Blog & News

Over the last year we’ve faced an incredible challenge that took the world by storm.

“The old house and the new house are incomparable. All the old windows and doors are changed, the floor has a concrete foundation,’’ Woinshet Shimelis.

Kasech Shimelis lives in Gullelle, Sub City of Addis Ababa, with her daughter.

“If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a whole nation.” – Dr. James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey

Could your idea improve construction or the built environment?

COINS Foundation is delighted to announce that COINS Global will now be working closely with DFN Project Search as a new partner providing work experience placements for their students.

On 10th December, COINS Mobile Support Analyst, Shirley Gurung, visited the Kailash Home in Kathmandu where their recently refurbished facilities include a dedicated study building.

Continuing the legacy of the London 2012 Paralympics, the Surrey Para Games is an annual event open to all Surrey school children in years 7-10 with special educational needs and disabilities.

Whilst travelling and group gatherings are on hold, we caught up with COINS employees Carol (UK Technical Services Manager) and Claudia (Customer Partnership Manager) who last year travelled to Honduras with Habitat for Humanity for the 2019 Women Build.

Established in Guildford in 1979, Challengers provides inclusive play and leisure activities for disabled children and young people.

The 17th October marks an important day on the calendar, not just this year but every year.

Ideas which aim to transform construction using Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, 3D printing and organic nano fluids have been selected as winners for the 2020 COINS Grand Challenge by a panel of construction industry leaders.

Two years ago, COINS Foundation, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, started a new initiative to try to relieve some of the challenges that residents living in slum areas face.

Over the past few months, changes to our daily routine have been a necessity with remote working and ‘social distancing’ becoming the norm.

PEAS (Promoting Equality in African Schools) was founded with a mission to expand access to quality, secondary education for all children in Africa and they currently have 28 schools in Uganda and 4 schools in Zambia.

Being able to do what you enjoy is a luxury that many have missed over the past few months.

COINS Employee Alex Smyrl talks about participating in an overseas build in Romania with Habitat for Humanity as part of the COINS team.

Nhlanhla Ndlovu was one of three finalists in his section of the 2018 COINS Grand Challenge, where successful entrants were invited to present their ideas at a gala dinner and awards ceremony, which took place alongside the COINS Innovation Day.

They say that pressure can either burst a pipe or make a diamond and for the first time (certainly in my life) we face a challenge that is not limited to a specific segment, but is something that is felt worldwide.

Melissa Grigsby has been a School leader representing young people with Special Education Needs and Disabilities for 15 years and is the CEO of new company, MySide. ‍

Located in Hindhead, Surrey, just a short walk from Stepping Stones School is our social enterprise café, The Cookie Bar.

Just 1 in 3 African children access secondary school due to it being either unavailable or unaffordable.

When Sundial Studio opened its doors for the first time, there were no preconceptions about how popular it would be or the level of significance it would have on young people’s lives.

On Saturday 9th November the Kailash Home in Kathmandu and over 200 people celebrated the official opening of their new extended facilities.

Habitat for Humanity GB believe that everyone deserves a safe and decent place to live and that achieving this is an important part of breaking the cycle of poverty.

As we look towards the festive season the phrase ‘tis the season of goodwill’ keeps cropping up.

COINS employee, Duane Wingell talks about participating in Habitat's Hope Challenge earlier this year and what his team gained from it.

My name is Sorcha and I left the mainstream school system at the age of fifteen to join Stepping Stones School in Hindhead, Surrey.

On Saturday 6th July, Sundial Festival returned for another year and guests were treated to an afternoon of delicious food, drinks and great entertainment under the welcoming sunshine.

At the beginning of October, Australian talent Chris Symonds travelled to Portugal for the Hansa Open European Sailing Championships, which ran from 5th to the 12th October at Portimão Marina.

On Saturday 21st September, a music event celebrating peace and harmony lit up a small remote town in the Pilbara on the International Day of Peace.

COINS employee Holly Ryan blogs about her experiences volunteering in Honduras with Habitat for Humanity for the 2019 Women Build.

Stepping Stones student 17-year-old Harry represented Sailability at the Cotswold Water Park in the Hansa 2.3 class, finishing in an impressive 2nd place.

Chris Symonds (57) is an International Para Sailor from a small town in Wynyard in North West Tasmania, Australia.

Every once in a while, you meet someone who makes you want to challenge yourself, to push your own limits further and to create opportunities that you’d normally be afraid to take.

A talented musician in her own right, Annie Mawson MBE enjoyed a successful career in the education sector, where she worked as a special needs teacher before setting up in 1992 doing freelance work as a harpist.

As part of his studies, Louis spent a week working with COINS Foundation & Habitat for Humanity - he shares his experiences...

Ideas which could revolutionise the Construction Industry were received from all over the world for the 2019 COINS Grand Challenge, a global competition organised by Construction Industry Solutions Ltd (COINS) which hopes to uncover innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders.

On Friday 28th June, 8 COINS employees swapped their suits to shorts and boots and headed off to the Peak District for the weekend to take on the Habitat Hope Challenge 2019.

On Friday 28th June, COINS employees gathered together at Frensham Ponds.

Amie Humphries updates us on her journey...

Meet Founder and Managing Director of EcoAct Tanzania, Christian Mwijage.

Ina few weeks, ten employees from COINS will head to the Peak District to take on the Habitat Hope Challenge 2019.

On 21st October 2011, the doors to the Cookie Bar in Hindhead opened to the public marking the beginning of a fantastic new social enterprise. We take a quick look at what’s been happening since…

Angela Paxton, mum of Bethany, explains the impact that Challengers has made on their lives.

COINS Foundation is delighted to have joined with Comfort Systems USA to enter into a partnership with the Houston Food Bank.

Last month was the COINS Grand Challenge, where finalists from no less than 6 countries presented their unique ideas at Cambridge University.

In a couple of weeks, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award will fill TV screens around the country.

Saturday evening at White Night Melbourne and walking through the pedestrianised city centre, you can feel an untapped excitement hanging in the air.

At the end of last year, Cambridge University hosted the COINS Grand Challenge Awards where finalists from 6 countries presented their ideas to a panel of judges and guests.

Last December, COINS revealed the winners of the inaugural COINS Grand Challenge at the final Gala dinner and awards ceremony.

As Rio 2016 Olympics comes to a close, we reflect back on the excitement of the past two weeks.

In a bid to break down the barriers in business, the past week has been named Disability Works week.

The first week in January you can’t go online without seeing“ New Year New Me” posts with photos of healthy eating and gym shots all over social media.

COINS employees Barbara White and Mona Evans took part in Habitat for Humanity's Women Build - Barbara shares her experiences...

On 8th February 2017, the COINS Grand Challenge returned for its second year to celebrate more innovative ideas and ambitious talent in the construction industry.

In 2007 I paid to go to Brazil as a volunteer in a team helping build new homes for families living in favelas (slums).

On Wednesday 8th February finalists of the 2017 COINS Grand Challenge presented their ideas to a panel of judges before attending a gala dinner and awards ceremony in London, where the winners were announced.

On Wednesday 8th February, finalists of the COINS Grand Challenge joined together in London alongside industry experts for the Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony.

On Wednesday 8th February the winners of the COINS Grand Challenge were announced at a Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony hosted in London.

As Stepping Stones and Undershaw open their doors for the start of a new term, many students are welcomed back to continue their learning and development, but for those new attendees it could be the start of a new chapter.

On 8th February 2017 the finalists of the COINS Grand Challenge made their final presentations in front of a panel of judges before awaiting the final announcement of the winners at the gala dinner.

When you think about buying a bag there are a number of factors you might assess before making a purchase, whether that’s durability, colour, price or size different considerations will run through your mind depending on its function.

Challengers provide exciting, challenging, and most importantly, inclusive play and leisure activities for children and young people with disabilities.

In the UK only 6% of people with a learning disability are in any form of employment and DFN Project SEARCH Internship Programme aims to change that figure for the better.

Earlier this year, finalists of the 2018 COINS Grand Challenge were invited to San Antonio, Texas to present their ideas at a gala dinner and awards ceremony.

When Jennifer and her younger brother Lewis passed grade exams at their primary school with flying colours, their parents faced a difficult choice. With six children in the family and both parents working in low paid jobs, expensive school fees were out of the question.

The mere concept of sidestepping along a ledge at the top of a mountain that has a drop on one side and a ski run on the other just to get to your desired route makes me feel a bit anxious, but Laura calmly described it to me in a matter of fact manner: 

Last June, finalists of the 2018 COINS Grand Challenge gathered together in San Antonio, Texas to present their ideas at a gala dinner and awards ceremony.

Edward Muyomba has been part of the PEAS community since childhood, having attended one of the first PEAS schools set up.

Isolation can be one of the biggest challenges for young people and those who are particularly at risk are individuals with additional needs or disabilities.