Fairisle Junior School Cycling Safety Lorry Visit

Accompanied by Sustrans, we took one of our HGV tipper lorries into Fairisle Junior School in Southampton, to increase knowledge of cycling, scooting and walking participation in the local area and to demonstrate ‘Blind spots’ etc as part of road safety for the children.

The children were invited to walk around the Raymond Brown lorry, pick out/spot any warning signs displayed on the lorry and to sit in the lorry cab to make them aware of what HGV drivers are able to view when driving.

‘Sustrans’ talked to the children in great depth about road safety, riding of cycles on the roads and what to be generally aware of when out and about. They also made them aware of the importance of reducing congestion and pollution around the school and the beneficial effects it would have on the children’s mental and physical health.

The children really enjoyed the visit and Headteacher, Peter Howard commented: “Thank you so much for coming to us today, it was brilliant to see the children’s faces especially when they were in the cab. I think we taught everyone a very valuable and potentially lifesaving lesson this morning.’’

Christmas Party for Raymond Brown Group Employees at new Solent Spark Building

Over 170 employees and guests across our businesses joined us for our 2017 Christmas Party at the new Solent University Spark Building in Southampton, which was decorated in an Enchanted Forest theme, with snowflakes floating down the walls, green lighting and wintery props and accessories, including a giant white unicorn surrounded by Christmas trees in the centre of the room.

The party started off with a speech by Chief Operating Officer, Steve Clasby, as he provided an overview of the business successes in 2017 and thanked employees, past and present over the past year.  Four individuals were also recognised for exemplifying our core values (Passion.  Responsibility.  Engagement.) within the workplace, having been nominated by their teams and colleagues and they received a John Lewis gift voucher and wooden plaque.  They were:

Passion – Tom Weeks, Customer Service Supervisor (Raymond Brown Distribution)

Responsibility – Vanessa Smith, Shift Manager (Raymond Brown Waste Solutions)

Engagement – Stephen Hall, Driver (Raymond Brown Waste Solutions)

One individual, Karl Reed, stood out across all three areas, with some outstanding nominations for his efforts at the A303 IBA Processing Facility:  Karl Reed, Site Supervisor (Fortis IBA)

All employees were given the opportunity to win a day of paid annual leave in our infamous ‘Heads and Tails’ game and congratulations to Justin Ebbutt (Site Manager at Nursling Recycling Facility), whose wife, Rebecca, won it on his behalf.

Attendees received favours in the form of an antler bottle opener for the men and a snowflake bottle stop for the women, along with an array of Hotel Chocolat treats in crackers on the tables.

After a three course meal of chicken terrine or soup, beef or vegetable wellington and a chocolate tart or cheese and biscuits, the teas and coffees with chocolate-covered turkish delight treats were served up on top of the red pod that sits suspended in the venue above the atrium.

Throughout the evening, employees and their guests were able to explore the impressive venue, wager with their funny money at the three casino tables, have their photos taken in the inflatable LED Photo Booth (on the following pages), snap  themselves in the Enchanted Selfie Area and dance the night away to the DJ.

Thank you to all who attended for a brilliant evening.

Employees Recognised in Core Value Awards

Last year, we introduced three Core Values to the business: Passion, Responsibility and Engagement.  As part of the Employee Satisfaction Surveys this year, we asked employees to nominate their colleagues under each of the core value categories.

As a result of these nominations, four individuals were recognised at the Raymond Brown Christmas Party earlier this month for exemplifying our core values within the workplace.  The four employees who were nominated repeatedly by their teams and colleagues were each presented with a John Lewis voucher and an engraved wooden plaque by Chief Operating Officer, Steve Clasby:

Passion – Tom Weeks, Customer Service Supervisor (Raymond Brown Distribution)

(4 years with the business)

Tom was commended on his passion for the business and his “solid enthusiasm and dedication to achieve” by fellow colleagues and that he is “always willing to assist”.

Responsibility – Vanessa Smith, Shift Manager (Raymond Brown Waste Solutions)

(1 year with the business)

Vanessa (pictured) stood out under responsibility.  She was described as “always helpful” and that she “always sorts things which need to be fixed, always worries about H&S and never ignores hazards”.

Engagement – Stephen Hall, Driver (Raymond Brown Waste Solutions)

(16 years with the business)

Steve was nominated for his engagement.  Colleagues stated that Steve is “always willing to help” and that he “believes in being honest to management if he can see a better course of action to implement”.

One individual, Karl Reed, stood out across all three areas, with some outstanding nominations for his efforts at the A303 IBA Processing Facility:

All Three Core Values – Karl Reed, Site Supervisor (Fortis IBA)

(21 years with the business)

Karl was one individual who stood out significantly and who was nominated repeatedly for all three values, his colleagues described him as; “committed and he cares a great deal about his team” and that he is “enthusiastic, driving the business forward.”  Other comments included that Karl is constantly “feeding back lots of ideas and coming up with brilliant solutions to issues affecting the operational areas of the business” and that he “makes you feel like part of the team and is looking out for your safety”.

Exciting News for Roke Manor Quarry

On 1 September, Roke Manor Quarry had the delivery of a new Bell B30E Dump Truck, a much improved, safer and more economic model.

It features a tailgate, wider tyres, rider control (to make it more comfortable for the operator), an onboard weigher, a device to restrict the tipping and telemetry, which updates daily to give the following information: loads tipped, cycle times, amounts in tonnes moved, litres per hour of fuel used and tyre pressures.

We are pleased to announce that an electricity cable has been installed at Roke Manor, with a sub-lease granted to Scottish and Southern Electricity. The electricity supply to the site had previously been running on diesel powered generators.

In November, the generators were removed from site and a transformer was installed.  Not only is this much more efficient, with less fuel being utilised, there has also been a considerable drop in noise levels now the generators have gone.

Raymond Brown Group’s Communications & Marketing Manager, Kerry Smith has been selected as a finalist in the Marketing & PR category of the 2017 Hampshire Venus Awards.

Raymond Brown are celebrating as Kerry Smith, Communications and Marketing Manager was announced winner of the Venus Hampshire Marketing and PR Award on Saturday 11<sup>th</sup> November in front of over 350 guests at the Venus Hampshire Gala Dinner, held at Solent University’s new Spark Building.

The prestigious Venus Awards were founded in 2009 to recognise, reward and celebrate women in business within regions across the UK and this year, nominees for the 15 categories were over 1,100.

Kerry, who celebrated her 10-year anniversary with Raymond Brown in the summer, progressed from Marketing Assistant to her current role within the business and has been supported on a day release basis whilst at university.

The award category, which was sponsored by Agency, bandv included a number of talented women but Kerry’s career progression, passion, enthusiasum and commitment to the business caught the bandv judging panel’s attention.

<img class=”alignnone size-large wp-image-1695″ src=”https://www.rbwaste.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/file-2-1030×580.png” alt=”” width=”1030″ height=”580″ />

<strong>b</strong>and<strong>v</strong>’s Chairman, Colin Breckenridge commented: “We are delighted that Kerry is the winner of this year’s Hampshire Venus Awards in the Marketing &amp; PR category and would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations.

Kerry’s progression through the Raymond Brown Group from Marketing Assistant to Marketing Manager and the story of her journey really caught our attention.  Her enthusiasm and passion for her role and the company is clear, and Kerry’s commitment to Raymond Brown’s community projects really impressed us.

It has been an honour to be a sponsor of the Venus Awards for the second year running as bandv are proud to help promote the role of women in ‘Marketing &amp; PR’. This year the category was once again full of some extraordinary individuals and tremendous talent but for us Kerry shone that little bit brighter and stood out as a clear winner. Huge congratulations Kerry!”

Kerry commented: “I am absolutely thrilled and so proud to be the 2017 Venus Hampshire Marketing and PR Winner, sponsored by bandv.  To be recognised for working hard and doing what I love and feel so passionate about feels incredible.  Behind me is the most amazing company who have been very supportive of my determination to progress and I am very fortunate to have worked with some very inspirational people over the last 10 years at Raymond Brown.

This award has given me more confidence to believe in myself within such a male dominated industry.”

Kerry will progress to the Venus Awards National Finals to be held in the summer of 2018.

<img class=”alignnone size-large wp-image-1696″ src=”https://www.rbwaste.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/IMG_3480-773×1030.jpg” alt=”” width=”773″ height=”1030″ />

Top photo of Winners – Image Credits to Jack Valpy of Fingerprint Media.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Martin Wooldridge promoted to Site Manager at Brickworth Quarry

The business is pleased to announce that as of November 2017, Martin Wooldridge has been promoted to Quarry Manager at Brickworth Quarry.  Martin has been with the business for almost five years, managing the Marchwood Wharf site in Southampton and has 20 years’ experience in the quarrying and aggregates industry.

Brickworth Quarry’s existing Quarry Manager, Mark Renault has managed the quarry for over 20 years and as part of the company’s drive to expand its operations, the Estates and Planning Team have recruited Mark as Environmental Permitting Manager for the business.  Mark will now be responsible for securing and maintaining Environmental Permits, protected species licences and biodiversity management.

 Colin Jones, General Manager commented: “The opportunity has been taken to review the operational management structure within Quarry Products with the objective to provide focus towards various ongoing and upcoming projects, to increase plant optimisation and operational efficiencies, promote cost savings through improved plant maintenance and bolster environmental and quality management within the division.  I wish both Mark and Martin every success in their new roles.”

 

Brickworth Quarry wins prestigious Biodiversity Achievement Award

The Mineral Products Association (MPA) ‘Quarries & Nature 2017 – Appreciating Assets’ event took place on Thursday 19th October at The Royal Society, London and was presented by BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today presenter, Sybil Ruscoe.

Expert speakers included a number of current issues related to nature conservation. They were Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of the Wildlife Trusts, Professor Steve Ormerod, Cardiff Professor of Ecology and until recently Chairman of RSPB and Tom Butterworth Associate Director of WSP.

The MPA’s 46th Awards recognised exceptional practice and showcased some of the best examples of quarry restoration and wildlife conservation anywhere in Europe.

Raymond Brown were presented as winners of the Biodiversity – Planned Restoration category by Sir Desmond Swayne MP who praised the restoration work and entrepreneurial spirit of the business.

The award was for Brickworth Quarry, where Raymond Brown recently gained permission for an extension to an existing operation. The area to be quarried is currently commercial coniferous plantation, but it was originally broadleaved woodland and the soil carries a rich seed bank. A robust handling strategy has been designed which relies on moving soils only once, using direct placement to the area of restoration.

The judges were impressed with the carefully planned removal of the conifer plantation, the management and conservation of ancient woodland soils and the planting of native trees to deliver a net gain in broadleaved woodland habitat.

In words of the County Ecologist who considered the planning application, “The total area of woodland within the restored site will be substantially increased. Areas of habitat creation will benefit species like bats, dormice, great crested newts, birds and reptiles.”

Commenting, Nigel Jackson, Chief Executive of the MPA said: “Once again MPA members’ have demonstrated what an environmentally responsible industry can do to both protect existing and create new habitats. We could not be more proud to showcase what can be achieved by an industry that is uniquely placed to make a net gain to biodiversity.”

Rob Westell, Estates & Planning Director at Raymond Brown commented: “We are extremely proud to win this award which is testament to the hard work of a small group of people and it is a great achievement for Raymond Brown to be on the same stage as the big multinational extraction companies in the UK. The new planning permission at Brickworth Quarry will ensure transformation of a conifer plantation to broadleaved woodland, providing enhanced habitat for a wide range of species, while protecting a valuable soil resource.”

Conveyors installed at Roke Manor Quarry

Brand new 800m long conveyor belts have been installed at Roke Manor Quarry to transport the aggregate from the excavation area to the processing plant.

Extracted material at the quarry will now be transported to the processing plant by new overland conveyors to reduce impacts from the heavy plant movements.

The conveyor was installed over a three week period by Atherton Materials Handling Ltd and starts from the current extraction area in phase two and continues through the site.  It travels along the new haul road and under a public footpath to feed straight into the plant hopper, where the plant will continue to process the gravel to produce a range of high-quality aggregate sizes and sand.

The conveyor can take 80-100 tonnes per hour of aggregate and it is significantly quieter and more cost effective than the previous mobile plant movements.  The end of the conveyor which feeds into the hopper can be easily modified and diverted to stockpile within the yard when necessary.

The conveyor also crosses the Test Way footpath, which is regularly used by members of the public and local residents.  In order to keep the footpath open, the site team have installed a bridge which goes over the conveyor so that the footpath could still be used, and a bridle crossing for safe vehicular access through the site.

Raymond Brown picks up prestigious RoSPA Gold Medal for 2017

Raymond Brown are delighted to announce themselves as winners at the RoSPA Health and Safety Awards 2017.

The business achieved the Gold Medal for eight consecutive Golds Awards in the prestigious annual scheme run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

The award was achieved during a special year for family-safety charity RoSPA, as it celebrates its centenary.

Through the RoSPA Awards scheme, which is open to businesses and organisations of all types and sizes from across the UK and overseas, judges consider entrants’ overarching occupational health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.

Julia Small, RoSPA’s head of awards and events, said: “The RoSPA Awards are the most prestigious in the world of occupational health and safety, and held in high regard around the world, as winning one demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to maintaining an excellent health and safety record. Achieving the standard required is no mean feat.

“This is a special year in the history of RoSPA, and we congratulate all of our winners in this, our centenary year”.

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

For more information about the RoSPA Awards visit www.rospa.com/awards

Nature After Minerals Event at Binnegar Quarry

As part of a Nature After Minerals (NAM) event looking at invertebrate and early pioneer species conservation through biodiversity-led minerals restoration, Raymond Brown recently welcomed a group of minerals restoration stakeholders to Binnegar Quarry, in Dorset.

The morning session of the event considered how, in working to create priority habitats to link up with local fragmented habitats on a landscape scale, early to mid-term succession habitat evolution can also help support important pioneer species that are vital for a healthy ecosystem.

In the afternoon, event attendees from the minerals industry, local authorities, statutory bodies, minerals planners and ecological and planning consultants took part in a site visit to the quarry, where Raymond Brown employees and ecological consultants were on hand to showcase the work being undertaken on the site’s 8ha Blue Area.

This area, which is being restored with nature firmly in mind, is helping provide a refuge for invertebrates and pioneer species in the early stages of its restoration to heathland, interspersed with ephemeral ponds and bare scrapes.

Rob Westell, Raymond Brown’s Estates and Planning Director, commented: ‘We were delighted to host our second NAM event at Binnegar Quarry, to demonstrate the restoration of the site.

‘Lowland heathland is a top priority habitat in Dorset, and the site, which contains some heathland, adjoins a heathland Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), benefiting priority butterfly, reptile and bird species, and facilitating their colonization.’

NAM’s events and communications officer, Debra Royal, said: ‘At a time when research shows nature is in trouble and many species are in rapid decline, biodiversity-led minerals restoration can help. We were delighted to have an opportunity to visit Binnegar Quarry to view yet another instance of minerals restoration work helping nature on the ground.’