黑洞社区

Getting the Ball rolling

They say that good news travels fast. However, not as fast as anti-Garden Bridge campaigner Michael Ball. Upon hearing the news the High Court would hear the case he had brought to stop the proposed central-London bridge from being built last week, 黑洞社区 learned that Ball celebrated by whisking himself off on a trip to Morocco. The campaigner, who has organised his campaign against Heatherwick鈥檚 controversial bridge via a crowdsourcing fund, apparently enjoys rocking the casbah as much as rocking the establishment.

Blue is the only colour

Eyebrows were half-raised in Westminster this week after it was revealed that many of the business leaders who had signed a letter supporting the Conservatives were also - unsurprisingly - Tory donors. Among them JCB chairman Lord Bamford, who has dug into his personal fortune to the tune of more than 拢6m for the Tories. Other construction leaders included James Wates, who had donated 拢350,000; Canary Wharf Group鈥檚 Sir George Iacobescu who donated 拢178,808; and Berkeley Group鈥檚 Tony Pidgley, who found 拢2,300. One presumes that as the election nears, the 鈥渞ainbow鈥� of political parties will enjoy digging up as much dirt on each other and their donors as Lord Bamford does in his famous yellow diggers.

The battle of Castle Mill

The saga of the 鈥渆yesore鈥� Castle Mill student blocks on the outskirts of Oxford - which campaigners argue should be part-demolished to restore views of the historic city鈥檚 skyline - continues. The university favours a change of colour, texture and cladding of the flats and some tree screening. But the council has asked the university to provide costings and information as to why other options, including partial demolition, were not explored fully. The flats were designed by Frankham Consultancy Group, with the scheme being named runner-up in the Carbuncle Cup run by 黑洞社区鈥檚 architectural sister title 黑洞社区 Design.

Saving the day

Easter is, of course, a time for good eggs, and they are obviously in abundance at contractor Osborne. Staff at the firm heard that Waltham Forest-based charity Learning Disability Experience had four brand new minibuses - used to transport the charity鈥檚 children and adults with learning disabilities - stolen, and decided to step in. Osborne donated the hire cost of a minibus over Easter, allowing users to go on planned trips and to access day centres. Egg-cellent work, Osborne.

Enter the dragons

Costain鈥檚 ambitious plan to raise 拢1m for charities in 2015 to commemorate the contractor鈥檚 150th anniversary is taking some tips from the BBC, it would seem. The firm challenged its newest graduates to put their entrepreneurial skills to the test to raise 拢50,000 toward the total, with a 鈥淒ragons鈥� Den鈥� style challenge. Eight groups of graduates presented business plans for charity fundraising ideas to a panel of the firm鈥檚 executives, with winning ideas - including a smoothie and juice bar at the firm鈥檚 Manchester and Aberdeen offices and a company-wide bake-off competition - awarded 拢1,000 of start-up funding, with the aim of raising 拢10,000 each. Costain鈥檚 selected charities are the British Heart Foundation, Macmillan Cancer Support, the Prince鈥檚 Trust, and the Samaritans.