We’re proud to announce that our Deputy Managing Director, Chris Evans, is taking on a tremendous sailing challenge this summer in order to raise money for the Central England Rehabilitation Centre (CERU).
Chris will compete in the Rolex Fastnet Challenge in August, considered one of the classic offshore races on the international sailing calendar. The five day racing challenge will see him set sail from Cowes on the Isle of Wight on the 6th August, taking in the infamous Fastnet Rock off Southern Ireland before passing the Scilly Isles, and finally finishing in Plymouth.
The course, which is over 600 nautical miles in total, often encounters some of the most demanding and treacherous weather and sea conditions. The challenge requires experienced race goers to have successfully completed a range of rigorous safety checks before embarking on the four races. Over the weekend, Chris successfully took part in and passed the RYA life safety and heavy weather courses, which included many case studies of what to do and not to do in emergencies. The course also had some practical tasks including the safe use of flares, deployment / use of life rafts and storm sails.
Life raft training in action with Chris righting an upturned raft.
Flare deployment.
In the run up to the race, Chris will be taking part in three additional races, which include Cervantes Trophy, The Myth of Malham and the Channel Race.
Chris’s chosen charity is Central England Rehabilitation Centre (CERU), a specialist facility for post-intensive care patients who have suffered serious head trauma. Peter Rolton, Chairman of Rolton Group, has witnessed first-hand the excellent care given by CERU to his son who is currently being treated following a car accident last year – a misfortune that hit close to home for Chris, whose son also suffered a serious head injury that resulted in a bleed on the brain in a footballing accident four years ago. More information about CERU can be found on their website www.ceru.co.uk.
Chris, who has a fundraising target of £5,000 which he hopes to raise in the run up to the race, said: “I am really looking forward to taking on the Rolex Fastnet Challenge in August. This is renowned as one of sailing’s toughest challenges, so I’ll be working hard in the gym and out on the water to prepare with over 150 hours of training over the coming months. The CERU facility is very important and I hope that people will support me with their donations for such a worthy organisation. Let the training commence!”
We are delighted to welcome Krzysztof Mielnik to the Rolton team as senior consultant for vertical transportation (VT).
Krzysztof’s appointment marks the next step in the rapid growth of our recently launched independent Vertical Transportation consultancy. Led by industry expert Tim Piggott, our dedicated VT team provides comprehensive expertise across the entire lifecycle of advanced lift technology from design and construction to commissioning, handover, and ongoing operational support.
Rolton is pleased to have contributed to the newly launched industry report, ‘Built Environment Strategic Workforce Planning for 2030’.
The comprehensive publication stems from the latest INSPIRE event hosted by the Built Environment Futures Assembly (BEFA). This powerful leadership forum was established by the University of the Built Environment (UBE) to break down professional silos, spark collaboration, and drive excellence across engineering, construction, and real estate.
Rolton celebrates official opening of West Northamptonshire’s £9.4m State-of-the-Art Mortuary
We were delighted to attend the official opening of the new £9.4m County Mortuary at Riverside Business Park, a project that marks a transformative milestone for bereavement services and public infrastructure in Northamptonshire.
