VIPs give seal of

Summer
2015
FlagStaff
Pennon People’s Paper
News
flush
Viridor Chief Executive Ian
McAulay welcomes HRH
The Duke of Gloucester and
distinguished guests to the
flagship ERF at Ardley
South West Water has
launched a year-long pilot
campaign called ‘Love your
Loo’ in a bid to encourage
people to flush only the
‘3Ps’ (pee, paper and poo).
VIPs give seal of
approval to new ERFs
Viridor has officially
opened its new Energy
Recovery Facilities (ERF) in
Oxfordshire and Wales.
Viridor was then pleased to
welcome the Rt. Hon. Carwyn
Jones AM, First Minister of Wales,
to formally open Trident Park in
Cardiff on Monday 22 June.
The first, in Ardley, Oxfordshire,
was given the royal seal of
approval by HRH The Duke of
Gloucester who was invited
to visit the new £205 million
facility at the beginning of June.
Both Ardley and Trident Park are
already helping local authorities
and businesses transform their
non-recyclable waste into vital
renewable energy to power
homes in the local area.
56MW
of electricity created from waste
88,000
homes powered by this electricity
Story continues on...
P11
Steve Rosser, Waste Water
Strategic Planning Manager, said:
“The aim of the campaign is to
change customers’ bathroom
habits to help reduce the number
of sewer blockages and flooding.
Some of the worst culprits are
wet wipes of various kinds, moist
toilet tissue and sanitary products.
South West Water has to deal with
around 8,500 sewer blockages
a year at a cost of £4.5million.”
Inside this issue
P6-7
P10
P14
P18
Project Enterprise
– Making it happen
Viridor Sales
Conference Awards
South West Water
BeachLive
Pure
Awards
UpFront
Hello and
welcome
to the latest
issue of
Flagstaff
As you can see, we have
a fresh new look which
has been created based
on your feedback. Our
businesses are based on
people and the new look
and content of Flagstaff
reflects the diversity of
roles within the group.
We hope you like it!
It’s been a busy time for the
group, with great progress
being made across a number of
key areas. Viridor is continuing
to invest in recycling facilities
that deliver the high-quality
standards the rapidly changing
markets demand and has seven
fully operational Energy Recovery
Facilities with four more
underway. Project Enterprise is
on track, with the first wave of
facilities due to adopt the new
systems and ways of working
over the autumn. South West
Water has recently held a series
of Business Plan roadshows, an
opportunity to update each team
on how they will be affected by
the plan over the next five years,
and the business continues to
prepare for the impact of market
reform which will be introduced
from April 2017.
As always we are keen to receive
your comments and feedback on
the magazine,
and please do send us ideas for
news stories and features for
future issues.
Have a great summer.
Editors:
Victor Perez-Mares
01732 229200
Claire Priday
01392 443020
[email protected]
2
FlagStaff
Your new look
Flagstaff
We wanted
to find out:
What you liked
about Flagstaff
What you’d like
to see more of
If there was anything
you wanted to change
Thank you to everyone who took part in the recent
reader survey. Nearly 600 people from across the
group responded to the survey and your feedback
has played a key part in helping us create the
new-look magazine.
What you wanted:
Strategic updates
Insight into different
parts of the business
Success stories
Competitions and quizzes
A new smaller size
What we’ve kept:
Company news
Day in the life features
Employee news
and updates
Opinion features
We hope you enjoy this first
issue of the new-look Flagstaff!
What do you think of the new look?
Email us your feedback to [email protected]
Pennon Group
Chair steps down
Ken Harvey, Chairman of Pennon Group since March 1997,
is to retire from the Pennon and South West Water Boards
of Directors on 31 July. He remains as Chairman of Viridor.
Pennon Group’s Senior
Independent Director, Gerard
Connell, said: “On behalf of the
board, I would like to thank
Ken for steering Pennon
through a period of significant
growth and change over his
18 years as Chairman.
“He has provided exceptionally
strong leadership and wise
counsel to the board and has
overseen significant successful
developments in both South
West Water and Viridor.
We wish Ken the very best
for his retirement.”
Mr Harvey is succeeded by Sir
John Parker, who has been out
visiting a number of Viridor and
South West Water sites.
Summer 2015
UpFront
Business Plan to
2020 – at a glance
More than 1,300 South
West Water staff and
contractor partners
attended our Business
Plan roadshows in
March and April.
Here are some of the
highlights of the plan.
We will:
•Peg household bills to below
inflation until 2020 and
continue to support those
who struggle to pay
•Find new ways to reduce
the risk of sewer flooding
and pollution
•Increase protection for
bathing water and shellfish
water quality
•Develop new technologies
to maintain high-quality
drinking water
•Expand the company’s
renewable energy programme
•Boost the regional economy
through jobs, our use of local
contractors and an expanded
apprenticeship programme
News
Bites
•Continue to make South
West Water a great place to
work by investing in training
and development, improving
productivity and protecting
health, safety and well-being
•Spend around
£1.7bn between 2015 and
2020 on improving services
for our customers
For more info visit:
southwestwater.co.uk/waterfuture
•Share rewards of outperformance with customers
via ‘WaterShare’
Hot off the press!
The Government’s Childcare
Voucher Scheme will remain
open to all employees until
early 2017. To find out more
about these changes visit:
www.giveyourselfachoice.com
These outcomes provide the framework for the 2015-20 Business Plan:
Clean, safe and
reliable supply of
drinking water
Reliable
wastewater service
Responsive
to customers
Protecting the
environment
Did you know
that 29 glasses of South West
Water cost less than 1p?
Available and
sufficient resources
Resilience in
extreme conditions
Benefiting the
community
Fair charging
‘MarketReady’ preparations underway
Ahead of the opening of
the non-household retail
services market in 2017,
a company-wide
programme of training is
being developed for rollout in spring next year.
From April 2017, all business
and other non-household
customers will be able to choose
which company provides the
Summer 2015
retail element of their water and
wastewater service (e.g. billing
and account management). It will
be similar to the way all of us can
now choose who provides our gas,
electric and telephone services.
As the wholesaler, South West
Water will have to deal with
multiple non-household retailers,
including South West Water
Business Services, in a
consistent and unbiased way.
To ensure we comply with the
new market rules, which will
affect a wide variety of internal
systems and processes, a number
of training schemes, talks and
presentations will be provided.
Watch this space and check out
the MarketReady pages on the
intranet for more information.
77% of you completed
the South West Water
Employee Survey –
4% more than last year.
Thank you! Results to follow
over the summer.
FlagStaff
3
Feature
Upstream
Thinking
Improving
South West Water’s innovative Upstream Thinking
programme is one of the most exciting initiatives in
the water industry and has already brought about
significant benefits to the natural environment as
well as to customers.
The aim of this award-winning programme is to improve raw water
quality at its source, long before it reaches water treatment works.
This is achieved by working with farmers to improve land management
and to promote agricultural practices that protect water sources.
Farmers have the opportunity to apply for grants to help them meet the
costs of any improvements.
raw water
quality at
source
The programme is overseen by Dr David Smith from the Environmental
and Sustainability team, and South West Water also works closely with
Natural England and the Environment Agency.
Between 2015 and 2020, we will be working in partnership with Devon
Wildlife Trust, Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Westcountry Rivers Trust and
Exmoor National Park Authority – with the aim of improving water
quality and, in particular, keeping pesticides out of surface waters.
The programme is worth nearly £12 million. It is made up of
14 separate projects run by the four partners and will benefit
15 water treatment works – 50 per cent of South West Water’s
water treatment works, which supply 72 per cent of the region’s
total daily water.
The Catchments
Farm example 2
River Exe – Exmoor Mires, ENPA, DWT/WRT
River Dart – WRT and DWT
River Tamar – WRT and DWT
River Fowey – WRT
Cofton Cross and Otter – WRT/DWT
4
Before
FlagStaff
Fernworthy – DWT
Barnstaple Yeo – DWT
Argal & College – CWT
River Cober – CWT
Drift – CWT
(DWT) Devon Wildlife Trust
(CWT) Cornwall Wildlife Trust
(WRT) Westcountry Rivers Trust
(ENPA) Exmoor National Park Authority
2,450m of cattle fencing
installed with watering points
Summer 2015
Farm Example 1
Feature
New concrete track
Case Study:
River Tamar
During the first phase of
Upstream Thinking we
targeted intensive farms in the
Tamar catchment with grants
specifically to manage slurry
and manure storage and to
install fenced off strips to
buffer watercourses from
fertiliser applications.
Increasing the amount of
slurry storage available had a
particularly big impact; farmers
did not have to apply slurry
during periods of wet weather or
when the soil condition was poor,
protecting soils from damage
and erosion.
Grants for on-farm
improvements
A total of 43 farm grants
were awarded, ranging from
small £1,000 fencing grants
to individual grants of up to
£100,000.
New covered slurry pit
Farm Example 1
Farm Example 2
Grant type – New covered slurry
pit , concrete track, new covered
silage pit.
Grant type – 2,450m
of cattle fencing
plus watering points.
Cost – £100,000
Cost – £3,452
This grant transformed a dairy
farm that was just meeting
its regulatory minimum
requirements. The farm
struggled with only basic slurry
storage, meaning that slurry was
spread throughout the winter
and cows were let out earlier
than they should be, increasing
the level of pollution into nearby
watercourses. The farm now
has five months’ slurry storage
with good clean access to the
fields for cows and machinery,
greatly reducing nutrient loss
and protecting the river
from pollution.
A simple grant to fence out
cattle from the river will reduce
bank-side poaching and direct
nutrient loss into the river,
creating a wildlife corridor and
buffer strip at the same time.
Exmoor Mires
Generations of peat-cutting
and the creation of drainage
ditches has led to the Exmoor
Mires drying out – reducing the
water-holding capacity of the
moors. South West Water has
already carried out extensive
restoration work, with plans to
restore another 1,000 hectares
of peatland across Exmoor in the
next five years. The work is being
carried out in partnership with
the Environment Agency, Natural
England, Exmoor National Park
Authority, Historic England and
local community and farming
representatives. It offers a
unique opportunity to restore
these nationally important
habitats for the benefit of all,
now and for the future.
Award-winning
Monitoring progress of the
restoration and its impact is
a vital part of the Upstream
Thinking programme.
The project has been named Data
Project of the Year at the Water
Industry Achievement Awards in
recognition of the quality of the
analysis taking place.
For more
details on the
programme, visit
upstreamthinking.org
The project has been named Data
Project of the Year at the Water Industry
Achievement Awards in recognition of
the quality of the analysis taking place
Lewis Jones, Josie Ashe, David Smith, Richard Brazier
presented by Maureen Gaines, WET News
Summer 2015
FlagStaff
5
Feature
Project Enterprise – ­
Business
transformation
underway!
Making it happen
I am enjoying being part of a diverse
team that includes colleagues from different
areas and skill sets within the business.
I am finding my way around the system
and learning a lot. I look forward to
helping and meeting others during
Project Enterprise deployment
Maria Shawcross,
Lead/SAP Super User
6
FlagStaff
After almost three years of
planning and testing, Project
Enterprise is set to transform the
way Viridor works. The roll-out of
SAP will begin in October 2015
when sites across the company
will make the switch from their
current systems to SAP.
The Deployment team will
be working closely with site
managers in the coming months
to prepare them for the changes
and to make sure the transition
happens smoothly.
There will also be plenty of
support at each site as the
changes happen. We already
have a team of more than 500
employees who have experience
of SAP through testing, training
or acting as Change Champions,
Agents or Lead/SAP Super Users.
They will be available on site, on
the phone and via email to assist
their colleagues with questions
and challenges.
Summer 2015
Feature
SAP is an integrated system that will let the company work better and
more efficiently, reducing duplication and improving reporting
Ian Holyhead, Head of Project Enterprise
Lift-off!
Training: Ready to go?
1
Wave 1 colleagues
View available training courses on the Hub
FEBRUARY
2016
Wave 3
South East, VRM
and Skelmersdale
Key
things
to know
Register via email
Wave 2 & 3 colleagues
All those who need training will receive a personalised
learning plan with a list of courses they need to attend
Learning plans will be available online, from
mid-summer
Courses can be booked online, directly from the plan
2
Course bookings will be sent electronically to managers
for approval
DECEMBER
2015
Wave 2
North and
South West
Managers can book their team members’
training directly
Wherever possible, we’ve kept travel times from sites to
training centres to a minimum – most courses are less
than an hour away
OCTOBER
2015
Wave 1
Scotland
Power Generation &
Central Functions
Countdown
to launch
The Testing Team is
responsible for coordinating a
hands-on trial of the new SAP
system. This trial will ensure
that SAP works the way it was
designed to and that it works
properly, without any major
flaws or bugs.
5
different locations
around the country
200+
different colleagues from
around the business
2,500+
processes to test in
the new SAP system
Personalised
learning plans
3
Testing
Learning plans
available online
Electronic requests
sent to managers
Employee Self-Service:
SAP on the go
annual leave, and view current
and historic payslips online.
At the end of last year the
Employee Self-Service website
(ESS) was made available to
all Viridor colleagues with ICT
access. It lets them view and
make changes to personal
information directly, request
The next step is to make ESS
available to all colleagues on
their personal devices, such
as smart phones, tablets, and
personal computers.
Some technical issues have
meant that the launch of this
End result: confirmation that
SAP was built the way we
designed it
service has been delayed and
will now be available from
autumn 2015.
During this delay the team has
been working to make ESS
easier to use, so all colleagues
will see an improved site later
this year.
Project Enterprise is transforming the way we work at Viridor. For more
information about what it means for you please visit the Enterprise Hub page,
or contact us:
01823 721 573
(internally 200573)
Summer 2015
[email protected]
yammer.com/viridor.co.uk
FlagStaff
7
New Stop
and Think
materials
out now
A new set of Stop and
Think materials has
been created as part
of Viridor’s revitalised
approach to managing
health, safety and
welfare across the
business. The aim of
these new materials
is to help create and
maintain a zero-incident
culture across all sites.
Weath
er Co
All systems go
at Beddington
Artist’s impression of the
new Beddington facility
Viridor is delighted to
announce that work
is set to begin on the
construction of the new
ERF in Beddington.
ndition
s
! Don’t be invisible.
oored Stay safe around workplace traffic.
get fl or
Always make sure you’re visible.
Don’tpotential trip, slip
ne.
Stop & Think.
everyo
a
er to
Ignoring d is a dang .
ety
fall hazaran up on saf
Let’s cle Think.
Stop &
Think
safe walking
in win
is
ter? as
Don’t
fal
Take ex l for that on
Stop & tra care and e.
stay on
Think
.
your fee
t.
Enough
electricity will
be generated to
power around
30,000
homes
The first phase of the
refreshed campaign was
rolled out at the beginning of
the year, with striking external
signage installed at all sites.
The second phase now
focuses on posters, stickers
and other materials to be
used by teams across all
sites and facilities.
These new materials have
been carefully designed to
help colleagues address
areas of specific risk in their
working environment.
The full set of materials and
an application guideline are
available on The Hub.
If you have any questions
or would like to order some
materials, please email:
[email protected]
8
FlagStaff
Planning consent for the facility
was confirmed at the end of April
following a judicial review.
The ERF will provide a
much-needed, long-term
alternative to landfill disposal
on behalf of the South London
Waste Partnership (SLWP), which
services homes and businesses
across South London. The
contract will run for 25 years and
will help SLWP achieve a landfill
diversion of up to 95 per cent.
Viridor’s technology
and construction partners CNIM
and Lagan began working on site
in July. The project will create
around 40 permanent jobs once
operational as well as hundreds
of jobs and many business
opportunities during construction.
A ‘Meet the Buyer’ event was
hosted locally on 28 July,
providing local businesses with
the opportunity to learn how they
can be considered to become
suppliers for the project.
The £200 million facility will recycle up to
302,500 tonnes of residual, post-recycling waste
and
generate 26MW of electricity to be supplied
to the National Grid
Getting to grips with
the new CDM regulations
The most recent meeting
of the Capital Projects
Delivery Partners Health
and Safety Forum was
held at Ardley ERF
in April.
Viridor met with its construction
and technology partners to
discuss the ERF development
programme, as well as the
impact that changes to the
Construction and Design
Management (CDM) Regulations
will have on future projects,
Alan Cumming, Capital Project and Engineering Director, (fourth from right)
guides representatives of our construction partners around Ardley ERF
including the construction
of ERFs in Beddington
and Dunbar.
Viridor took the opportunity to set
out its expectations for standards
of health, safety and compliance
for these projects and listened
to feedback and queries from
delegates. The aim of the meeting
was to develop a consistent
approach to the regulation and to
continue to achieve world-class
safety performance on all
construction projects.
Summer 2015
01
A day in the life of
Greg Campbell
Training and Development Officer based at our Northern Regional Office
I’m involved in
Viridor’s fantastic
graduate scheme
– seeing the
graduates develop
and progress has to
be one of the most
rewarding aspects
of my job
Greg’s Top Tips
Be personable
Summer 2015
Be flexible
How long have you
worked for Viridor?
What particular skills do you
need to do your job?
For just over four years. Before joining
Viridor, I was in the RAF for 28 years,
teaching leadership and management.
I think it’s vital to be both confident and
personable, and have the ability to gain
rapport with people. I have to be flexible
in my approach and be able to teach
people in a way that suits their learning
styles. Being able to deliver the courses
with passion and enthusiasm is also key
to inspiring those I teach. And finally,
I need the skills to be able to research
topics and policies and then translate
these into interesting courses.
What does your role involve
on a daily/weekly basis?
I run management and leadership
courses for managers across the UK.
As well as carrying out the training,
I write material for new courses and
continually develop and update our
existing courses. I’m involved in Viridor’s
fantastic graduate scheme; seeing the
graduates develop and progress has to
be one of the most rewarding aspects
of my job.
What do you like about
working for Viridor?
My work is exceptionally varied; the
courses I deliver range from the
fundamentals of management to
weighbridge training and health and
safety. I am often asked to support teams
with specific training needs or help
individuals who have been tasked with
passing on technical knowledge. But the
main reason I enjoy my role is the people
I work with. We have a great team of
managers throughout the UK.
What is your biggest
accomplishment to date?
Although it’s not really my achievement,
I really do get the biggest sense of
satisfaction from the degree course
and graduate presentations.
The cohorts have spent two years
learning and developing skills and at
the end of their course they are asked to
make presentations to the directors and
other senior managers.
My role is to support them through the
process, I have shared in their nerves,
excitement and then ultimately, am able
to share their sense of pride at having
delivered exceptional work.
Would you like to share with colleagues
what you do? Or perhaps you wonder
what someone else’s job in the
business entails? If so, drop us a line: [email protected]
FlagStaff
9
Sales Conference celebrates
team’s achievements
The national sales team met together with business partners from
across the company to discuss strategy and marketing plans
The second Viridor Sales Conference took place in May with
the sales team joining representatives from across the
business for two days of presentations and workshops.
The focus of the conference, which was held in Manchester
at Shrigley Hall, was on how best to help the business achieve
its strategic objectives.
And the winners are...
The attendees had the opportunity to hear from a number of speakers
including Tracy Burtwell, Director of Sales and Marketing, Dan Cooke,
Director of External Affairs and representatives from Project Enterprise.
It was a great opportunity to learn more about our
strategy, develop our sales and marketing plans
and to share best practice with each other
Avril Reid, Sales Executive at Corby
The highlight of the conference was an awards presentation which celebrated achievements across the team.
COMMITMENT TO QUALITY
EXCELLENT CLIENT EXPERIENCE
Steve Lawler
Sales Supervisor for the North
Steve was nominated for his work in identifying
over £30,000 of missed billing across 1,000 sites.
Teresa Etherington
VRM Key Account Manager
Teresa was nominated by client Coca Cola Enterprises in
recognition of her support in helping them to meet their
corporate responsibility targets.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Laura Rattigan
Office Manager at St Helens electrical recycling facility
Laura received her award for her help in distributing
300 warning notices across St Helens and Perth following
a series of explosions that occurred as a result of small
electrical appliances being incorrectly placed.
Paul Sellick
Account Manager
Paul’s award was for his contribution to winning
the liquid waste account for Yeo Valley.
THE REGIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Scottish
Regional
Sales
Team
The Scottish Regional Sales Team
The Scottish team was nominated for it’s part in
making the Commonwealth Games the greenest ever.
The team has also helped the City of Glasgow achieve
90 per cent landfill diversion.
10
FlagStaff
The winning team, (L-R): Graeme Milne, Laura Rattigan, Chris
Anderson, Katie Ferrie, Danielle McConnell and Chris Sloey
Summer 2015
VIPs give seal continued...
Ardley has the capacity to treat
300,000 tonnes of non-recyclable
waste a year, generating enough
electricity to power around
38,000 homes.
Trident Park, which saw an
investment of £223million by
Viridor, is working with five local
authorities and producing enough
power for 50,000 homes.
The Rt. Hon. Carwyn Jones AM
unveils the plaque at Trident Park
Ian McAulay, Chief Executive,
Viridor, said:
“We are delighted to have the
opportunity to officially open
both Ardley and Trident Park
ERFs. All our guests showed
great interest in the development
of the sites and our commitment
to transforming what some see
as ‘waste’ into vital renewable
energy for the UK.”
Metal Matters
Viridor project partner
Alupro (Aluminium
Packaging Recycling
Organisation) has recently
completed an extremely
successful recycling
campaign in Greater
Manchester.
The aim of the campaign,
which was called Metal
Matters, was to urge people
living in Greater Manchester
to make their ‘metals matter’
by encouraging them to
recycle more metal items
in their household recycling.
The campaign was rolled out
in four of the nine districts
of Greater Manchester
– Manchester, Rochdale,
Stockport and Trafford.
A number of different activities
were used to help encourage
residents to increase the
number of items they
recycled including direct mail,
community events, advertising
vans, newspaper articles and
social media. A door to door
campaign took place and this
proved to be an extremely
successful way of engaging
with and educating residents
on exactly what can be recycled
via kerbside collections.
Initial feedback has shown an
overall six per cent increase in
metal recycling across the
four districts.
The team at Recycle for
Greater Manchester (R4GM) is
continuing to monitor samples
of metal collection at six and
Viridor’s Finance Director Andrew Kirkman can now claim to have made his
Olympic debut following a victorious performance by his team in the final of
the England Hockey Shield Tournament which was held in May at the Olympic Park.
Summer 2015
If successful the campaign
may be rolled out in further
districts in Greater Manchester
in the future.
The MetalMatters campaign was
a finalist for an MRW National
Recycling Award 2015.
Feedback has shown a
6%
increase in metal recycling
across the four districts
Recycle for Greater Manchester is a partnership between the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority,
local councils and Viridor-Laing (Greater Manchester).
Viridor FD makes
Olympic Hockey debut
Andrew is captain of the
Taunton Vale Hockey Club
Men’s Over 40s team and
leads a squad of 16 players,
all of whom play regular
national league hockey. The
tournament is held every
year, running from November
to May, with teams from
across the UK competing in
a number of age categories.
The Taunton-based team had
performed consistently well
throughout the tournament
and in the final triumphed
over opponents Norwich
Dragons two goals to one.
12 month intervals (from
January 2015 onwards) in the
districts and will continue to
report back on the success of
this campaign.
Andrew said: “The victory
caps a fantastic year for
Taunton Vale Hockey Club. All
of our teams have performed
well in their own leagues and
in competition matches, but
we are particularly proud
of our performance in this
tournament. It’s the first time
that a Vale senior side has
reached a national final. It
was an amazing experience
to play at the Olympic Park.
We’re looking forward to
more success
next season.”
It was amazing
to play at the
Olympic
Park
The victorious Taunton Vale Hockey Club
Men’s Over 40s team at the Olympic Park
FlagStaff
11
Viridor and partners achieve
world class safety levels
400k
man hours without
time lost to accident or
injury achieved
‘EXCEPTIONAL’
rating from the Considerate
Constructors Scheme
Hospice fundraiser Nilesh Patel,
Keith Byers (Fichtner), Cllr Gavin
Elsey, Tom Halligey (Interserve)
and Paul Rowland (Viridor)
In May, Viridor and its construction partners B&W Volund, Interserve and Fichtner achieved
an additional 1,000,000 man hours – equivalent to over 45 years – without time lost to accident
or injury during the construction of the Peterborough ERF.
Earlier this year the site received
an ‘Exceptional’ rating in its safety
report from the Considerate
Constructors Scheme and
has won a Considerate
Constructors Scheme 2015
National Site Award.
Paul Rowland, Regional Contracts
Manager, Viridor said: “It’s been
an exciting journey for us all and
we’ve worked hard to ensure
that everyone who is part of
the team is fully committed to
health and safety. The facility
is changing in appearance
almost on a daily basis now.
It’s great to see so many
different trades working close
together in a safe environment.
It’s a real partnership attitude
from everyone.”
To mark the achievement and
demonstrate its commitment
to the local community, Viridor
presented a fourth cheque for
£1,000 to charity Sue Ryder
which is currently running an
appeal to raise funds for a new
hospice in the area. Viridor has
supported the charity since
construction at the site began.
The support we continue to receive from Viridor and its construction
partners is hugely appreciated. This latest donation of £1,000 will go
towards our appeal to build a state-of-the-art hospice
£4k
donated to Sue Ryder
This donation will go towards
a state-of-the-art hospice
Once operational, it will
produce the equivalent
energy to power 15%
of homes in the city
Nilesh Patel, Hospice Fundraiser
Peterborough
Energy
Recovery
Facility
Once completed the facility
will be one of the most
efficient plants of its kind
in the UK.
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Currently there are over
200 people working on
site – around 25 per cent of
those employed on site are
from Peterborough and the
surrounding area.
Once operational late in
2015, the plant will produce
7.25MW of electricity –
equivalent to that required by
around 15 per cent of homes
in Peterborough.
Construction of Peterborough ERF continues on schedule
Summer 2015
New standards
in sampling at MRFs
Over the last nine months new sampling procedures have been introduced across nine Viridor
MRF sites to bring them in line with updated requirements set out by the Environment Agency.
Since October 2015, when the new requirements
were introduced, the nine sites have taken around
21,000 samples with a total weight of 635,000kg
– a huge undertaking for all those involved.
New smart material sorting solutions and a
mechanised process for analysing the samples
have been introduced to help manage the increased
workload. Employees at the sites have also taken
part in a number of training sessions.
Nir Barak, Quality Manager, has been responsible for
managing the roll-out of the new sampling process.
He said: “This is a great example of how good
design has led to the successful implementation of
new legal requirements. The mechanisation of the
analysis process combined with an incident free
working environment has been key in helping
us introduce this new system successfully.
“I’m also delighted to report that the Quality
Assurance Management System that has been
established for the new process is now regarded
as best practice within the industry. I would like to
thank all who were involved in the project including
Herman Van Der Meij, Project Sponsor, Stuart
Wood, Sampling Solution Design, George Offei, ICT
Solution Designer and Shravanlall Seeruttun, Project
Engineer responsible for the build.”
The team is now working towards introducing the
same process in Bargeddie in Scotland. This stage
of the roll-out will be completed by October 2015.
On track for zero
Number of
samples to
31 March 2015:
20,839
Total weight of
input samples
processed:
285,224 kg
(285 tonnes)
Total weight of
output samples
processed:
349,295 kg
(349 tonnes)
waste to landfill
The aim to make our Energy
Recovery Facilities (ERFs) fully
‘zero waste to landfill’ is one
step closer, thanks to a brand
new technology that turns
Air Pollution Control residue
(APCr) into building blocks for
the construction industry.
A by-product of the filtering
process, traditionally this
material has to be disposed of
in licensed landfill sites. Now,
as part of a ten-year contract it
will be transported by Grundon
Waste Management to Carbon8
Aggregates Ltd.
Treated with waste CO2, what
follows is a series of chemical
Summer 2015
reactions, binders and fillers,
resulting in a carbon-neutral
pelletised aggregate material.
This material has been named
by The Environment Agency
as a product in its own right,
resulted in the world’s first
carbon-negative building block
called the Carbon Buster and
won numerous awards.
Exeter, Cardiff, Ardley and
Peterborough ERFs are taking
part, with over 25,000 tonnes of
APCr per year being recycled.
Through innovation and
dedication, Viridor is one step
closer to reaching that zero
waste to landfill goal.
Trident Park
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13
Ready for retail
In readiness for market
opening in April 2017, when
business customers will be
able to switch their water
retailer, our dedicated nonhousehold retail team will
operate under the banner of
South West Water Business
Services. Our strategy is to
retain our business customers
by making it easy for them to
do business with us.
Source for Business will continue
to operate, but only outside of
our region, where the strategy
is for growth.
In Scotland, where the market
has been open since 2008, the
team is already actively switching
business customers.
Celebrating Even
Cleaner Seas
L-R: Dr Stephen Bird (South West
Water), Robin Barker (Services for
Tourism), Graham Murphy (South
West Water), Councillor Ray Hill
(Torbay Council) and Malcolm Bell
(Visit Cornwall)
South West Water hosted a celebration at Abbey Park, Torquay, in June to mark the
completion of work to improve the quality of bathing water at beaches across the
South West. The work was part of our Even Cleaner Seas programme.
The event attracted 70 guests including regional
tourism chiefs, community groups and council
representatives.
Mike Court, Senior Project Manager of the
programme, said: “We have made a £20 million
investment in improving the bathing water quality
at seven seaside resorts in Dorset, Devon and
Cornwall, ahead of tougher new standards.
The event was a great opportunity to celebrate
the completion of the project and the hard work
of all involved.”
BeachLive
continues to thrive
www.beachlive.co.uk
South West Water has added a further 39 beaches to
BeachLive, its award-winning, free, online information
service about bathing water quality at beaches in the region.
Beach users can now check the current water quality at 84 of the
most popular beaches across the South West. An app has also been
developed allowing people to access the information whilst on the go.
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Award-winning
39 beaches added
On-the-go app
Summer 2015
Below inflation
pledge
South West Water is promoting its five-year Price Promise
to customers across the region – to keep average household
bill rises below inflation until the end of the decade. This year
(2015/16) the average domestic bill reduced by 3% to its lowest
level for eight years, following a price freeze last year.
This has helped us to achieve our best ever value for money
score with customers – 58%. But there’s much more to do
to reach our target of 90% by 2020.
3%
reductions in average
domestic bills this year
£1bn
investment into improving
our services
H5O alliance aims
for ‘Zero Harm’
A new health and safety initiative has been launched to support
the aim of achieving ‘Zero Harm’ for all staff and suppliers
working across the H50 Alliance. The launch was marked with
an event attended by more than 170 managers and directors
from South West Water and its partners.
The one-day event, held in
Exeter, was hosted by Andy
Pritchard, Non Infrastructure
Manager and Safety Champion
for the H5O alliance*, and
Graham Murphy, Engineering
and Supply Chain Director
from South West Water.
The focus of the day was to
identify ways of improving
health and safety performance
by concentrating on three
strategic areas: the adoption
of common standards across
the alliance, communication
and culture.
A number of interesting
discussions took place around
the behavioural aspects of
safety and how attitudes and
culture can play a significant
part in accidents at work.
Attendees were briefed on
Summer 2015
the new Engineering Alliance
Code of Practice and updated
on the latest changes to
Construction, Design and
Management (CDM) legislation.
* H5O is South West Water’s
engineering delivery alliance –
which is a group of contractor
partners and consultants who
deliver projects on behalf of
the company.
Courtesy of David Chapman
Welcome back
vole patrols
South West Water is helping carry out a national survey
to assess the number of water voles living in the region.
Water voles completely
disappeared from the region for
many years but are slowly being
re-introduced. There is now a
successful breeding colony in
Bude, Cornwall, and the creatures
can also be found in the River
Axe in Devon.
Engineering Ecologist Kate
Hills is undertaking regular
vole patrols on a number of
sites to find out how many of
the creatures are living on land
belonging to South West Water.
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Awards:
We’re on a roll
South West Water has enjoyed success at a number of local and industry award ceremonies
recently. Here’s a round-up of some of the results.
South West Water was named
the Best Apprenticeship
Employer for its innovative
apprenticeship scheme at
the Express & Echo Business
Awards in April, beating off tough
competition from employers
from across the region.
South West Water and H5O
colleagues received an award
from the UK Society for
Trenchless Technology.
The New Installation Award
was presented in recognition
of the Partnership’s Ivybridge
bathing water scheme.
H5O were awarded the
Above and Beyond Team of
the Year award at the Utility
Week Star Awards for their
work on the Holbeton
Bathing Waters Scheme.
Mark Gibbs and Les
Metcalfe collecting the
award on behalf of H5O
Lisa Butcher and Andy Woolston
collecting the award on behalf of H5O
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Rachel Brewer (L)
and Nigel Fenn (R)
Summer 2015
Girl Guides learn
how to save water
The Combe Martin 1st Girl Guides visited Cornborough
Sewage Treatment Works recently as part of their work
towards earning the “H20 4 Life” badge.
This particular award is part
of a wider initiative launched
by Girlguiding South West
England to raise awareness
of the need to reduce our
water consumption. The
Guides take part in a number
of activities as they progress
through the programme
including challenges, quizzes
and board games, all aimed
at helping them become more
water efficient at home and
in the garden. One of the key
parts of the programme is
understanding how waste
water is processed, which
is where the team from
Cornborough stepped in!
Rob Kendall, Catchment
Operator, and David Seaber,
Asset Manager, showed the
group around the works – talking
them through all aspects of
the treatment process. The
tour included a quiz and an
experiment in sludge treatment
– the highlight of which was
watching the production of sludge
cake! At the end of the visit,
Rob and David had the honour of
presenting the Guides with their
hard-earned badges and were
delighted to be presented with
their own “H20 4 Life” badges.
importance of clean water
in promoting good health
and as part of the initiative,
Girlguiding South West is
making a donation to WaterAid
for every badge awarded.
The H20 4 Life programme
educates the Guides on the
Rob Kendall, Catchment Operator with
the Combe Martin 1st Girl Guides
Summer 2015
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17
PURE Awards
South West Water’s Pure Awards are held quarterly and recognise outstanding work carried
out by employees in supporting the company’s drive to deliver Pure Water, Pure Service,
Pure Environment, Pure Safety and Pure Innovation.
The awards are open to South West Water employees and those from its partnership organisations.
Anyone can make a nomination, and winners are chosen by a panel made up of South West Water
Directors and a representative from the Consumer Council for Water.
Congratulations to all the most recent winners
Phil Kelly and
Brian Joce
Marcus Ward
and Jason Ward
PURE SERVICE
Phil Kelly and Brian Joce
Catchment Operators
Consistently provided excellent
customer service. They were
congratulated on their work
helping a local charity, Shekinah
Mission, which helps the
homeless and others facing
social exclusion.
Hayley Anderson
Project coordinator and
Steve Manning, Network
Inspector (Balfour Beatty)
Dedication to customer service
during the roll out of ‘Small
Build’, a new service targeted at
homeowners carrying out their
own small-build projects such
as extensions.
Marcus Ward Service Delivery
Technician and Jason Ward
Meter Reader
Prevented a number of properties
flooding with sewage and
showed commitment to providing
excellent customer service,
remaining on site throughout to
support and update residents.
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Dave Helicon
James Heike Project Manager,
Stuart Quiney General Foreman,
Dave Stevens Super Ganger
Going above and beyond their
normal duties whilst working
on the Ivybridge Bathing Water
project. They raised the profile
of the project in the local
community, hosting a number
of tours, presentations
and activities.
Tim Kniveton Distribution
Technician
Showing great commitment to the
challenging Kingkerswell Bypass
mains diversion scheme; offering
valuable skills and experience.
PURE ENVIRONMENT
Stephanie Jones
Catchment Manager
Introduced waste separation and
recycling at 14 sites. Starting at
the St Leonard’s Waste Water
Treatment Works, Stephanie used
this as a trial site to remove the
general waste skips and replace
with recycling and waste wheelie
bins. She then implemented this
initiative across the whole of
Area 2. Stephanie has helped the
Nick Gardner
business to take a
big step forward in
environmental benefits.
Dave Helicon Scientist
Used his knowledge and
experience, combined with that
of his peers in the Asset and
Catchment team, to create Waste
Water processes that consider
environmental impacts but are
also cost-effective to develop and
will provide significant ongoing
cost savings.
PURE INNOVATION
Nick Gardner
Scientist
Identified and delivered energysaving initiatives at various
sites in Area 5.
H5O’s Michael Orchard, Dave
Hollyoak and Bob Keast
Came up with an innovative
solution when faced with
removing and replacing a
defective wall at Northcombe
WTW. The team worked to a
tight deadline to come up with
a solution that saved both time
and money.
WWS East Health
& Safety team
PURE SAFETY
Tony Thorning Balfour Beatty
Showed commitment and
enthusiasm for his role as Health
and Safety Advisor for H5O. He
has built positive relationships
and trust with project teams. He
mentors both new and existing
staff and helped significantly
to reduce utility strikes.
The WWS East Health
& Safety team has
successfully rolled out
a campaign to improve
its performance in three
core areas of Safety,
Environment and Customer.
PURE WATER
Tom Martin Asset Manager
Diligent in his work in providing
evidence that has led to the
successful prosecution of five
different companies illegally
taking water from fire hydrants.
Summer 2015
02
A day in the life of
Gareth Grimes
Catchment Manager Area 3
Describe a typical day?
I love working in
some of the most
beautiful areas in
the South West and
playing a part in how
these are shaped for
future generations
Gareth’s Top Tips
No one day is the same as the next!
The nature of my role means that I’m
constantly dealing with new challenges.
It’s vital I act quickly and accurately
to make sure any incident does not
escalate. This fast pace does mean that
the day flies by but I’ve always enjoyed
fast-paced environments – they allow the
old grey matter to thrive!
What’s challenging
about your role?
The main challenges I face tend to arise
from the treatment side of the business.
I have a number of sewerage processes
in my catchment and they all react in
different ways to temperature changes or
flow changes. It’s vital that we pre-empt
these changes and make sure they do not
impact on the receiving watercourses.
What’s the best part
of your job?
The different challenges that arise
each day; they mean that I’m constantly
learning and developing both myself
and those around me.
How would you describe
yourself in three words?
Passionate, disciplined and headstrong.
Most overused phrase?
Bear with me caller – your call
is important to me.
Who was your
childhood hero?
The Incredible Hulk.
What inspired you
to join South West Water?
Keep up
with the pace
Summer 2015
Help shape
future generations
I spent many years working in the
construction industry, which often took
me away from home for long periods of
time. I was keen to move to a role which
challenged me but gave me more time
with my family. Joining South West Water
was the perfect solution – for my family
and my career. I love working in some
of the most beautiful areas in the South
West and playing a part in how these are
shaped for future generations.
What did you want to
be when you grew up?
I am still waiting to grow up...
so I can be the best I can be.
If I didn’t do this I would
love to...
Work in some sort of disaster response
industry helping others around the world.
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19
OurCommunity
Volunteering
offers benefits
for all
Community volunteering in Taunton (top)
and Manchester (bottom)
Viridor has launched an Employee Volunteering Policy that
gives every employee the opportunity to spend half a day
each year contributing to a community volunteer project.
The new scheme has got off
to a flying start with groups
of employees already getting
involved in projects in their
local communities.
Two groups of employees in
Manchester have spent time
helping to restore areas of
Boggart Hole Clough, a large
urban park near Blackley,
while in the South, groups of
volunteers in Taunton helped
make some improvements to
a stretch of the River Tone and
also supported the Routes to the
River Tone project.
Richard Miskelly, Site Operative
from Salmon Pastures, helped
out in Boggart Hole Clough and
said: “We had an exceptionally
good day. It was a brilliant
opportunity to work with
different people from across
the company. It is fantastic to
see a company of our size do
something in a local community
and I have not stopped
recommending getting involved
in volunteering to all
my colleagues on site.”
Health and safety of course
remains a priority. A risk
assessment will take place
before any volunteering activity
and all those taking part will be
fully briefed on the safe use of
any equipment.
Want more information about volunteering? Contact Melanie Huggins
01823 728800
Melanie Huggins, Head of
Corporate Responsibility
and Sustainability, said: “It is
fantastic to see these groups
of volunteers leading the way
and making a real difference
to a local area. The volunteers
gained a really valuable
experience and had a great
time, so I am really excited to
be able to launch this policy,
which no doubt will have
lasting community benefits.”
[email protected]
Out and about
Employees at South West Water can do their bit to keep the
South West beautiful by signing up to spend the day helping
with a beach clean or restoration project. There are plenty of
opportunities to get involved, whether it’s a beach clean at
Perranporth or helping out with the Exmoor Mires Project.
There are still plenty of volunteering opportunities across the coming
season, including:
•Sunday 23 August, helping at the Cornwall Air Ambulance
family fun day
•Thursday 27 August, beach clean at Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton
• Thursday 10 September, habitat restoration at Park Lake
Community volunteering at Portwinkle
beach (top) and Combe Martin (bottom)
Contact Nancy Cooper
20
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01392 443874
• Thursday 1 October, beach clean at Perranporth
[email protected]
Summer 2015
OurCommunity
Are you
tough
enough?
WaterAid is challenging volunteers from across the
water industry to take part in its new toilet-themed
10k obstacle race, Tough Sh!t.
Teams will be competing
for a chance to win the
prestigious Tough Sh!t Water
Industry Team Cup. During the
race competitors will come
face-to-face with 20 toiletthemed obstacles. Although
a fun event, Tough Sh!t is
intended to raise awareness
of a serious issue. Around 2.5
billion people worldwide –
that’s one in three people
– don’t have access to
proper sanitation, causing
the spread of disease.
24
October
To enter visit
www.wateraid.org
A Gaylestorm
in Taunton
Viridor’s sponsorship of Somerset cricket club had a
great boost in June when West Indies big hitter Chris
Gayle played a series of matches in Taunton, including
scoring 151 not out with 10 fours and 15 sixes!
The sponsorship deal with the club puts Viridor’s
cricket ball animation and logo on the big screen
every time a six or four is scored during the T20
matches. Gayle even managed to hit a ball in
the River Tone, prompting a spectator to jump
in to retrieve it.
Summer 2015
Tough Sh!t
takes place
WaterAid –
want to get
involved?
2.5bn
people don’t have access to
adequate sanitation, one in
three of the world’s population
Contact Dan Jones
500k+
children die every year from
diarrhoea caused by unsafe
water and poor sanitation
[email protected]
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21
OurCommunity
Have your cake and
eat it for Macmillan
Having received incredible
support for her family from
Macmillan when her parent
became seriously ill, Liz Bennett
from Drinking Water Services
suggested Macmillan as the
nominated charity for the Control
Centre at Peninsula House. Over
£470 has been raised this year by
selling cakes and other activities.
£470
raised so far this
year for Macmillan
Cancer Support
You can find out more
about raising money
for Macmillan Cancer
Support by visiting
the website below:
www.macmillan.org.uk
Running
man!
Bringing safe
drinking water and
sanitation to Monze
South West Water’s Engineering
Delivery Alliance, H50, has
been raising money to bring
safe water and sanitation to a
region of Zambia called Monze
since 2013. Representatives
from across the alliance
formed the Water Action Monze
fundraising group to support
their fundraising activities which
have raised almost £19,000
so far. The team has recently
presented WaterAid with a
cheque for £8,000 – the result of
the last 12 months’ fundraising
activity. Well done to all involved.
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Richard Miskelly, Site
Operative, Salmon Pastures,
has recently completed a
very impressive running feat
in aid of the Viridor charity,
the Air Ambulance.
Over a period of five weeks
Richard ran in five gruelling
events including the Great
Edinburgh Run, Blackpool
Marathon (3hr 35mins) and
the Great Birmingham Run.
£8k
raised for WaterAid
in 12 months
Congratulations to Richard
and to date he has successfully
raised over £400.
Richard clocking up
the miles in Edinburgh
Summer 2015
OurCommunity
Viridor Credits
Viridor Credits continues to support great work in local
communities and has recently celebrated the success of
a project it helped fund in the Midlands.
In 2012 Viridor Credits awarded
£405,765 to the RSPB’s Lifeline
for a Lapwings project at
Middleton Lakes. The project
aimed to transform the nature
reserve into a home for lapwings
and other waders. Since then
the charity has restored more
than 20 hectares of floodplain
grazing marsh habitat and is now
reporting a significant increase in
the number of breeding waders,
including lapwings, in the area.
Viridor Credits is also delighted to
have become an Approved Body
to distribute the new Scottish
Landfill Communities Fund.
Pasty challenge
Viridor’s inaugural Pasty Challenge took place in March
with teams from across the South West competing for
the reputation of creating the best pasty in the region!
After a number of hotly contested heats, the final saw
Darren Webb, Site Operative at Five Lanes, Monmouthshire
come head to head with Kate Bradley, Trade Waste
Co-ordinator, Filton Transfer Station. Congratulations
to Darren from Five Lanes for winning the challenge!
Celebrating
Roadford Lake
L-R: Darren Smith (Water Treatment Operator), Cliff Bray (Reservoir Safety Technician),
Ray Haffron (Area 6 Manager), Chris Humphreys (Water Treatment Operator), Julian
Tompkins (Water Treatment Manager), Myles Key (Area 5 Manager) and Dave Law
(Water Treatment Operator)
Summer 2015
Competitors and judges grab a bite to eat L-R:
Darren Webb and Sarah Roberts (Five Lanes),
Kate Bradley (Filton), Martyn Williams (Area
Manager) and Wayne Mortimer (Filton)
The South West Lakes Trust celebrated 10 years since the
opening of the Lakeside Visitor Centre at Roadford with a
celebration event for the public in July.
The event included stalls and
taster sports activities including
sailing, kayaking, canoeing,
paddle boarding, water zorbing,
high ropes, archery,
bushcraft and fishing.
South West Water helped out with
tours of Roadford Dam. Despite
the strenuous climb of 170 steps
to the top of the spillway tower,
the six tours proved very popular
and our ‘tour guides’ from
Drinking Water Services worked
hard shepherding everyone safely
through the dam and explaining
its history and current operation.
Area Operations Manager Jason
Harvey said: “People are always
fascinated to see inside Roadford
Dam and viewing the lake from
the top of the spillway tower is
a unique opportunity. I’d like to
thank all of the dedicated team
who took part in the tours.”
Your staff on the tour were
wonderful – I won’t whinge
quite so much about my
water bill.
Mr and Mrs Binns, Okehampton
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23
OurPeople
Cream of
the crop
The Hub
attracts
international
attention
The successful introduction of the Hub across Viridor has
been recognised at an international award ceremony.
Sky News presenter Eamonn Holmes (left) presented the award to
the team L-R: Ben Eule (Stadler Engineering), Ricky Young, General
Manager and Jeremy Blake, Site Manager at Rochester PRF
Viridor’s new Plastics Recycling Facility in Rochester
has won a prestigious industry award.
The Excellence in Recycling
and Waste Management
Awards are run by leading
industry news website
letsrecycle.com and recognise
the best performers in the
sector over the last 12 months.
The Rochester facility received
the Best Design of a Waste
Management Facility Award.
The Priorswood Household
Waste Recycling Centre was also
shortlisted for the ‘Civic Amenity
Site of the Year’ award.
Charity golf day
Viridor was a finalist in
the ‘Best Cloud or Hybrid
Deployment’ category at the
annual Best of Breed Showcase
awards hosted by Metalogix,
an industry leader in
management software.
The SharePoint Hub was
introduced in 2014 to provide
a smarter way to share
information, allowing teams
from across the business
to work together on shared
projects more easily.
Recognition for Oxfordshire
energy recovery facility
Our Energy Recovery Facility in Ardley, near Bicester, was a finalist in
the category of ‘Best Energy from Waste Initiative’ at this year’s National
Recycling Awards. Congratulations to the team!
Creating Master builders!
Joanna Collison, Compliance Manager at Viridor’s Plastics
Recycling Facility at Rochester, has set up a community project
at Guildhall Museum to give local children the opportunity
to develop their creative skills by playing with Lego™.
Mick Boulter, Maintenance and Audit Manager, Bolton, recently
helped to organise a charity golf day at Mottram Hall Golf Club.
The event raised £2,706 for the Amy Leigh Barnes Charitable
Foundation, which included a contribution of £500 from Viridor.
More than 30 Viridor employees took part in the tournament.
24
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Viridor has supported the
scheme and donated £100
to the project to help buy
supplies; bricks have also
been donated by the local
community. A launch event
was held, which was attended
by more than 120 local
children who enjoyed cakes
donated by local shops.
The museum now hosts
a weekly event with up to
30 children taking part in
building sessions.
£100
donated to the community project
Summer 2015
OurPeople
Exeter
Business Games Champions
In a hard-fought contest against fierce local competition,
Team South West Water successfully battled to win the title
of Exeter Business Games Champions in this year’s event.
In this annual event, local businesses
and organisations compete to win the
prestigious title of ‘champion’ whilst
raising funds for a nominated charity.
This year all money raised will go to
the The Exeter Foundation.
Competing in diverse events such as
short tennis, ping, clip and climb
and tag rugby, the games provide the
opportunity for all teams to play to
their strengths.
We delivered a strong performance
winning three of the eight events –
ten-pin bowling, short tennis and the
pub quiz.
In the final river activities event we
took second place which meant we
‘sailed’ to overall victory!
Thank you to all the crew that have
taken part in the Games and those
who have helped fundraise.
Graduation time
Sam Heath and Richard Rowley, both from South West
Water’s Organisation & Employee Development team,
have been presented with BSc (Hons) degrees from
The Open University.
Sam completed a BSc (Hons)
in Design, Innovation &
Environment and Richard was
awarded an Environmental
Summer 2015
Science BSc (Hons).
Congratulations to them both
on their fantastic achievement.
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25
OurPeople
Congratulations
25
YEARS
Congratulations to Neil Thomas
and Malcolm Davis who have
both received long service awards
after 25 years working at Viridor’s
Filton Depot.
Neil, an LGV driver and foreman,
and Malcolm, a driver, joined
the company in 1990. Wayne
Mortimer, Operations Manager
at the depot, presented them
with a cheque for £250 and
a framed certificate.
Neil Thomas
Malcolm Davis
A bumper crop of employees
have recently celebrated
25 years’ service at South
West Water.
25 Years
Long Service
37
YEARS
Photographs are available
on our intranet – vienna/
longservice.
Roger Gilford receiving his
award from Terry Wilson
Congratulations and best
wishes to Graham Gee,
Mobile Recycling Operative
at Springvale HWRC in
Rochdale, who has retired
following 37 years spent
working for the company.
Bev Smitheram receiving her long
service award from Berni Tucker
L-R Paul Gregory (Assistant HWRC
Manager), Graham Gee and Ian
Haslam (HWRC Manager)
Well done Len!
Len Rickard retired from South West
Water having achieved an
unblemished period of continual
service that spanned 45 years.
L-R: Geoff Rogers, Len Rickard
and James Pearce
26
FlagStaff
At the time of his departure Len
held the position as the second
longest-serving employee in the
company. Len’s cheerful attitude
coupled with his positive and
professional approach, not to
45
YEARS
mention the experience gained
in those 45 years, will be missed
by his close colleagues and all
those who worked with him.
Congratulations and best wishes
for a happy retirement!
Summer 2015
OurPeople
The Water Wheelers
get on their bikes
£410
George Mullen, Fleet and Compliance Controller, has
organised the first charity ride of the year for South
West Water’s motorcycle group, ‘The Water Wheelers’.
Over 40 bikes took part in the
ride, which started in Exeter, ran
across the middle of Dartmoor,
through Callington and finished
in St Stephen, Cornwall. There
the riders were invited to view
the private collection of 30
classic motorcycles owned by
the Hawkins family, of Hawkins
Motors in St Stephen.
donated to Cornwall Hospice Care
The Wheelers were treated to
freshly baked pasties and cream
scones (Cornish style!) on arrival,
then viewed the polished bikes in
the showroom. George presented
a £410 cheque to Mr Hawkins for
Cornwall Hospice Care.
For more information on
the next Wheelers event
please contact:
George Mullen
[email protected]
George Mullen (R) presenting
cheque to Mr Hawkins
Going the
extra mile
The team at Viridor’s Stretford HWRC received some
great feedback from a gentleman who has visited the
site over a number of years.
L-R: Robert with brother Chris and dad Lewis Jones
Robert cradled on the left
in the 1991 Sou’Wester
Keep it in
the family
New South West Water employee Robert Jones first appeared
in ‘The Sou’Wester’, an earlier incarnation of Flagstaff, in 1991,
when his father, Lewis Jones, who also works for South West
Water, sent in a photograph of Robert at his christening. Lewis
still works at the company as Future Quality Obligations and
R&D Manager and is delighted that his son Robert has followed
in his footsteps. Robert is working as Minor Works Assistant,
maintaining sites across Mid and East Devon.
Summer 2015
It is only fair to say what
a splendid, helpful and
courteous group of people you
are. You are a huge asset to
the community, long may you
remain so
Mr Carol Jones, who lives locally.
Well done to the whole team!
FlagStaff
27
App Happy
The best
summer apps:
Few of us venture far without our smartphones
or tablets so here are our top five apps for
making the most of the summer months,
here or abroad.
Crossword
1
2
3
4
BBC Weather
The weather can make or break the bestlaid holiday plans. Stay one step ahead with
forecasts for the UK and overseas.
02
BeachLive
03
Tripit
South West Water’s new app lets you
check out the current bathing water quality
at 85 of the most popular beaches in the
South West.
Organise all your essential holiday info
from hotel bookings to flight times
on one itinerary. You can also make
reservations for nearby restaurants
and tourist attractions.
04
05
eyeSPOT
This is good old-fashioned iSpy for the
smartphone generation. Use in the car,
the beach or the local park.
Postagram
No excuse for not sending postcards this
year. This app allows you to instantly
convert your photos into a card that gets
posted direct to family and friends.
Got an app you can’t live without?
Whether it’s for work or leisure, please let us know
and we’ll include it in future issues.
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
01
5
18
17
19
Down
Across
1. Journal (5)
2. Menagerie (3)
3. World’s longest river (4)
4. Secret or hidden (6)
5. Bustling (7)
6. Abated (5)
9. Placed a bet (7)
11.Thinner (6)
12.Consumed (5)
14.Proficient (5)
15.Female relative (4)
17.Part of a circle (3)
1. Twelve (5)
4. Hoard (5)
7. Unaware (9)
8. Gape (4)
10.Wore away (6)
12.Birds of prey (6)
13.Notion (4)
16.Large spider (9)
18.The lowest point
of anything (5)
19.Implied (5)
For your chance to win £25 ‘Love 2 Shop’ shopping
vouchers please send your completed crossword to
Communications Team
South West Water
Peninsula House
Rydon Lane
Exeter, Devon
EX2 7HR
or email a picture of your
completed entry to
[email protected]
Celebrating Plymouth’s watery
past, present and future
The historic ‘Traditional Survey
of the Waterworks and Fishing
Feast’ took place at Burrator
Reservoir in Plymouth in
July. The ceremony, which
is co-hosted by South West
Water, Plymouth City Council
and Plymouth University, is
one of the oldest in the UK. It
celebrates Sir Francis Drake’s
role in bringing the first reliable
water supply to Plymouth in the
16th century.
Local people joined the
celebrations with entertainment
including Elizabethan and
Victorian strolling players, tours,
storytelling and games taking
place at Drake’s Place Gardens
and Reservoir.