An Afternoon to Remember
Some events go exactly to plan. Others throw everything at you first — and become all the better for it.
Lancashire Construction Connections Summer Special 2026 will be remembered for a lot of reasons. The energy in the room, the pouring of drinks and the triple-figure turnout that once again demonstrated just how much appetite there is for genuine, no-nonsense networking in the Lancashire construction and built environment community. Most of all, it will be remembered for the announcement that Site Surveying Services and Thomas Consulting had been quietly working towards for some time.
But it will also be remembered for what happened before anyone arrived…
Against the Odds
The morning of the event brought news that no event organiser wants to hear. The canal adjacent to The White Cross in Lancaster had flooded overnight, and water had made its way into the venue. By rights, it should have been a cancellation. Yet, against the odds, the entire staff of the White Cross worked tirelessly throughout the morning to dry out the space successfully before the event took place. They stayed open specifically to host Lancashire Construction Connections — and because of their efforts, not a single attendee would have known anything had been amiss. It was a remarkable effort and one that deserves to be recognised. Our sincere thanks go to every member of the team at The White Cross for making sure the show went on.
This is where the joke writes itself, as the exact purpose for this event was to announce Site Surveying Services’ and Thomas Consulting‘s service partnership for flood alleviation, drainage and water design projects. As much as it caused some panic, the situation was rather fitting and exemplified the importance of flood planning for water courses.
About Lancashire Construction Connections
For those who haven’t attended before, Lancashire Construction Connections is a regional networking event bringing together professionals from across construction, development, civil engineering, surveying and the wider built environment in Lancashire and the North West.
The event keeps things simple, with drinks on the house and a relaxed format, the venue is always well chosen and the people who turn up are genuinely invested in the regional construction community. This Summer Special marked the first event of 2026 — and with a triple-figure turnout it was the biggest and most successful to date. The continued growth in attendance reflects the reputation the event has earned, and the genuine appetite among North West construction professionals for an event that values conversation over content.
The Announcement
Lancashire Construction Connections Summer Special 2026 marked the official public launch of the partnership between Site Surveying Services and Thomas Consulting.
Site Surveying Services Director Samuel Knott and Thomas Consulting’s Director Julian Pearson took the opportunity to formally announce what those who know both firms well had already suspected was coming — a dedicated, formalised partnership to deliver a complete flood risk, drainage and civil engineering service, packaged and managed under one point of contact.
This is not a new relationship. SSS and Thomas Consulting have been working alongside each other for over five years, across some of the most demanding sites in the region — Royal Blackburn Hospital, BAE Systems in Barrow, Heysham Power Station and a series of multi-site instructions in Merseyside among them. The trust, the mutual understanding and the established working relationship were already there. Formalising it into a dedicated partnership was the natural and overdue next step.
Together, SSS and Thomas Consulting now offer a complete survey, design and engineering package. SSS delivers the full range of survey services — topographic, bathymetric and river surveys, CCTV and drainage surveys, utility mapping, aerial and drone surveys and desktop studies. Thomas Consulting takes that data directly into flood modelling, flood design, drainage design and flood risk assessments, managing the full instruction throughout. Clients can come to either firm — the coordination sits within the partnership, not with the client. One package. One point of contact. No gaps between survey and engineering.
The partnership was created to address a clear and demonstrable gap in the market — offering the complete flood risk and drainage service that local authorities, developers and environmental agencies need, without the overhead, the hidden subcontracting and the accountability gaps that have long characterised the alternatives.
The response in the room on the day was everything both firms had hoped for. It is fair to say the announcement was well received.
What Comes Next
In the weeks and months ahead, SSS and Thomas Consulting will be sharing the full story of the partnership — including the history of working together, the case studies that demonstrate what it delivers in practice and the detail of the complete service package now available to clients across the UK.
For those who were in the room at The White Cross and want to find out more, or for those who couldn’t make it and are hearing about this for the first time — visit the Trusted Partners page to learn more. Contact the team at either firm, who are ready to talk through what this means for your next instruction.
And for those who enjoy a good networking afternoon in good company — stay tuned. Another Lancashire Construction Connections event is being planned for later this year, and if the Summer Special is anything to go by, it will be well worth putting in the diary.
