong throughout and, in response, quickly developed and mobilised a virtual end-to-end letting service.
Undoubtedly the past 18-months has accelerated the requirement on people to embrace technological advances. But while technology plays a vital part of the infrastructure in building a first-class service, Pinnacle believes that it is the core management values and behaviours that shape how a community can thrive.
In over two decades in business, Pinnacle Group has learnt that while getting service delivery right is crucial, it is the relationship with the end user – the customer – that transforms a “fit for purpose” experience into something that enriches the quality of someone’s life.
Pinnacle’s business philosophy rests on three guiding principles:
Firstly, is that one size fits all approaches do not work – each customer community requires its own bespoke service solution tailored to respond to local characteristics, issues and priorities.
Secondly, is that a community stewardship approach is critical. This means seeing contractual responsibilities in the context of a bigger picture. In practical terms it’s about being actively engaged in addressing customers’ day to day concerns and priorities while understanding how those concerns fit into people’s lives. Working in this way, we make an important contribution to the creation of sustainable communities.
Finally, is that the lifeblood of any community is the people – customer satisfaction must be the priority outcome.
Pinnacle delivers these three principles by being a values-based business that recognises that its workforce is its most important asset – management teams have autonomy within their communities and can determine how services are best delivered locally by engaging with stakeholders and responding to customer demands. This is achieved by employing likeminded, conscientious people who can problem solve and embrace Pinnacle’s community-facing, people-first values. Colleagues are often from the local community, including apprentices, further adding the local legacy of the development.
To build a strong community, communication is paramount. Technological advances demand that customer communication is digitally enabled to respond to more flexible, time-constrained lifestyles and 24/7 expectations. Across Pinnacle, an omni-channel approach is taken with no less than eight different communication methods including SMS, Email, Live Web Chat, Social Media and Chat Bots being utilised, while also ensuring that customers have the ability to speak to someone face to face, or call one of our customer service teams if they prefer.
Delivering a service which is technically enabled, personalised and exceeds expectations, transforms how customers feels about their service interaction and “journey”. By taking care of the customer as a person, not a service ticket or simply a tenant, we can guarantee a positive customer experience.Building safety compliance and looking after the bricks and mortar is an absolute given. What sets Pinnacle apart is recognising the human component of our service. Successful BtR management is fundamentally about people and customer relationships. It is focussed on remembering what makes a community, by connecting and bringing people together who are investing into an exciting BtR lifestyle.
Ollie Miller, PRS Director, Pinnacle Group
This article was originally featured in the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Business Matters Magazine.
Claire Kober joins British Property Federation’s new Affordable Housing Committee
The British Property Federation (BPF) has launched a new Affordable Housing Committee to provide leadership for the UK’s real estate industry.
The committee, chaired by Rob Beiley, partner at Trowers & Hamlins, with vice-chair Simon Century, director – Build-to-rent & Affordable Homes, Legal & General, will champion investment in high-quality and sustainable affordable homes.
It will lead the industry’s representations to government and act as interlocutor between the industry and key stakeholders including Homes England, the GLA and Regulator of Social Housing.
Claire Kober, Managing Director, Homes, oversees Pinnacle Group’s housing and property management contracts and sits on Pinnacle’s Executive Committee. In addition to sitting on the BPF’s Affordable Housing Committee, Claire is also an Independent Director and Chair of House by Urban Splash.
Other committee members include:
- Rob Beiley, Trowers & Hamlins (Chair)
- Simon Century, Legal & General (Vice-Chair)
- Catherin Webster, Quintain
- Charles Cleal, JLL
- Charles Crowe, PGIM Real Estate
- Chris Jeffs, M&G Real Estate
- Debi Marriott-Lavery, Places for People
- Julia Bevan, Grainger
- Kush Rawal, Metropolitan Thames Valley
- Matthew Chillingworth, Federated Hermes
- Natalia Kolotneva, LaSalle Investment Management
- Olivia Harris, Dolphin Living
- Peter Quinn, Watkin Jones
- Shamez Alibhai, Man GPM
- Thomas Mudd, CBRE
- Tom Paul, Optivo
“I am delighted to join BPF’s Affordable Housing Committee and, working with colleagues from across the real estate industry, look forward to maximising opportunities for investment in affordable housing to support communities and social wellbeing.”
Claire Kober
Managing Director, Homes
Pinnacle Group invests in ESG and launches strategy
Pinnacle Group bolsters its investment in ESG. This forms part of our ambitious growth strategy and builds upon decades of the company delivering added value for clients, customers and communities.
We have appointed a Pinnacle ESG Lead, as the Group integrates ESG across its services portfolio, which includes housing and facilities management services, as well as businesses Pinnacle Power and Grain.
The ESG Lead at Pinnacle will drive the delivery of the ESG Framework launched today. This sets out our approach to Environment, Social and Governance. The ESG framework we have developed is structured around four pillars:
To bring rigour to the measurement and reporting of ESG we are aligning to the TOMS framework and progress will be reviewed regularly by a ESG steering group, as well as the Executive team conducting an in-depth business wide review each quarter.
“Our vision to be ESG leaders is an important part of our company strategy and we are incredibly proud to be launching our ESG Framework today. Our investment in an ESG team and developing our company-wide commitments naturally evolve what we have been delivering as a company for decades. It is the next logical step for us.
We value the impact we can have and setting out our approach within an ESG Framework gives our 3,000 strong team clear direction on how as a company we are working towards our purpose of transforming communities, changing lives. It helps us build a business for the future and crucially benefits society and we are honoured to be able to make a difference.”
Perry Lloyd
Group Chief Executive
For more information on our commitment to ESG visit here and read our Framework:
Pinnacle Kickstarts work experience placements
Pinnacle Group has launched its government-backed Kickstart work scheme, aimed at 16-to-24-year-olds who are receiving Universal Credit and are at risk of long-term unemployment.
Introduced by the government to create high-quality six-month work placements, Pinnacle is in the process of recruiting 30+ people to its Kickstart Scheme that will start in June.
Successful applicants will be placed in different areas of the business to gain valuable work experience by learning on the job and will receive a programme of support to ensure they are able to make the most of their time with Pinnacle.
Each person will have a dedicated Kickstart Coach, who will be a mentor, and undertake regular reviews and provide feedback.
In addition, the Kickstarters will attend Group Employability Workshops which will cover induction and expectations of their role within Pinnacle; building their capabilities and managing change to help participants become more self-aware and improve confidence. Young people on the Kickstart Scheme will also be supported to upskill in the writing of covering letters, completion of application forms; development of a best-in-class CV, job searching; and interview techniques.
"Pinnacle has always given back to the community and the Kickstart Scheme is the ideal opportunity to help young people gain experience of the workplace with lifelong skills for finding and keeping future employment.
We look forward to welcoming the Kickstarters to the Pinnacle team.”
Jane Baxter
Managing Director, Pinnacle People
Each Kickstarter will be paid weekly over the six-month programme and receive 12.5 days of annual leave as well as time off for Bank Holidays.
Pinnacle sponsor the British Army’s team to race across the Atlantic Ocean in aid of the Royal British Legion
At Pinnacle Group we are proud to be advocates for those who protect our nation and to support the wider Armed Forces Community. We are pleased to demonstrate our loyalty to the British Army and the Royal British Legion (RBL) by sponsoring a team to row across the Atlantic Ocean in the 2021 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.
Billed as the “World’s toughest row”, the crew made up of four members of the British Army’s prestigious Royal Army Physical Training Corps will be rowing 3,000 miles for six weeks in a 8.5m long rowing boat.
During the gruelling challenge the team face the ultimate test of physical and mental endurance. Rowing for 12-hours a day in two hours shifts, day and night, the team will be faced with an onslaught of waves, sleep deprivation and salt sores. What will spur them on is their dedication to raise money for the RBL, during their centurion year.
“As proud supporters of the of
the Armed Forces community, we are delighted to announce our sponsorship of the
Force Atlantic team. We are looking
forward to cheering the team on and raising money for such a worthy charity.”
Perry Lloyd
Chief Executive and Armed Forces Network Chair at Pinnacle Group
“After serving in the
3rd Battalion The Queen’s Regiment and now being a Sergeant Instructor at the
Kent Army Cadet Force, I am passionate about supporting the good work RBL does
for the Armed Forces community. This
challenge isn’t just a rowing race – it demonstrates what it means to be a part
of the British Armed Forces, it’s more than just physical and mental strength, it
shows leadership, discipline, teamwork and adventure.”
Paul Driver
Business Manager and founding Armed Forces Network member at Pinnacle Group
“Force Atlantic are proud to have Pinnacle Group
supporting us as a gold sponsor. Their support in providing opportunities for
veterans is superb and as an organisation, they are intrinsically aligned to
our campaign. Pinnacle Group recognise the value of military life and the
experience contained within. Our veterans boast some of the best transferable
skills around and through Pinnacle Groups’ Armed Forces Network, they offer a
future for our community. With the
support of Pinnacle Group, the team and I feel in a great place to achieve our
goals whilst raising money for their chosen charity, the Royal British Legion.”
Captain Scott Pollock
Captain Scott Pollock and the team captain of Force Atlantic 21
Pinnacle will be running a series of events throughout the summer to raise money for the Royal British Legion.
Good luck to the Force Atlantic 21 team.
Celebrating World FM Day
Today we celebrate World FM Day and say thank you to our facilities management colleagues for all the vital work they carry out every day.
This year’s World FM Day theme is ‘Celebrating FM: standing tall beyond the pandemic’. Here we celebrate some of the members of the Pinnacle team who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that the communities we serve continued to receive the best service possible throughout recent testing times.
COVID-19 Cleans, Lambeth (London)
The FM industry has been at the frontline of the nation’s effort to combat COVID-19 and protect the public.
Pinnacle provides FM services throughout the borough of Lambeth and in response to the current pandemic we ensured that the Council’s playgrounds are COVID-secure.
To tackle this challenge of reopening the playgrounds safely, Pinnacle and its specialist teams deployed its specialist COVID cleaning service to 90+ of Lambeth’s playgrounds.
As a result of this treatment, play surfaces were sterilised and local children could touch and enjoy these spaces. The children of Lambeth now have safe playgrounds and spaces to grow, thrive and be their best, as our society returns to normal.
Increased precautions, Humberside Police
Gill, Angela and Laurel work at Hessle Police Station, providing cleaning services which are allowing the station to operate safely. The team were described by the client as being “brilliant[…]always friendly, polite and go above and beyond when it comes to helping people and doing their job. Nothing is too much trouble for them.”
The client added: “In the challenging times we find ourselves they are having to work extra hard, especially with all of the extra wiping of contact points and specialist sprays for sanitising, but they never complain, they just get on with the job at hand which must be particularly difficult here with it being a 24 hr station.”
VE Day Celebration, Leeds Schools
All members of Pinnacle’s Schools Catering team came into work on Bank Holiday Friday which should have been their day off to open three schools in Leeds to provide a VE day meal to Key Workers and vulnerable children. Putting on this lunch in celebration of VE Day is another example of the team’s dedication to their community and to delivering added social value on their contract, something that is greatly appreciated by the client.
Adjusting work hours to keep schools working, North London Schools
Rob works as a caretaker at Starksfield, part of our North London Schools contract. He is a lone worker and is respected by his colleagues for always going above and beyond, on what can be a challenging contract.
Recently, Rob voluntarily went into work on a Saturday to put up a reading shed which now provides a space for students to read under shelter in their playground. He has also carried out additional cleaning during school hours to sanitise door handles, carrying out toilet checks and daily stock takes.
He consistently communicates well with colleagues and ensures everyone continues to feel supported.
Shopping for residents, Lambeth (London)
Wahab Balarabe and Kenneth Cottrell have been helping elderly vulnerable residents in Ethelred Towers, Lambeth North, providing them with essential food items. Waham and Kenneth have been going shopping for their residents in their time off and bringing items to work and delivering them to their door.
A heartfelt thank you to all colleagues who have gone the extra mile in carrying out their duties.
Happy World FM Day!
Serving Communities through Financial Inclusion
At Pinnacle Group we now offer financial advice and support for residents to ensure they are accessing the benefits they are entitled and can manage any debt.
Pinnacle’s new Financial Inclusion Manager, Martin Keating, is working in the communities where we provide housing management services across the UK, to help households identify which benefits they are entitled to, as well as support applications and give debt advice.
Working closely with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and local authorities, Martin is supporting residents, especially those with low literacy or numeracy skills, to navigate the benefits system.
“I’ll look at the whole family situation and the financial issues holistically,” explains Martin. “I can help with any hurdles along the way and also make applications on behalf of the residents. I’m basically the first port of call and a one-stop shop.”
In addition, Martin supports residents who do not have internet access to find the financial support they need, which has become increasingly difficult as more services move online.
Since the start of the year, Martin has made a tremendous impact, supporting 192 residents, and has achieved financial outcomes for Pinnacle and its residents in excess of £134,000.
“I’m also able to help with any debt problems and can support residents manage their finances and repayments. In one particular case, I was able to support one resident with debt relief, and with the local Citizens Advice Bureau, managed to reduce her £25,000 debt to £5,000,” adds Martin.
Martin is also currently engaging with 33 residents across Pinnacle’s communities with employment training such as CV writing and interview techniques with external partners. This is just one of the initiatives that Martin would like to continue.
“I love working with residents and really making a difference,” explained Martin. “My work is fully supported by Pinnacle and now COVID restrictions are easing I’m collaborating with colleagues to help more people through town hall events and setting up drop-in surgeries.”
In the meantime, Martin is running internal training events with Pinnacle case officers on benefit programmes, disability benefits and universal credit.
“I want to ensure that case officers are identifying and referring residents to me who might not be claiming all the benefits they are entitled to or who might be in financial trouble,” said Martin.
“Residents can contact me directly at any time; there is no need to wait for a referral. I want to ensure that all Pinnacle residents are getting all the benefits they are entitled to.”
Martin Keating, Financial Inclusion Manager at Pinnacle Group, can be contacted on 07985 871635 and by email on [email protected].
Supporting Residents by creating a sustainable new community allotment
The opportunity to get involved in supporting the Chalkhill allotment project arose when a group of residents contacted Pinnacle Group, requesting its support in the development of their allotment space. The idea behind the allotments was to create and kick-start a new project for the whole community to be involved in.
The Pinnacle Group team agreed that this project was a great initiative and saw an additional opportunity to use recycled materials to fabricate the planters. On our client’s Clapham Park site, also managed by Pinnacle, decking was required to be removed from properties and was planned to be disposed of. Pinnacle devised a plan to re-use this decking, providing additional sustainability benefits to the project.
https://youtu.be/S-I_IOfpEGU
Over the course of a week, the team worked on the site, with the support of local residents, to clear the area and build all of the planters for the allotments from scratch. After they had been built, these planters were finished with compost, topsoil, and several sets of new hand tools were provided to residents so that they can begin their green-fingered journey. Pinnacle’s total contribution towards the project was in excess of £1,500, representing excellent social impact value for money.
What started as a great initiative to bring together the local community and residents quickly became a reality. The Chalkhill allotment is one of many similar projects delivered by Pinnacle for its residents and we look forward to seeing them flourish.
"Thanks to everyone involved... what a transformation, can’t wait to get our families down there and start planting seeds."
Chalkhill Resident
Pinnacle win a contract to provide FM services for Clarion Housing Group’s properties in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire
Pinnacle Group has announced that it has been contracted by Clarion Housing Group, the largest housing association in the UK, to provide cleaning services for properties in its Wisbech, Huntington, Peterborough and Cambridge estates.
Pinnacle are proud to support Clarion and the local communities that it serves and are delighted to have won this competitive, three-year contract.
As of 8 March 2021, Pinnacle are providing estates services to 195 sites, including new build flats, low to medium rise flats and a mix of new and pre-established housing estates. The contract is for an initial three-year period, with a possible two-year extension, and will include the 17 retirement schemes that Clarion operates in the region.
Pinnacle are providing estates services across these sites, including regular cleaning and management of the wide ranging and mixed tenure and sheltered sites in Clarion’s Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire portfolio. Pinnacle are a housing management provider, delivering tailored solutions to over 300,000 homes and looks forward to applying this experience to this contract.
“Having worked with Pinnacle Group in the past, their professionalism and experience gave us the confidence that they were the right group for the job. We have been really pleased with their approach to supporting our residents and working with them to build positive relationships. We look forward to working in partnership with Pinnacle over the next three years.
Sally Greetham
Clarion Group
“It’s fantastic to be awarded this contract, especially during a time where we want to provide the absolute best services to Clarion’s Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire residents. As shown in our work with other housing associations, Pinnacle takes pride in building valuable partnerships with our customers’ teams and ensuring that their residents get the best possible service. We look forward to demonstrating this commitment to Clarion.”
Neil Fergus
Pinnacle Group’
Both Clarion and Pinnacle Group are focused on taking a sustainable approach to housing, and partake in a variety of wider ventures. These include Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group and Pinnacle People, the group’s social investment arm, which both help get people back to work, develop skills and support with personal financial management.
Microsoft recognises Pinnacle Group as a leading developer of Power Platform solutions
Microsoft has acknowledged Pinnacle Group as one the leading firms using its Power Platform to undertake audits for the facilities and sites that it manages both internally and on behalf of its clients. Sancho Harker, a Solution Integration Analyst in Pinnacle’s Technology and Innovation team, was key in introducing this system to the Group’s operations and has also been recognised by Microsoft as one of their Most Valuable Professionals (MVP).
Using Microsoft’s Power Platform system Pinnacle will save 3,300 pages of printed paper and recover over 1,000 hours of auditors’ time each year.
Some of the solutions the Technology and Innovation team have been working on include:
Effectively Processing and Auditing Data at Pace
Before the introduction of the Power Platform system, Pinnacle’s Health and Safety team used a paper-based system to document data and this process could be cumbersome and time consuming. The Power Platform allows for the creation of bespoke Power Apps that can document every stage of the audit process easily, combined with another system called Power Automate that is used to handle the back-end data seamlessly.
The reporting of audit data has been automated through the Power BI system, which allows the running of real-time reports by month, risk level, profit centre and various other fields.
Recruitment Power Platform Simplifying and Modernising Recruitment
Pinnacle’s recruitment processes have now been brought in-house and modernised via the Power Platform system and this will enable the company to save between £100,000 and £500,000 per year on recruitment costs.
Developing the Profit Centre Power App
Sancho created the “Profit Centres List” app that supports Pinnacle managers to access their respective profit centre “hub” and receive requests for authorisation. This has centralised and streamlined a time-consuming process and ensured higher productivity for the firm. The simplification of the profit centre listing has been especially helpful, as it allows swift authorisation of costs and tasks.
Currently, Pinnacle has 15 Power Platform solutions in production and at least 20 in the pipeline.