BGL Team Newsletter - Feb Mar 2023

BGL Team Ne ws

There has been some incredible charit y fundraising business for a number of great causes As ever, we are passionate about supporting people in our local communities, and are continuing to do so in 2023.

Continued on page 10.

F VIP session for invited guests, inc luding the local Mayor - who had a blast on the Har ley Davidson!

Continued on page 7.

CEO UP DAT E

Colin Mayes

Dear Colleagues, Welcome to 2023, and I’m delighted to report that Januar y fell in line with our business expectations, and that we made our budget for the month. We’re also looking good for Februar y at the time of writing this update. O verall, a ver y positive start to the new budget year.

to thank ever ybody involved in the business last year We ended the year just ahead of the business agreed back in December 2021. Forecasting what we might be able to achieve is a real science, and your general managers along with literally put hundreds of hours into reviewing and checking our proposed budget for the year ahead Ever y year, despite doing this so far in advance, we are seldom far testament to the skill and accuracy of the work done in preparing the business plan/budget for the year ahead 2023 has been a particular ly happen, given the state of the have never seen before, and the war

in U kraine, let alone the spikes in energ y prices.

At the start of the year, I have to say, I was ver y concerned about the UK economy and the negative impact that it might have on our abilit y to drive the BGL business for ward in 2023. However, the start that we have made to the year has

may be dealing with a huge number of industrial disputes within the countr y, but these do not appear to be dampening demand for high qualit y leisure experiences at this moment in time. We do know though, that these things can change ver y quickly indeed. Hence why I am asking both Guy and Andy, together with their respective GMs to keep the pressure up on being ver y tight on our spending throughout the business until we reach the start of the summer golf season in April. By then we should have some ver y c lear signs on how the economy will, or will not, bounce back. In summar y, I’m cautiously optimistic about 2023!

One of my great roles, and certainly something I enjoy, is celebrating the success of the business and it's people at the Annual Awards Ceremony, held at Aldwickbur y Park Golf Club at the beginning of Februar y. S ome fantastic awards were given out on the night, celebrating the company ’ s successes and some ver y special

another record attendance with just over 200 people from throughout our businesses in England and Wales. Hopefully next year, we will also be adding S cotland and Ireland to that list – although, it won’t be long until we outgrow our function room at Aldwickbur y Park! I’d also like to thank Ian, the General Manager and his whole team for

team did a great job on the night and worked tirelessly to ensure that all the guests had a wonderful time A huge thank you, and well-done to the Aldwickbur y Park team, and not forgetting my PA, Heather, who coordinated the whole event.

In 2023, we are again investing heavily into our businesses, to help refurbish our golf c lubs where required We are currently refurbishing the function and and starting work on upgrading two of our driving ranges with

S hropshire. At Burhill we have built a new golf c lub storage facilit y and are currently refurbishing the professional and retail shop

At many of our courses, we are also carr ying out golf course improvements, such as bunkers, pathways, and irrigation, as well hopefully building yet another new reser voir at Burhill to assist us with reducing our impact on the

soon as our planning application is approved.

Adventure L eisure with Mulligan’s is also growing again, with our new unit in Nor wich which opened ver y successfully on Saturday 18th Februar y L ed by Heather Mac lean and her team, and supported over S parks (GM Mulligan’s MK), Richard Wood (GM Mulligan’s Worcester), Lauren Price and O li team) – a huge thank you all for a

We are also on-site in Bristol and expect to open that unit by June, ready for the busy summer holidays. Next will be Romford in

L ondon! Negotiations are also ongoing for new Ninja Warrior sites, so we have hit the ground running hard this year.

our sustainability is high on our agenda, and we have engaged with Environmental S olutions International to carr y out indepth reviews of each of our ten golf c lubs so that we can target further improvements in reducing our negative impact on and the subsequent actions, will help us drive further improvement throughout the business, and I am challenging each General Manager to reach a nett z ero emissions target way before the government is asking all UK business to do so by the end of 2030 In the last six months, near ly all of our businesses energ y consumption, and we need

to keep this up for the rest of the year and beyond W herever you feel that we may be wasting energ y, please speak with your Head of Department or General Manager so that we can make changes where possible. O ver the last few months we have witnessed some great new initiatives coming from team members, and I would urge you all to carr y this on, both whilst at work and even when you get home Like most things in life, when you put things happen.

We have recently recruited a new Group HR Manager, Emma Camp, to help us develop our people development programs, and to review all our current policies and systems regarding our most important asset which is you, and all our colleagues employed within the BGL business. Emma will help us ensure that we maintain and

develop our reputation further for being a great employer in a ver y competitive labour market By the end of this year, I sincerely hope the number of people employed by BGL will be in excess of 1,200 team members.

reach the end of 2023, but with

economic times, and I am really looking for ward to working with ever ybody to ensure that we have another ver y successful year.

support and hard work.

Warmest Regards, Colin Mayes CEO

BGL Golf

A B B E Y H I LL

HO EB RI D G E T RIP LE T S T

became parents on the same day of Saturday 4th Febr uar y. Two babies were born, and one puppy was adopted!

– daughter, named Lilly

Jess Ty ther leigh (F&B Assistant) – daughter, named Reya

Tommy Culm (Sales Advisor) – puppy, named Louis

Fur thermore, in December, Kumar Upreti welcomed the bir th of his daughter. Congrats ever yone!

TOM WILSON AKA DR . HILLARY

The ver y squeamish Tom W ilson (Sales Manager and Mental Health Champion at R amsdale Park) is a par ticular l y germophobic and squeamish person. So, when his new baby gir l came into the wor ld, it was a complete shock to learn that Tom delivered her HIMSELF in their bathroom! Little Holl y Francesca was born Saturday 22nd October. Congratulations to Tom, Luc y and little Sam who now has a baby sister to look af ter!

REF U RB I SHM EN T

HA S S TA RT ED!

Pmeeting room. We are excited to show ever yone pictures of the work in a few weeks!

Phase 2 inc ludes a full refurbishment to both of Abbey Hill’s phase got under way on Februar y 20th and March.

A LDWI C KB U RY PA RK

W ELCOM E B AB Y

S I EN NA TO TH E

T EA M

Congratulations to Holly Laird, S ales Manager at Aldwickbur y Park, who gave birth to a 6lb 14oz baby gir l, S ienna L orna Laird at 1:13pm on Wednesday 28th December. Mother and baby are both doing well, which is great news!

T HO RN B U RY T H E A RC H WAY RO O M

Since Januar y, we have been busy into an additional private space for members and guests to hire We are near completion with just a few be available to book from March at an exc lusive discounted rate for members.

free play pool table/table tennis table, smart dartboard and TV, and will be available to book at the golf shop or with the sales team We will also be looking to set up some pool/darts leagues at the c lub in the near future.

BGL Golf

T HO RN B U RY EM P LOY EE O F TH E YEA R

We are delighted to announce that the awarded to Centre Administrator, Karen Webb. Karen has played a pivotal role over the last year, and her can-do approach has been noticed by the team She has always been willing to take on new tasks and adapt as the business evolves

Many members will have dealt with Karen at some stage, whether that was regarding membership, direct debits or she may even

the bar We are fortunate to have so many team chose Karen for the above reasons P lease join us in congratulating Karen!

W ELL D O N E SAMA N T H A!

Samantha Clarke, F&B Assistant

awarded with a ‘distinction’ upon completion of her Hospitality S uper visor

to complete, and it was mainly done at S am’s place of work. S tudying at this level does take commitment, but I know S am will agree that the reward at the end was worth it! If you ’re interested in the programme, search for : About the Hospitality Super visor L evel 3

W hat will I lear n dur ing the prog ramme?

D uring your Apprenticeship you will gain the knowledge and skills you need to super vise hospitality ser vices, run shif ts, and motivate your team to provide excellent customer ser vice and achieve business targets You will learn how to monitor operational procedures, working practices and make recommendations for business improvements. You will also develop your leadership skills and

and provide support to enable team members to achieve targets, continuously improve and accomplish the best results

possible. Your apprenticeship will also provide you with a deeper understanding of sales and marketing strategies to enable you to make suggestions for future activities within your area of responsibility

W hich specialist areas will I be able to select from?

As part of your programme you will be able to select a specialist area in which you would like to develop your food and beverage, bar, housekeeping, concierge, front of house, events, and outlet super vision.

How will I be assessed?

work with your Training Consultant who will provide continuous assessment and feedback to ensure you achieve your apprenticeship standard Once you have completed training you will demonstrate what you have learnt through a multiple choice test, practical obser vation and business project.

speak to your general manager.

LAUNC H O F M U LLI GAN S NO RW IC H

F

our latest Mulligans venue in Nor wich coming soon, beer pong!

for invited guests, inc luding the local Mayor (who had a blast on the Har ley Davidson!), local businesses, team members from Nor wich FC, local councillors, Nor wich BID, plus a selection of Instagram and to part y hard with a drink and unlimited access to knew air hockey was so addictive? Guests loved the venue, especially the SAW, Friends ( TV show), and c law machine holes

W ith a hard-to-miss location, incredible neon lights, and booming music, the venue continues to draw

inc luding GMs, Heather Mac lean, Christine Sparks, and Richard Wood provided incredible ser vice to all customers and we’d like to thank them for their incredible work.

Here’s to another amazing Mulligans venue and an incredible team! We know they ’ ll smash 2023!

M U LLIG A N S S T EV ENAG E

Mulligans Stevenage has recently had an on-course refurbishment, with new car pet that has really brightened the place up and has been appreciated strength to strength over the past six weeks – this comes as a result of the refurbishment work, but also from encouraging the team to, not only be professional but, engage more with the customers and be more interactive when possible We’ve done this by giving out colouring books, playing balloon games with the children, and getting on the course more – all these things are being mentioned in our reviews.

We have also been upskilling the team on the kitchen multi-tasking in the kitchen, time management and presentation, which again is proving to deliver positive feedback.

I’m really enjoying my time here overall. Of course, I have encountered some challenges, mainly with a slight resistance to change, but we have moved for ward and positive for the team and our customers.

S amantha Nicholls General Manager Mulligans Stevenage

M K CO N SUM ER REV I EW

Two of our part y hosts went above and beyond for one particular customer recently who was disabled. James Dolan and Rhys Major took a young, impaired customer around the Ninja course so that he could feel inc luded and have an experience, rather than just watching It truly made his day, and lef t and impression with the event organisers who lef t this great review :

Julie Hammond recommends Ninja Warrior UK Milton Keynes: "We brought around 60 of our Cubs and Beavers to Ninja War rior last night and they all had an amazing time. We were incredibly well looked after and in particular I would like to mention Rhys and James

excellent In particular, we have a young man with ver y

with ever ything he wanted to do Food and drink was ever yone involved for giving our young people a fabulous Christmas party. Highly recommend this venue for groups. Grate ful thanks f rom all at 1st Yardley Gobion Scout g roup. Happy Christmas to you all"

L et ’s shout about this kind of great ser vice!

Wayne Davies

General Manager

Ninja Warrior UK Milton Keynes

Emma Camp

Group HR Manager

e.camp@bglcompany.co.uk

H

ello

Colleagues, I started as Group HR Manager at the beginning of Januar y, and even though I’m only a couple of months in, ever yone is so friend ly and supportive that it feels like I’ve been here much longer!

A little bit about me… I live in Cheam (S utton) with my husband and our

two during the pandemic so I’m looking for ward to getting some more practice and get out on a course! Before joining BGL I worked for the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) for near ly 10 years looking af ter employee relations, health & wellbeing, workforce planning, polic y management and recruitment

As part of my induction, I’m meeting some ver y passionate colleagues and I really enjoyed meeting Birchwood Park, Abbey Hill, Redbourn, Aldwickbur y Park, plus the Ninja and Mulligans' in Milton Keynes. I’m planning to visit as many Golf, Adventure L eisure, and Ninja sites as possible over the next few weeks –I’m looking for ward to meeting lots of you then.

My focus over the next few months will be getting to know the business and our colleagues, understanding our processes, and making sure we have the correct foundations in place to enable us to continue to grow successfully in the future.

I’m pleased to share that myself and Janice Moore, Group L earning & Development Manager, will be known as the People Team going for wards (instead of ‘HR’) We will be working hard to develop the tools and processes to make your jobs easier

I look for ward to working with you all,

Emma Group HR Manager

EM P LOY ER

According to the Centre for Ageing Better, more than a third of 50-70 year olds say they feel at a disadvantage when applying for jobs due to their process, from the language in job adverts to ageism by feeling this way about BGL, so we want ever yone to make sure we are being inc lusive, in our language and actions, when completing a recruitment drive.

can help in knowledge and skill sharing It also improves retention rates as the younger generation will eventually feel they have outgrown the business and may want to explore a new challenge, whereas the older generation may want to channel their

age groups working together can help businesses thrive and individuals learn No matter what our age, all workers value the social connections developed in the workplace and having a sense of purpose.

Call to action… before starting a recruitment process take a minute to consider how you can be more

help you as follows: We’re actively building diverse teams and welcome applications from ever yone inc luding people of all ages.

For further support or advice please contact Emma Camp, Group HR Manager.

Fundr aising In 2023

TH E PEOP LE'S KI TCH EN

Volunteering is something I had wanted to do for quite some time, I have done the occasional hike for breast cancer, collected food for the local food bank etc but always thought that it would be good to do a little more and if I worth it So, in May 2022 af ter researching many of the Kitchen, reading about the amazing work they do ever y day. I signed up as a volunteer and I have to say it was one of the best decisions I have made

Founded in 1985 by a lady called Alison Kay af ter being shocked by news about the death of a homeless man. had put together a team of 40 volunteers and together they anyone who needed it.

BARLE Y GRE YHO UND SANCT UARY

A big thank you to ever yone at Burhill who helped to raise over £200 on ver y short notice, for an urgent Christmas appeal for Bar ley Greyhound Sanctuar y

All money raised from the cake sale went towards keeping greyhounds, fed and warm throughout the winter period.

L ooking into 2023 I am hoping to (with a bit more planning) arrange more fundraising opportunities for Bar ley Greyhound Sanctuar y, as well as W imbledon Greyhound Welfare located next door to Burhill!

If you can, please feel free to continue donating using the QR code Ever y penny raised helps volunteers keep these incredibly loving hounds happy!

Jack Newell Marketing Executive – Golf Division

As a volunteer at the People’s kitchen ever y shif t is tasks range from c learing tables, being a friend ly ear to a which will be able to help them I am particular ly sof t when it comes to the friends who have pets and I am of ten told toiletries and even a hot shower as well as end less cups of tea I have recently noticed a substantial increase of visitors inc luding families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis I give up one night a week to volunteer and like to

Karen Hepton General Manager - Mulligans Newcastle

TH E BIG FREEZETH ERESA’S SLEEP O U T

I wanted to thank ever y one of you that supported us for our Charity S leep O ut To ever yone who sponsored us, and those who brought up c lothes and sleeping bags for the homeless, it was greatly appreciated.

In particular, I wanted to express my personal thanks to Mark Northern, S achin Kanaiya, Johnny Hilton and Dene Parsons who braved the cold and loneliness with me!

Once all the pledges have come in, it looks like we will hit the £4,000 mark with the fantastic team at BGL pledging an additional 5% of anything we raise. Emmanuel House in Nottingham has seen the highest ever spike in Nottinghamshire homelessness and this money will help them hugely.

General Manager - Ramsdale Park Golf Centre

Janice Moore

L earning and Development Manager

j.moore@bglcompany.co.uk

O N T H E J O B T RA I N I N G

Most employees get the majority of their knowledge of the industr y they work in whilst on the job. An employee period of time, particular ly if they are motivated – a successful employee is someone who is going above and beyond what is expected of them My experience at Burhill stretches outside my own job description, and I would encourage any employee to get as wide an experience as they can. You really do never stop learning

TH E BGL ACADEMY

At BGL, we have a fantastic array of courses and subject matters within the Academy, and of course it is all online Academy can appear over whelming. I liken the feeling to a well-known question:

Q. How do you eat an elephant?

A. One mouthful at a time

courses are completed so that you are compliant From there it is up to you what you study. I personally followed various topics and whenever I had a spare moment or felt I needed information about a certain topic, I simply dipped into the Academy and spent time adding to my knowledge.

It is important to stress that I was doing this for myself and my own personal development. L earning something new is never a waste of time As a manager for many years, it was something I looked at c losely if I was tr ying to decide on promotion.

whilst at work, enrolling in an appropriate professional possible, has all lead to my goal of managing a golf c lub.

Regular ly using the BGL Academy is just one of the ways

EXT ERNAL CO URSES

highly recommend. I completed the GCMA level 5 Diploma in June 2021. It was a fantastic way of increasing my knowledge and understanding of the

with other participants, and I was able to increase my network of connections within the industr y which is proving invaluable.

of increasing your knowledge and improving your future career opportunities

I F A G OA L I S I M P O RTA N T TO YO U, TH E B ES T WAY TO S TA RT

I S W IT H A P

Burhill Group Limited is a growing company, and with that comes opportunities. It makes sense to ensure that you have the skills needed to take advantage of those opportunities when they arise. W hether career progression is on your agenda or not, at some level we all want to experience a sense

there is no pre-prepared plan on how to achieve that

Januar y/Februar y is the time of year when review meetings are taking place to agree job objectives for the year For this edition of Team News, I thought I would take the opportunit y to take you through the process of draf ting your own Performance Development P lan, which goes hand in hand with agreeing job objectives for the year. Download the ‘SAP Litmos’ app from the app store. have a perfromance development plan:

W hy Have A Per for mance Development P lan?

T RAI NING F irst Aid Course

Burhill recently hosted two accredited Emergency

First Aid at Work days, helping to bring the total of rst aiders to 335 across the group!

A huge thanks to Mark Brooks (Head Chef at ornbury) for continuing to teach the group these vital skills that could one day save a life.

Heather Pickerill - 28 Years at BGL THANK YOU FOR YOUR S ERV IC E!

Jer z y Cychowski - 16 years

Abbey Hill GC

Lloyd Edwards - 13 years

Birchwood Park GC

Ian Mcdowell - 12 years

Aldwickbur y Park GC

S tephen L ee - 11 years

Birchwood Park GC

Br ian Far r - 8 years

Aldwickbur y Park GC

Apr ille W ildgust - 7 years

Ramsdale Park GC

Alexander Nock - 6 years

Lawrence Moore - 6 years

Birchwood Park GC

Spencer Jones - 5 years

Ramsdale Park GC

Deborah Veness - 5 years

Tonbridge

Andrew Bennett- 5 years Estates

I happened to mention to Colin that I celebrated 28 years’ service on 3 January 2023 and he quickly responded with “OK, why don’t you write a piece for the next newsletter.” So here it goes!

I actually rst walked through the doors of Burhill in December 1994 having been o ered the role of PA to the Managing Director and agreed to work for the month of December on a trial basis to see if I liked the company and my boss and vice versa. As I had young children he was undecided if I would be suitable for the job! Nowadays you cannot be so discriminatory. Anyway, I passed the test and o cially got my contract on 3 January 1995. My initial thought was that the company was de nitely ‘old school’. I loved the idea of working in such a beautiful building and spoilt with views of the golf course. Dress code was smart o ce wear, no trousers. e Estates team were not allowed to enter the main clubhouse and entry if invited in was via a side entrance. Lunch was provided for Head O ce sta , a real perk, in the main dining room with white linen and 2 courses. Women were not allowed to enter the ‘Honours’ Bar in the main clubhouse, having to stand at the entrance doorway if you needed to speak to the bar steward.

In 1998 Burhill was beginning to move with the times. A new MD was in place and female employees were allowed to wear a smart trouser suit to work and the Estates team were allowed to enter the building and come upstairs to Head O ce albeit still by a back door. By now the Club also allowed females to enter the bar although some of the members were de nitely not happy about this. e business was also developing with the purchase of more golf clubs/centres – Abbey Hill and Birchwood Park to add to Hoebridge, ornbury and Ramsdale Park. My role also evolved with taking on the job of payroll administration for the business, quite a daunting prospect but manageable as the business was still quite small. I divided my time between two o ces at either end of the corridor. Gradually as the business expanded a full-time payroll manager was recruited and I was then asked in 2000 to take on HR and Health & Safety under the mentorship of Mike Worthington, our external consultant, a name fondly remembered by some of the current GMs. Together with Mike I enjoyed our visits to the various golf operations carrying out H&S audits until 2019 when Mike decided to hang up his white coat. By now the business had grown to include Adventure Leisure operations and the requirement to employ an external health and safety consultant to take on the entity of auditing all the golf and leisure operations. As we begin a new year in 2023, I feel I have come full circle and back to what I really enjoy doing as Executive PA to the CEO. Colin is my third boss and each one has been very di erent to work with and taken the business forward to another level.

I consider myself very lucky to have been happy to continue my career with BGL for all this time. I have made many friends over the years and witnessed many changes within the business and seen the company grow into a highly respected golf and leisure business.

Awards Night

Awards Night Winners

Adventure Leisure & NinjaEmployees of the Year 2022

Basildon – Stacey Rolland

Stevenage – Jacob Gallagher

Sidcup – San Cheung

Birmingham - Sadie Strange

Bournemouth - Ruby Way

Tonbridge – Joanne Blake

Cheltenham – Maxine Greenwood

Milton Keynes - Emma Penny

Newcastle – Kris Lewis

Worcester - Karolina Jurasz

Manchester – Chris Thomas

Swansea Bunkers - Nicole Karanicola

Swansea Ninja Warrior – Katie Couch

Milton Keynes Ninja Warrior – Zena Cseprehgi

Lisa Salt

Southampton Ninja Warrior - Reggie English

Golf Division - Employees of the Year 2022

Abbey Hill Golf Centre – Sam Norman, Greenkeeper

Aldwickbury Park Golf Club – Miguel Mesbah, Chef

Birchwood Park Golf & Country Club –Alexandra Ware

Burhill Golf Club – Sammy Haywood, PGA Trainee Assistant Professional

Ramsdale Park Golf Centre – Katie Atkinson, Chef

Hoebridge Golf Centre – Abby Jackson, Events Manager

Redbourn Golf Club – Charlie Turner, Retail Supervisor

David Ashton, Retail Manager/Head Pro

Karen Webb, Centre Administrator

Wycombe Heights Golf Centre – Mark Henley, Golf Services Assistant

Support O ce – Julie Martin,Payroll Supervisor