Aggregate brings cheer to children’s hospice with new ‘rainbow paver’

25 Oct 2018

As it continues its pledge to support local charities, Aggregate Industries has joined forces with Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People to launch a new technicolour paving machine.

On a mission to brighten up the road network, the leading construction materials supplier has invested in a new heavyweight Volvo 9820 paver, adorning it in vivid rainbow colours to honour the fantastic work the Leicester-based charity does to support children and their families with life-limiting conditions.

As the biggest paver available on the market, Aggregate Industries’ 9820 ‘Rainbow Paver’ is a rare find and the first to be specified in the UK in the last 15 years.

The paver will first appear at the Rainbows Firework Spectacular at Leicester Racecourse on 3 November, giving spectators the chance to see the mammoth piece of kit up close, whilst raising some much-needed funds.

The ‘Rainbow Paver’ will then be deployed for use on road construction projects, most notably the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme, where it will raise awareness of the Rainbows Hospice across the region.

Tom Stannard, Corporate Partnership Fundraiser for Rainbows Hospice, expressed his excitement at being involved in the project.

“We’ve worked with Aggregate Industries before but this is the first time we’ve had the opportunity to co-brand a piece of machinery; all the more significant as the paver is quite specialist and rare!” he said.

“It’s really inspiring to think how many people will see the Rainbows Hospice branding as they pass the machine when it’s out on the road.”

Craig Flowers, Aggregate Industries National Plant Manager at Aggregate Industries, commented: “It’s really special to be able to partner with a charity like Rainbows and support them on their journey in changing the lives of life limited children and their families.

“We are delighted to be able to help raise their profile and hopefully a good chunk of money to ensure the team can continue to do what they do best: care.

“For those unable to attend the launch at the Rainbows Firework Spectacular, keep an eye out for this rainbow coloured giant if you are travelling along the A14 improvement scheme as no doubt it will be difficult to miss.”

Keen to support such a worthy cause, Aggregate Industries’ long-standing supply partners, Collins Earthworks, CRH Plant alongside manufacturer Volvo, will showcase some of the latest plant and equipment available at the Rainbows Firework Spectacular.

As well as helping to raise money for the Rainbows Hospice, the firms hope to use the opportunity to entice young spectators to consider a career in construction.

The Rainbow Paver: Fast Facts

· The Rainbow Paver will join Aggregate Industries fleet, one of the largest in the UK, featuring not one, but three Volvo 9820 paving machines

· The Volvo 9820 weighs over 22 tonnes and will be the biggest paver in the UK to date to lay CBGM on the national road network

· The Rainbow Paver’s first assignment will be laying cement bound granular material (CBGM) on the high-profile A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme where its’ screed will be laying CBGM up to a whopping 12m width

· All Volvo 9820 are equipped with screeds that can extend up to a maximum of 16m wide when laying asphalt

· The Rainbow Paver also has the option to lay asphalt if required due to the machine’s screed being heated. This is no mean feat considering the average width of a single carriageway in the UK is 3.65m

· It will be fitted with our innovative data collection Automated Intelligent Technology (AIT), and have total machine controls that link with Total Station to collect BIM and Trimble data for clients

· For increased safety of the workforce, all Volvo 9820s will also be fitted with exclusion zone lighting

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