Luke has to step up in class with USA MX Camp. Luke Blanchard leaves for a 2 month high intensity training camp in the USA where he will work alongside world champion Zac Osbourne and Cosworth Dixon MX Rider Jason Dougan. After 2 months of ‘physical beasting’ by ex PTI Dave Dougan, Lukes fitness should give him a reasonable starting point. Good luck to all the lads.
A continued focus on Safety throughout the business means we have prevented any reportable accidents in 2010 – this extends our AFR of 0 for the fourth year on the trot. With an average of 150 operatives employed throughout 2010 this achievement is testament to the manner in which Our Safety Culture has been embraced and adhered to by all employees. Well done & keep up the good work.
Happy Christmas to all our staff, suppliers and clients – keep up the good work and happy relationships.
Mark Blanchard and Mark Wells take the reins jointly in the running of all the contracts after the departure of Chris Nichols as Contracts Manager. No sooner did this happen, it SNOWED, resulting in the constant monitoring of the weather and close discussions with numerous clients to try and jiggle the concrete gangs to the right locations at the right times after relying on the Met Office Reports!!
Both Blanchard Wells and Southern Concrete have successfully gained renewal of both the CHAS and Construction Line Accreditations. Thank you and well done to Document Controller Lynne Lindford for this mammoth achievement!
Click here to download the Blanchard Wells certificate
Click here to download the Southern Concrete certificate
Our association with Bardon Contracting continues with the winning of the taxi way extension airside at Bournemouth International Airport. The high spec PQ concrete has been sampled and approved with our concrete supervisor Mike Read focusing hard to ensure the finished product is achieved.
Several members of the team, led manfully by Paul Gilder, formed the “Meadows Mo’s” took part in the annual Movember charity event to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Charity. This involved us growing & grooming a moustache for the whole of November & dealing with the inevitable stick you get as a result from friends, family, colleagues & partners. The whole affair was great fun, generated some excellent office banter & most importantly raised £690. Click on the link to see pictures of the team sporting our facial growth & the special sight of Mark Wells in pink sunglasses to complete his Blue Oyster Club look. Please join us next year when we will be repeating the fun.
Pennyfarthing Homes appoint Southern Concrete as principle Contractor for the management and construction of a high quality reinforced concrete caltite basement with underground parking with amenity block to accommodate apartments that are being built in the highly prestigious area of Canford Cliffs adjacent to nearby Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset. The extremely restricted site has meant that the planning of the logistics and deliveries have been paramount.
The work continues on the Veolia / Vinci Integrated Waste Recycling Facility at Padworth with in excess of 60 men still on site working alongside the 35t, 30t , 21t, 18t and four 13t excavators all under the close eye of Site Manager Paul Thornton and his foreman of Chris Hatch (RC structures) and Matt Anderson (externals).
Site Manager Matthew Thomas renews his award winning acquaintance with Aspire Defence at Aldershot where he has recently commenced the groundworks contract for GB Building Solutions on the construction of a Seniors Rates and Officers mess on the Ghurkha Camp – what an honour to be associated with such a great history as the Ghurkhas.
Lynne Linford joined the Blanchard Wells team as our Senior secretary/ Document Controller in the middle of October. Lynne has excellent industry experience gained from many years working for Costain 4D and has very quickly proved herself to be a great signing for the office team and has efficiently and successfully processed several supply chain accreditation applications as well as our CHAS renewals.
Landscape Supplies have appointed Blanchard Wells as Principle Contractor to build a specific depot at Voyager Park Portsmouth. The contract includes two building slabs, storage drainage facility and the large concrete yard which is surrounded by a security fence and access gates.
A £700,000 contract to upgrade the junction of Parley Lane and Bournemouth International Airport has finally been awarded and we will start work on 27th September 2010 with the works completed in 18 weeks. The Blanchard Wells Team will be lead by newly recruited Site Manager Andy Woods who has been known by Construction Director Mark Blanchard for 25 years! – that’s a life sentence Andy!!
In order to deal with the increased communications required by the changing construction industry and the speed in which that is required, all Site Managers have been issued with lap tops, scanners and mobile cards to assist in this process. For those ‘traditional’ groundworks supervisors this is all new and exciting (or daunting!) but I am sure it will be embraced in the way they do all other challenges!
Mike Crook was approached by shareholders Mark Blanchard and Mark Wells to become Group Managing Director and he has duly accepted. This is fantastic news for the whole business and the staff. Mike’s role will encompass the day to day running of the office based business and overseeing the commercial, estimating, buying and accounts teams. His superb rapport with the staff will inevitably bring the best from them and his undoubted business acumen which has been honed by 20 years at Dean and Dyball will be invaluable in us achieving our Vision.
Newly promoted Site Supervisor Jamie Hiscock has received the 1st Prize in the August – Target Zero – Don’t Walk By. Take Action Now’ award for the contract at RSME Minley. Well done to Jamie who not only received the £50 M&S voucher from Carillion but also a bonus in his wages in accordance with our Company Policy for rewarding excellence in Health and Safety. Please click here to download Jamie’s award.
Congratulations to Trainee Surveyor Will Stokes who has successfully passed his penultimate years Quantity Surveying exams. 1 year to go Will!
The excellent relationship with HM Plant Hitachi continues with the delivery of the latest ZX210 and ZX130. The machines have been delivered with the specific spec required in order that the site teams can maximise its efficiency. Long standing operators Richard ‘ Carrot’ Hewitt and James ‘Worm’ Snelling have been asked to drive the machines.
The delivery of these machines at Padworth mean that the site now boasts 9 Hitachi’s (ZX280, 2 x ZX210’s, ZX180 and 4x ZX130) It looks like a Hitachi plant show – except that they are doing an awful amount of work!
What a fantastic way to end a working week! A superb turnout by all of our business colleges meant that 14 karts took place in the 2 hour Go Karting Marathon all in aid of Treloars. The Team Names give you a clue as to their origins and are listed below.
After the longest ever induction (and we’ve attended some in the past) the ferocious racing meant that many black flags were shown and the lead changed hand on numerous occasions with the ultimate winners being the Balfour Beasties (driven by The Stig, Tiff Neddell and Someone called Lewis?). It’s a big shame that the Stig’s identity has been revealed but let’s hope he can now concentrate on his work at Balfours!
Results
1st - The Balfour Beasties
2nd - The Feltham Flyers
3rd - Southern Concrete
4th - Kier Southern
5th - Havant a Hope
6th - Team BTU
7th - The Blanchard Bulk (winner of Heaviest Cart)
8th - Sindall Supreme
9th - Raymond Brown Racing
10th - Driving Miss Daisy
11th - Vinci Mean Machine
12th - Team Randstad
13th - Padworth Flyers (or not)
14th - Wellsys Wenches
One note to mention is the fact that in 1st and 2nd place teams all the drivers were allegedly surveyors – is this a sign of what they do all day, or the fact that it was a freebee!!! Ha ha. I would like to pay particular thanks to all the teams and drivers as not one team let Treloars down by not turning up and indeed we had more karts racing than originally envisaged – so again a massive thank you.
The fantastic end result of the evening was that collectively we raised £1034.94 for Treloars (please see the attached letter) - What a great achievement and a big kiss to you all! (Particularly Randstat who very kindly supplied the F1 cap). Thank you sincerely. Please see the photos from the day below:
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Mark Wells was invited by Mansell Construction’s Kent Region to attend a breakfast meeting to sign up to the 10 Commitments Agreement and duly received the Premier Contractors Status from Regional Managing Director Mr Phil Sims. This accolade was achieved after consistently high scoring through the monthly Mansell Supply Chain. Also through the site at St Georges Retreat in Ditchling receiving exceptional scores on the Considerate Contractors Scheme where it scored in the top 3% in the country. Our congratulations are extended to the Ditchling Teams of both Mansell (Jim Knowlton, Vince Jones and Jamie Hawkin) plus Blanchard Wells’ Site Team led by Chris Nichols, Matthew Thomas and latterly, Jamie Hiscock and Barry Crocker. (To download the Mansell Premier Contractors Certificate and the 10 commitments click here).
A bespoke concrete package has been won by Southern Concrete for delivery of a substantial concrete floor at Tesco Fareham. The contract involves the supply and erection of 10000m2 of a concrete plank system topped with 5000m3 of concrete plus other sundry reinforced concrete works.
The groundworks and drainage have begun at Tesco Fareham. The eagerly awaited store will take approximately a year to construct and will be a superb project to be associated with.
