The Costain 21 Club
About the Costain 21 Club
The Costain 21 Club enables employees and former employees of the Costain Group to keep in touch with colleagues in the UK and around the world. Members of the Club may still be working with Costain or be working with other companies or be retired.
Information and updates are provided and exchanged through the Club website, by email, blogs and a bi-annual Newsletter.
There are currently approximately 650 members. The Club maintains a contact list of all members, receives updates on members’ activities and arranges a variety of annual events. It also provides updates on developments within the company.
Being a member of the 21 Club has many benefits including:
- Book onto upcoming 21 Club events
- Find other members of the 21 Club
- Keep up to date with Costain news
Examples of 21 Club events
Annual Dinners
The “flagship” event, held at the Kennington Oval. Attendance is usually a bit below 200, representing all areas and levels of the company. It is not unusual for first-time attendees to regret that they have not attended previously!
Major project visits
This is an opportunity to visit major Costain projects. Previous trips have included a visit to the London Bridge site and the Crossrail project in London. These events include a social gathering taking place nearby afterwards.
Golf days
An informal event, held in recent years at the Maidenhead Golf Club. This is a very sociable day and is a great way to get to know other 21 Club members.
Summer outings
Every summer the 21 Club arranges a summer outing. These are very popular events with all ages from toddlers to grandparents coming along. Recent destinations have included a boat trip to the Thames Barrier, a tour of Oxford colleges and a trip to Bletchley Park.
Autumn gatherings
The autumn gatherings are relaxed evening events which provide an informal opportunity to meet friends and old colleagues over drinks and a light meal.
Northern gatherings
An opportunity for those in the north of England to meet up socially.
Frequently asked questions
As the name implies, eligibility was originally after twenty-one years' service! However to reflect the realities of today's career profiles this has been reduced to fifteen years' service.
Staff who have worked for companies that have been acquired by Costain also need to have had fifteen years’ service, at least two of which must be post-acquisition.
There are currently approximately 650 members. The Club maintains a contact list for all members.
There is a single Life Membership fee of £35.
Sir Albert Costain Memorial Awards
These awards were established some decades ago by the 21 Club in memory of Sir Albert Costain, a grandson of Richard Costain (the founder of the company) and a Group director. He was also a founding member of the 21 Club back in 1954. Sir Albert was passionate about education, training and career development.
The 21 Club established the Sir Albert Costain Memorial Awards (SACMA) to encourage and recognise the achievements of trainees of all disciplines. This now includes graduates, apprentices and trainees, so keeping the ethos of Sir Albert alive in an up to date context.
There are three award winners each year, selected by a panel from the Club committee from nominations submitted by Company employees and line managers. The prize for each winner is a certificate and a cheque. The awards are presented to the winners by the Group CEO at the Club's Annual Dinner.
The 21 Club is a great way for me to keep in touch despite the fact I retired over 12 years ago. I am able to catch up with old colleagues, people who still work at Costain and people who live on the other side of the world.
I joined the 21 Club when I was still working at Costain. Now I have moved on to another company but it is very good to have this means of maintaining contact with former colleagues.
I knew I was eligible to join the 21 Club but I didn't feel old enough! Then I joined to go to an annual dinner in order to catch up with a former colleague. Having gone, I wished that I had joined ten years earlier!