In the recent Raymond Brown Group of companies staff satisfaction surveys, we gave all employees the opportunity to nominate colleagues who they felt stood out over the past year by displaying our three Core Values.  A number of nominations were received from across the group, however, there were four individuals whose names stood out. We are pleased to announce the following winners of our Core Values Awards, together with just some of the comments made by their colleagues.  Each winner received a gift voucher as a thank you.

Congratulations to the following and thank you for all your hard work and commitment throughout what has been a very challenging year.

Overall Award for all Three Core Values – Stacey Brine (Business Support and Payroll Manager)

Stacey works within the Finance Team and is based at the Chandlers Ford Head Office.  She had the most number of nominations and was described as having an “amazing attitude to work and genuinely loves Raymond Brown (she has worked here for 20 years).”  Another comment by a colleague, also stated that she was “an asset to the business and should be recognized for her continuous hard work and commitment to the business.”

Passion – Anthony Randell (Site Operative) – Pictured

Anthony is a Site Operative at the Fortis Ardley IBA Processing Facility.  He was described by colleagues as having “the longest service at Ardley and still retains the same amount of passion and enthusiasm.”

Responsibility – Mark Renault (Environmental Permitting Manager)

Mark works within the Group Estates and Planning Department.  His colleagues said that his “attitude and dedication to the company is second to none” and “Mark continues to go above and beyond his work responsibilities on a daily basis and has done throughout the pandemic.”

Engagement – Mandy Frost (PA to Directors)

Mandy is based at the Chandlers Ford Head Office and works closely with the Directors and office staff.  She was described as being “always extremely helpful, flexible, forward thinking and nothing is too much trouble.”  Colleagues also said “Mandy continues to take the initiative, has good ideas to engage with the workforce and is constantly thinking about staff well being across the whole business.”

Raymond Brown Quarry Products is dedicated to the protection of the natural environment and improvement of biodiversity through quarrying operations.  Through this partnership, the business will be working with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to introduce nectar-rich plants to its quarries and restoration sites.

“Having become aware of the collapsing bumblebee populations following a talk by one of our colleagues, our Environmental Committee became concerned and wanted to learn more” commented Nick Hardacre, Technical and Environmental Manager.  “When it then became clear that both Brickworth Quarry and Binnegar Quarry overlapped with a range of some endangered species of bees, we simply had to act.  We joined the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to benefit from their expertise and learn about constructing habitats and integrating pollinator friendly flowers where possible.  We hope to do all we can to create a haven for bees across our sites and aid in the bees recovery across the country.”

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is a national conservation charity, established in 2006 by two academics whose research had uncovered serious concerns about bumblebee sustainability and survival.  In the last 80 years, bumblebee populations have been decimated and two native species have become extinct, with a further eight of our 24 species are endangered.  The Trust has a vision to create a world where bumblebees are thriving and valued.

The Trust bases its policies and practical conservation work through constant evaluation of scientific research and best practice, their current activities have included creating and restoring wildflower habitats in the areas where rare bumblebees need it most, landscape-scale conservation projects around the UK and giving land managers, farmers and local communities practical advice on enhancing biodiversity for the benefit of bumblebees and other wild pollinators.

“Minerals sites offer excellent opportunities to provide habitat and forage for many of the twenty four species of bumblebee in the UK”  says Tessa Brooks of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.  “Bumblebees are hard-working and versatile pollinators of many food crops and wildflower species but have been declining due to the widespread loss of wildflower grasslands and changes in agricultural practices.  In the last 80 years our bumblebee populations have crashed; two species have become nationally extinct and several others have declined dramatically.  So we are thrilled with the enthusiasm and commitment of Raymond Brown Quarry Products Ltd to their restoration and land management activities to increase biodiversity and wildlife, and through their Membership, providing funds to support the Trust’s conservation and educational activities.”

Engagement, influence and impact reflects how we interact with our colleagues across the industry and with the communities we live and operate in.  The Institute of Quarrying Awards showcase great examples of teams working together to demonstrate the value of the quarrying industry to a wider audience.

The Best Community Engagement Project Award is designed to recognise projects where sites are actively engaging their local communities and achieving positive results.

In judging this award, the Institute of Quarrying were looking to understand the relationship Raymond Brown has with the local community, who our local community is, what their key concerns are and how the initiative addresses these issues.

Our Raymond Brown Community Matters Initiative encompasses our commitment to maintaining good relationships with the communities in which we work.  We open our doors to local neighbours to give them the opportunity to view our wide range of operations and facilities, whilst providing learning opportunities such as the lorry design competition.

The judges commented “This was an excellent project that could be used as a template for how the industry can reach into its communities, providing education about what we do and why it is important.  It showcases a great example of engaging schoolchildren through its lorry design competition, but the initiative reaches out into the wider community with great effectiveness.

All award winners from each of the regional events will automatically be submitted for the National Awards which will take place during Hillhead 2020.

Raymond Brown has been handed a prestigious award in recognition of its practices and achievements in helping our staff and subcontractors get home safely at the end of the working day.

Raymond Brown has achieved a President’s (10 consecutive Golds) in the internationally-renowned RoSPA Health and Safety Awards, the longest-running industry awards scheme in the UK.

The RoSPA Awards scheme, which receives entries from organisations around the world, recognises achievement in health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.

Julia Small, RoSPA’s head of qualifications, awards and events, said: “The RoSPA Awards have become the key fixture in the health and safety calendar with new sponsors and new awards this year including the Leisure Safety Awards, the Safe@Work Safe@Home Award and the Inspiration Awards. Highly-respected, with almost 2,000 entrants every year, RoSPA award winners benefit from the wide-ranging rewards of improved sector reputation.”

The majority of awards are non-competitive and mark achievement at merit, bronze, silver and gold levels. Gold medals, president’s awards, orders of distinction and the Patron’s Award are presented to organisations sustaining the high standards of the gold level over consecutive years.