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Helping Eurostar shine
Eurostar, the high-speed passenger service linking the UK and mainland Europe, has awarded OCS a contract to provide cleaning services for its trains at St Pancras International and its Temple Mills depot in Leyton, East London.
Eddie Ratcliffe, OCS operations director, said: “We are delighted to have won this contract at a key time for Eurostar. The high-speed passenger rail service provider is looking to expand its operations with new routes and destinations across Europe. We intend to support their clear focus on providing a quality experience for the passenger with a first-class cleaning service.”
Paula Longuehaye, cleaning contracts manager for Eurostar, said: “We have recently announced a £700 million capital investment in our fleet, which includes purchasing 10 new trainsets and completing the overhaul and refurbishment of our existing fleet. In a world of on- rail competition, having modern and smart trainsets will be key to our success and OCS’s experience and expertise make them the perfect partner to help us deliver this.”
Over 100 staff will provide cleaning services across the two sites, which include 26 turnaround cleans a day at St Pancras International and between four and 12 service cleans each night at the Leyton depot.
OCS has enjoyed an eight year relationship with Eurostar, providing a range of services at both Waterloo and St Pancras International as well as at the Temple Mills depot.
www.ocs.co.uk
The Apprenticeship Scheme in action
When CK Group was approached by business development company South London Business (SLB) as a result of the government’s reinvigorated apprenticeship scheme, CK Group’s managing director, Ian Pether, agreed to take on Charlie Porter after a number of prospective unemployed local youngsters were interviewed by the group’s training manager, Donna Bryant.
Porter started in the company’s warehouse as an apprentice warehouseman under the watchful eye of Winston Nugent, the warehouse manager. Although Porter’s progress was mentored by SLB, all day-to- day training in stock ordering, picking, vehicle loading and consumables despatch took place in CK Group’s warehouse, with both hands on experience and theoretical instruction in a variety of areas - including workplace health and safety, stock control, chemical handling and environmental awareness.
Porter impressed with his enthusiasm and willingness and made such good progress in the first four months (of his nine month apprenticeship) that the company decided, as an added bonus to his training, to agree to the company paying for him to attend a two day intensive fork lift operators course to add another skill. A day of both theory and practical instruction on site at the CK Group’s warehouse in Sydenham by a registered instructor from fork lift specialist Mexmast, was followed by a day of further practical training at its bespoke indoor training school in Burgess Hill. Porter passed his operators course with flying colours.
Ian Pether said: “We share Charlie’s delight at his achievement and are pleased to have added further value to his training with a skill which he can use in the coming years.”
WFBSC secures observer status at UN Commission
On 8 December, the World Federation of Building Service Contractors (WFBSC) secured observer status at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe GHS sub-committee in Geneva. This sub-committee is responsible for global policy on the regulation of chemical products, including cleaning chemicals.
Speaking after the meeting, Andrew Large, executive vice president of the World Federation, said: “The WFBSC is delighted that its application for observer status has been approved. This represents a step change improvement in our ability to represent the interests of global cleaning employers. We look forward to engaging with the UN sub-committee in the coming months to ensure that the position of downstream cleaning chemical users is fully understood by the
regulatory authorities.”
www.wfbsc2012.com
Loo of the Year 2011 - winners announced
Ceredigion County Council has won the ‘UK overall winners’ trophy, only the forth council to win the award, in the 24th Loo of the Year Awards competition to find the very best ‘away from home’ toilets in the UK.
Awards managing director, Mike Bone, said: “Despite the economic climate which has led to unprecedented public toilet closures, Ceredigion County Council continues to place significant importance on the provision of first class toilets that contain the facilities their residents and visitors need and expect when in Ceredigion. Their excellent public toilets, and toilets in schools and other council buildings, are setting the standard throughout the UK.”
Leading toilet providers recognise the importance of meeting this basic human need and entries for Loo of the Year Awards continue at high levels despite the economic situation. Standards in awards entrant’s toilets are improving - 78% of the total entries achieved the top 5 star grading (58% in 2009).
Other major UK trophy winners were: McDonald’s for individual category entries; Carmarthenshire County Council for public toilet entries; JD Wetherspoon for corporate provider entries; Asda Galashiels for accessible facilities; Highland Council for ‘Changing Places’ toilets; Tesco Omagh - TC Contractors for baby change facilities; The Phoenix Centre Sandwich for eco friendly toilets; Highland Council for toilets in education; and Staffordshire County Council for local authority toilet entries.
Trophy winners in the associated Attendant of the Year awards - for the people who put the sparkle and pride into the UK’s toilets - were: Westminster City Council, Great Portland Street toilets (individual attendant team); McDonald’s (in-house cleaning team); and Asda Stores (external contactor team).
Representatives from the top 20 local authorities public toilet providers - the Loo of the Year Awards ‘premier league’ - were also honoured at the awards presentation event held on 2 December at the Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth, along with 31 members of the Awards ‘champions league’ - the standard of excellence for participants achieving five or more five star award grades.
The 2011 awards were run in association with Airdri, The British Cleaning Council, The Changing Places Consortium, Clos-o-Mat, Vectair, and Wallgate. The four national tourism bodies - Visit England, Visit Scotland, Visit Wales and The Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Danfo, SCA Tork and Willings Services supported this year’s awards.
Next year’s event will be held on 7 December, venue to be confirmed.
www.loo.co.uk
Chequers crowning moment at East Surrey College
Local family run cleaning contractors, Chequers Contract Services Ltd, had a brush with royalty on last month when Her Majesty The Queen paid a visit to East Surrey College in Redhill. Director, Kate Ward, was delighted to be invited to the official opening. Following lunch at the college, which has been a client for seven years, she was introduced to Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh.
The Duke commented on the company’s ethos and commitment to ethnic and cultural diversity in the workforce and its passion to provide a polished service to each of its clients without cutting back on quality and remaining competitive in the current economic climate.
www.chequerscontracts.co.uk
FWC forms international strategic alliances
The Federation of Window Cleaners (FWC) has formed a strategic alliance with the International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA), based in the USA, and the Australian Window Cleaning Federation (AWCF), based in Australia. The immediate goals of this alliance are:
• To document and promote accurate technical information related to window/glass cleaning.
• To develop a written ASTM glass cleaning standard to be used worldwide.
• To establish working relationships with glass fabricators and manufacturers within the international glass industry.
• To advance scientific research on the causes of tempered glass scratching and improvements in cleaning methods.
For additional information please visit www.iwca.org, www.f-w-c.co.uk or www.awcf.org.au.
