CRL operatives put their construction skills to good effect by building a 2metre x 3metre-sized Wendy House, which was raffled to provide funds for the hospital’s children’s ward.

Terry Budd, CRL’s Site Manager commented, "We really enjoyed building the Wendy House and were extremely pleased that the raffle realised £1,200 for the children’s ward. We hope it will go some way toward thanking the hospital staff and patients, who had to be temporarily relocated, for the co-operation they have given us over the past few months".

The renovation work at Pilgrim Hospital is being carried out on behalf of United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which is spending a total of £12 million on upgrading the hospital over the next few years. It is intended to improve the environment for the staff and patients, as well as extending the life of the building and reducing the hospital’s running costs. The work will yield a dramatic improvement to the external fabric of the structure, which had been progressively deteriorating over the past forty years due to constant battering from the elements.

"Work is being carried out whilst the hospital remains fully operational and in order to keep noise to a minimum, hydrodemolition is being used for the removal of defective areas of concrete", said Terry Budd. "To further reduce patient inconvenience, a buffer zone of empty wards is being programmed ahead of the works".

Acting as main contractor, CRL has now finished the first stage of the phased £3.7m project. Completion is due in August 2003.