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Two firms land historic first Two Midlands companies have help land an historic first in the drive to help the UK move towards a carbon-neutral future.
Law firm achieves major eco-friendly office hub transformation Reclaimed pallet-clad walls, booth seating with sustainably sourced fabric, and tables made from recycled yoghurt pots are some of the eco-friendly features found in Shakespeare Martineau’s first revamped office hub in Stratford-upon-Avon. The law firm has been operating from the historic medieval town since 2013. The space – located in Bridgeway House, just off the A3400 and near the River Avon – is the first in Shakespeare Martineau’s property portfolio to undergo a major makeover to reflect modern, new ways of working. More than 80% of the materials used as part of the refurbishment were sustainably sourced, recycled or reused – supporting Shakespeare Martineau’s pending B Corporate status and 30 responsible business pledges, including achieving net zero by 2025 and becoming carbon negative by 2030. The firm also ensured there was minimal impact on landfill by donating all items of furniture that were unable to be reused or upcycled to local charities, religious groups, schools and community groups.
PeakGen, a Leamington-based specialist in generation, transmission and distribution energy networks, has become the first private sector company in the UK to win a major contract as part of a move to open up the energy market. The firm has won a contract to supply power services to the National Grid Electricity System Operator in the Mersey region. It involves the supply and operation of a shunt reactor which allows the grid to operate more efficiently by absorbing unusable energy from the system and maintaining consistent voltage levels. It is the first contract won under the Pathfinder programme, which is designed to open up the market to a wider range of private companies to encourage innovation and competitive pricing. PeakGen, which employs 18 staff, used law firm Wright Hassall to undertake the legal work on the lease of the land adjacent to the Frodsham 400kV substation. Ian Graves, CEO of PeakGen, said: “We’re delighted to have won a contract under the Mersey Pathfinder to deliver the solution for the electricity system operator. It really is a major milestone for PeakGen and we hope it puts us in a good position to compete for and win similar contracts that are coming through the Pathfinder programme across the UK.”
Left to right: Nick Sillito (PeakGen), Matthew Roberts (PeakGen), Bhavika Patel (Wright Hassall), Ian Graves (PeakGen), Nisha Kandola (PeakGen)
PeakGen pitched successfully against 14 other companies to win the contract, and the legal aspects were handled by Bhavika Patel, part of Wright Hassall’s commercial real estate team. She said: “This is not only a real achievement for Ian and his team but also a major milestone as the energy
“We’re delighted to have won a contract under the Mersey Pathfinder to deliver the solution for the electricity system operator. It really is a major milestone for PeakGen and we hope it puts us in a good position to compete for and win similar contracts that are coming through the Pathfinder programme across the UK.”
O.R. Jones & Sons ‘go paperless’ with TruTac’s CPT software software is its most recent addition and was, in part, a way for the company to ditch physical documents when the pandemic set in.
Chief transformation officer Karen Walker said: “We’re delighted with the finished look of our Stratford hub. It reflects our personality and aspirations, while demonstrating our investment in and commitment to our people, the town and Warwickshire.” It also reinforces the firm’s ‘empowered work principles’, which encourage a true work-life balance and focus on outputs rather than where or when they are delivered. The principles act as a guide for enabling people to manage their own time and working patterns, while ensuring the needs of their clients, colleagues and team are met. Chief marketing and people officer Ben Buckton said: “We also know that empowering people is the best motivation. Our positive, high-performance work culture is already attracting top talent and expertise from across the UK which, in turn, delivers the best quality service for our clients.”
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industry looks to open its markets to private companies. The matter was more complicated than we first anticipated due to the site being part of unregistered land and the fact that we were dealing with the form of lease being the first agreement of its type.”
PSV technician Martyn Owens said: “During lockdown, I looked into doing the checks digitally. It seemed like a good idea, both operationally and because it meant we could go paperless.
Coach operator O.R. Jones & Sons has sharpened up its vehicle inspections and gone paperless with the help of TruTac’s CPT (Confederation of Passenger Transport) approved dedicated PSV software.
minibuses and the remainder multiseater coaches – and undertakes tours, local bus services, school runs and private hire, among other services. It is also accredited by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT).
Based near Holyhead, Anglesey, the company was established in 1936 and is one of North Wales’s oldest coach specialists. It has a fleet of 30 vehicles – around a third of which are
O.R. Jones has been a TruTac customer since 2017 and uses the CPT Tacho Analysis, CPT Fleet Management and CPT Daily Checks systems across its three depots. The CPT Daily Checks
“From there, we decided to do the vehicles’ Preventative Maintenance Inspection (PMI) checks digitally. Before that, we had to fill in a form, scan it and send it on, but TruTac and CPT introduced a new system that allowed us to do the full PMI check on a smartphone. It’s very good software; any updates from the DVSA are automatically added, so you don’t need to worry about them.” In addition to the biosecurity benefits, going paperless has speeded up O.R. Jones’s approach to vehicle checks and improved its record-keeping. Transport managers at each of its sites have instant access to vehicle status and the age-old headaches with physical documents just do not exist.
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