Burhill Team News January 2022
Colin Mayes Chief Executive A New Year and hopefully a year when we are not forced to close our business and we can all start the long road back to, what I am sure we hope will be, some sort of new normality for us all. I am delighted that by the time you read this, Plan B will have been withdrawn, and this can only be a good sign but I would urge you all to apply common sense when you are out and about. I hope you all enjoyed the festive break which now seems a long time ago, I have to say it was a very strange period particularly the last two weeks run up to the Christmas period where many people just seemed to go into hibernation so as to protect their planned family get togethers. Like many people my own family plans changed as we had to cancel a planned holiday but like most people I have spoken to, the Christmas period was actually quite a peaceful time and I came back to the business feeling refreshed and ready to deal with and face all the challenges that will undoubtedly be thrown at us this year.
The senior leadership team and I are totally focused on making sure that we do everything we can to drive our business forward this year including continuing investment into both the physical element of our business, be it refurbishments of our facilities or projects that just help improve our members’ and customers’ experience with us, as well as further investment into what I consider to be our most important asset, our people. We will be improving our learning and development opportunities for everyone and in this newsletter, you will find an article about Claire Boulden our new Head of People and Culture which will outline some of the progress we hope to make during 2022.
I am sure like me you have all been left in total bemusement by the antics of some of our senior political leaders of late!!!
Overall, our performance for last year was excellent and whilst our total sales turnover was below our original budgets, primarily due to all the enforced government closure periods, our actual profitability was a great deal better than I originally expected at the beginning of 2021 and a huge improvement on 2020 when we just about broke even.
What we all need to do is to focus on getting our businesses and the economy of the UK back on track as quickly as possible.
The finance team are still reviewing the accounts and we should have the final results for 2021 early next month.
CEO Update I hope the celebration surrounding our Queen’s forthcoming Platinum Jubilee will give us all a reason to think what we all might be able to contribute ourselves this year.
One of the major aspects that has helped our financial performance is the fact that our family shareholders have agreed not to take any dividends out of the company for the past two years, whilst we have been suffering from the huge impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic and all the issues it has caused us. This has meant we have remained financially strong and been able to continue with our expansion plans and invested further in our facilities, e.g., the refurbishment of many of our driving ranges all of which have been very successful in driving new sales and volumes to our clubs. Last year we also purchased and opened our two Ninja Warrior UK venues in Sheffield and Southampton, and we are currently building our third site in Milton Keynes which we expect to open in February. Then early summer we expect to open our fourth site in Swansea very close to our existing Bunkers indoor golf business. We also intend to continue to develop new indoor golf venues in Norwich, Cardiff, Worcester and are currently trying to finalise a number of other opportunities which I hope to be in a position to announce to you all in the coming months. The New Year also allows us all to reflect on what we all did well last year and where we can all do slightly better. I am a big believer in that we all need to continually grow as we go through life building upon our experiences and trying to make life just a bit better for everyone around us. I want us all to consider just how we can all make a positive personal impact on our communities either in our businesses or close to our homes. One of the small positives of the whole Covid -19 saga has been a much-improved community spirit developing all-round the country and hopefully you all share my view that we must all do our best to support and nurture this even further.
I have already started the leadership team thinking about what sort of charity event we might do this year to raise funds for a well deserving cause where hopefully we can all enjoy some fun along the way. In this newsletter you will read about a number of inspiring stories of our own employee’s efforts in this regard last year, which hopefully will give you all some inspiration. In closing, whilst we are still all facing a very challenging time currently with our government having to make some very tough choices for us in the months to come, I want to assure you our company is in good health, and we are well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities that will come our way in the months ahead. We have some great people working for us and I can see that whilst 2022 will be a very much transitionary year, as we hopefully get on top of the pandemic and just accept, we need to learn to live with it and adjust our lifestyles and behaviours accordingly. I am very confident that we can all do well this year and I sincerely hope you all share my confidence.
Finally, next month we are delighted to highlight successes at our annual Aldwickbury awards, and I very much look forward to seeing some of you and sharing in the celebration of our great people. Warmest regards Colin
Milton Keynes Ninja Warrior Opening
Ninja Leisure Limited has announced the launch of a brand-new Ninja Warrior UK Adventure Park in Milton Keynes, with the ITV product set to open this February. In May 2021, it was announced that BGL had become an official licensed operator of two of ITV’s Ninja Warrior UK Adventure Parks in England. The opening of this third venue in Milton Keynes comes following the immediate uptake and success of both original sites in Sheffield and Southampton. Ninja Warrior UK Adventure Parks are multi age and ability activity and fitness locations, inspired by the hit ITV show. Open to the public, the fun-packed multiple course venues are inclusive, fun, safe, and accessible – enabling the public to take on the distinctive challenges of the famous courses, creating their own Ninja Warrior UK journeys. Sophie Burke, BGL’s Group Head of Marketing, said: “Ninja Warrior UK is one of the most successful physical prime-time television game shows ever, so we are delighted to be able to bring that challenge to the people of Milton Keynes through this exciting new adventure park.” Andrew Scholey, Operations and Development Director of Ninja Leisure Limited and Adventure Leisure Limited, at BGL, added:
“We are thrilled to be continuing the expansion of the leisure facility operation side of our business with one of the most enjoyed adventure leisure products on the market. We look forward to playing an integral part in the rollout of additional Ninja Warrior UK venues in the coming years.” BGL has been providing fun-filled entertainment for families in Milton Keynes for over 20 years at Abbey Hill Golf Centre. Abbey Hill offers two first-class golf courses, a floodlit driving range, events, wedding and function space, group golf and Mr Mulligan’s Outdoor Adventure Golf. In addition, Mr Mulligan’s Indoor Adventure Golf can be found in the town centre, boasting two epic adventure golf putting courses, as well as a fantastic bar and restaurant. BGL is the owner and operator of 22 golf courses across 10 UK golf clubs, as well as 13 leisure facilities under the subsidiaries of Adventure Leisure Limited and Ninja Leisure Limited. Additionally, further plans are in place for the continued development of new, exciting leisure venues in 2022 and beyond. These openings will create further opportunities for our employees who want to progress and take on more responsibility as we expand the business further. To find out more about Ninja Warrior UK and the new Milton Keynes venue, head online to www.ninjawarrioruk.co.uk/mk/
Exciting New Activities at Bournemouth
What’s New? December saw an exciting launch of new activities arriving at Mr Mulligan’s Bournemouth. A total transformation of the top floor saw a brand new aesthetic, whilst one of the three crazy golf courses was removed and replaced with a brand new bar and several brand new bookable activities, including: • • • •
Laser-Shot Electro-Darts Ping Pong Pool
Although Ping Pong and Pool may be self-explanatory, we hear you asking what is Laser Shot and Electro-Darts? Have a look below to find out more! What is Laser Shot? The first of its kind to any BGL venue, Laser Shot provides a virtual shooting range to its players, and is used in America to train their elite armed Police Force and their Marines. The British SAS are also using the system to hone their skills, so its a great opprtunity to enjoy all of those challenges. With a multitude of games, up to 6 players can tackle it out on target practice and in person shooter games, all whilst enjoying a cocktail and some nachos!
What is Electro-Darts? Now in 3 Adventure Leisure venues, Electro-Darts brings an electrifying upgrade to the darts board we all know and love. Using special sensors, the dart board will keep score for you, bringing new interactive games to the board or simply tell you who’s the best with their aim! Players can play alone or in groups of up to six in each ‘oche’ (that’s a bay for all us non-darts players) and compete to win games during their session! Be warned it’s shockingly addictive!
Wycombe Heights Gets a Make Over
Following the completion of the refurbishment in the Coffee Shop, Pro Shop and Main entrance in 2020, the second half of the clubhouse at Wycombe Heights is now receiving the same treatment. With building work having started on the 4th January 2022, the bar and function room at Wycombe Heights will be closed for 8 weeks. The builders quickly stripped out the old bar, work tops and flooring. Even exposing some very attractive purple wall paper which seems to be the original from when the building was first opened over 30 years ago! The refurbishment will include replacing all windows and doors, extending the toilets, laying new carpet and hard flooring and installing a new bar area. The furniture across the room will also be replaced, to include a mix of fixed seating and moveable tables.
Prior to this refurbishment the bar at Wycombe Heights was dated, and didn’t fit in with the rest of the newly refurbished clubhouse. The bar would often be the last area our customers would want to sit, and we didn’t have enough furniture to fill the room, meaning it was regularly set up with function tables. Upon completion the refurbishment will give a warm, modern and welcoming feel. It will make the most of the space, and will allow our members and golfers an area that they enjoy spending time. Our focus will be on increasing casual food and beverage revenue and the bar has been designed to ensure the furniture works for this. ‘We are all very excited to be able to reopen the bar in March, and make the most of the new area ready for the start of the golfing season. ‘
Sarah Blunden - General Manager
HEALTH & WELLBEING REALLY MATTERS
Give yourself the same care & attention that you give to others and watch yourself bloom
NEED TO TALK?
NEED TO You areTALK? not alone, if you need support, just reach out... OR ALTERNATIVELY, SPEAK TO YOUR MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AIDER. WE’RE HERE TO HELP.
From Paris to Istanbul man who sadly took his own life while suffering from depression. It raises awareness of the illness as well as other mental health problems, and provides training to schools, colleges, universities, workplaces, GPs, and practice nurses.
BGL is celebrating the record-breaking fundraising achievements of one of its employees who has raised an incredible £50,000 for a mental health charity through a gruelling cycle challenge. Connor Kelly, Food and Beverage Assistant at Burhill Golf Club set himself the task of following the first journey of the Orient Express, from Paris to Istanbul, taken back in 1889. The mammoth ride saw him travel through eight different countries, covering a total of 3,780km on two wheels, in just 55 days. Throughout Connor’s fundraising effort, over 260 donors contributed, bringing the total amount raised to £45,000. In recognition of his efforts and the cause, BGL committed an additional £5,000 donation, bringing the grand total to £50,000. His efforts represent the largest individual charitable contribution of any team member in the company’s history. From the starting point at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, he headed east, enduring mountain passes, winding countryside and bustling cities as he travelled through France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey. Along the way he faced high altitude, snowstorms, and driving rain, before eventually reaching the finish line at the famous Hagia Sofia Mosque in Istanbul. Connor embarked on this incredible journey with the simple aim to raise as much money as possible for the Charlie Waller Trust. The Trust was set up in 1997 in memory of Charlie Waller, a young
Sharing his thoughts on the expedition, Connor said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to be involved with the Charlie Waller Trust and to promote such an important cause. It is imperative that mental health gets more sunlight, more candour, and more unashamed conversation. Whether an illness affects your heart, leg, or brain, it is an illness and there should be no distinction. The money raised will help the Charlie Waller Trust to continue their incredible work in providing both education and a sanctuary for young people’s mental health. This motivation formed the bedrock of the challenge and kept me going the entire way, no matter the difficulty I faced.” Speaking on his achievements CEO, Colin Mayes said: “We are exceptionally proud of Connor. The amount of money he has raised for such a worthy cause is truly staggering, and we were delighted to be able to contribute towards the total amount. We always strive to take care of our people and will continue to support them and encourage them in all charitable pursuits. I would like to remind all of our people that we are happy to contribute an additional 5% of their total funds raised for charitable pursuits. ”
Q&A with Bridget Jackson Welcome to the Employee Spotlight section. This month we talked to Bridget Jackson, Group IT Service Delivery Manager & DPO based at BGL Support Office.
BGL: What’s your current role and how long have you been with BGL? Bridget Jackson: Close to 3 years. Group IT Service Delivery Manager and DPO – the longest job title in the Group I believe.
BGL: What was the journey to where you are now? Previous roles? Bridget Jackson: I have worked in tech and data across many industries, banks, law firms, property management and public services. Both are very portable but who would have thought that the watering of our greens are system controlled. I certainly have learnt a lot at BGL.
BGL: In 3 words describe your job? Bridget Jackson: Varied, challenging and NEVER BORING.
BGL: What’s your favourite part about working in the BGL Group? Bridget Jackson: I love the shared BGL vision, Manuels Veg Curry and arriving at our beautiful Burhill Golf Club every morning.
BGL: Can you play Golf? Bridget Jackson: Very badly – I played better before I joined BGL! I sense a 2022 resolution in the air.
BGL: What’s the best thing you have achieved since being here?
Bridget Jackson: Personally, walking the Fisherman’s Trail in Portugal & work wise, rolling out new hardware & security across the group.
BGL: What are some of your hobbies outside of work?
Bridget Jackson: Horse riding, sailing and hiking & spending time with my two girls.
BGL: What would your “death row meal” be? Starter, Main and Dessert? Bridget Jackson: Starter would be a Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata, for main, seeing as I’m on death row, Kobe Beef with all the trimmings & then for dessert, Pastéis de nata, fresh from Portugal. All washed down with a bottle of Laurent Perrier Rosé. Not bad for a Veggie!
BGL: What are the most common IT issues that clubs/venues should speak to BDO about?
Bridget Jackson: • • •
New equipment installs e.g Printers/Laptops Quotes for new equipment Setting up new accounts & permissions access e.g emails & shared folders
If in doubt, give them a shout on 0845 0941046
GEO Certification Some of you may have heard about GEO certification and some may not, so, this month we are focusing on this key area for the Golf Division. GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf is an international not-for-profit, that helps to inspire, support, and reward credible sustainability action and to strengthen and promote golf’s social and environmental value. The organisation remains the only one in the world entirely dedicated to this mission. All of our 10 golf clubs are GEO certified with Aldwickbury, The Shropshire & Wycombe Heights reverified in December 2021. This underlines the continuation of our concerted environmental efforts across our clubs and solidifies our place as the only major multi course operator to gain GEO certified status across all clubs. The accreditation shows a golf facility has met a credible standard in the areas of Nature, Resources, Climate Action and Community continually improving sustainable golf practices.
“Each club has developed a unique maintenance programme designed to achieve more sustainable and efficient practices, by making improvements to the courses and club facilities wherever possible. BGL showed early leadership in sustainability with its first facility GEO Certified in 2013. BGL are now one of the most committed management groups worldwide – and the only group with every facility certified. We look forward to working with them on their endeavour to extend their sustainable practices even further,” commented Jonathan Smith, Executive Director GEO Foundation. “In a world where it is more crucial than ever to operate in the most environmentally sensitive way possible, to be awarded with GEO certified status is a testament to the incredible work ethic of every member of the team at BGL. Our sustainability efforts will never stop and we still have major progress to make in all areas of the business” added Colin Mayes, CEO, Burhill Group.
Claire Boulden
Group Head of People & Culture
Performance Management – ensuring our people are the very best they can be. This month sees the launch of new training through the Academy for all colleagues in the business who have line responsibility for others. Performance management isn’t just about dealing with poor or non-performance, it is as important – if not more so – to ensure we recognise and value high or exceptional performance. This subject is close to my heart because I feel so strongly about the people within the business. Without you, we cannot open our doors and we certainly cannot offer the levels of safety and service we need to be delivering to be a successful and progressive business. All supervisors and managers need to take their people responsibilities very seriously and realise that the human resource – the single most expensive thing in any business, which is the payroll – can make or break us. With immediate effect your line manager will now be completing a timeline document which will detail all events in terms of your performance. This document will allow them to note all of the fantastic work you do, along with any not so fantastic issues that need to be addressed. This document will allow your line manager to complete your mid and annual reviews more accurately with evidenced examples and should there be a need for formal action for any reason, we are able to determine if you have received the correct guidance, support and training to perform as expected within your role.
Another new document is the Employee Feedback form. Any event which has been discussed with you for both motivational and developmental reasons (positive or negative actions or behaviours from you) will again provide evidence of your performance for us to refer to as required. Moving towards a more structured approach and method of recording your overall performance will allow us to determine your areas of strength and any of weakness to ensure your development plans and of course, your objectives can be managed more accurately. It should be clear that this will also allow us to manage poor and under performance in a more timely and professional manner, ensuring we comply with legislation that protects you from unfair treatment when addressing any issues. This area for change will impact every single person within this business up to and including those of us who sit on the Executive team who will also be going through the training. Once this training has been assigned, you should see a noticeable difference across your site on how you are all being managed. Embrace it, don’t be scared of it – if you are performing as you should be you will only reap the rewards of this new approach. A future task for me is to determine a more robust and practical way to reward high and exceptional performance. We work for our salaries which is our ‘have to have’, we also enjoy some excellent benefits which are the ‘nice to haves’ – we also need to be thinking about ad hoc reward when we see effort far above and beyond what is normal expectation. I’ll be asking for your input when this comes up on my to-do list – watch this space… Kind Regards Claire
Janice Moore
Learning & Development Manager
It’s Compliance for a Reason None of us wants to be sitting in front of a judge trying to explain why we didn’t have enough time to do our compliance training. But that’s exactly what could happen. Sadly the unthinkable does occur, and hefty fines or jail sentences are a reality. The good news is, they can be prevented. Why not print this page of handy check-lists to make sure you keep yourself / your team compliant? Remember – everyone relies on you to comply. Team-Member Check-List Act when the 1st training reminder arrives in your inbox. Be proactive about speaking to your manager to schedule ‘time out’ for you to do your training. Look out for the training boosts that will arrive in your inbox. Apply what you learn, and if there is anything you are unsure about, speak to your manager. Manager Check-List Set-up The Academy so that your HoD’s/ AGM’s receive and act upon the ‘escalation’ emails instead of you, and ask for a compliance training update from each of them at your weekly team meeting. Use the ‘Compliance Summary Quick Report’ to do a quick daily check on who needs to do what. When preparing the rota, schedule time for staff to sit down at a computer to do their compliance training. Don’t take your eye off the ball even for just a short period. You will fall behind and playing catch-up is tough. signature
3 Tried and Tested Tips from Connor Kingsley and Matthew Strange, Adventure Leisure, Birmingham. 1. Create a ‘wall of fame’ with photos to celebrate those team members who are up-todate on their training. 2. Download and print certificates from The Academy and present them to team members. Supply presentation folders for the certificates to be kept in. 3. Schedule time every month for team members to learn something in The Academy that isn’t compliance related. Something of their choosing. Best Wishes Janice
Latest News commit a minimum of 16 hours a month to my local Samaritans branch. I applied in September of 2020 and went through a very rigorous interview and selection process that took around a year to complete. I started my training in October 2021 and transitioned into branch in November 2021.
Claire Roberts, Abbey Hill Golf Centre. All of us were affected in some form or another during the lockdowns of 2020/2021. Planning our daily walks around news conferences and daily briefings, 24 hours seemed longer than they ever had before. Seeing all the people on the news doing amazing things for their communities during the height of the pandemic was so inspiring. I knew that when things got back to some form of ‘normality’ I wanted to do something to give back and help people in need. I spend my life on the phone so I did some research and I thought the role as a Samaritans listening volunteer would be the right fit for me. I had nothing to lose by applying and was so incredibly proud when I was accepted onto the training.
I began taking calls from the beginning of November 2021 under the guidance of an amazing mentor and I am now independently supporting people when they call. Samaritan’s vision is that fewer people die by suicide, the reality is that the role of a Samaritans listening volunteer is so much more than that, anyone that needs a non-judgemental ear can call and talk and there is no topic that is out of bounds! Believe me some calls are not easy, however talking to people from all walks of life is so interesting and even if I can help someone a small amount then I’m making a difference. Now I’ve ‘graduated’ I am also going to be helping with the Milton Keynes Samaritans Events Team, I know how to plan and execute an event so now it’s time to use my professional expertise to help raise some much-needed funds for this wonderful charity.
In normal times you work for 8 hours, sleep for 8 hours and the final 8 hours are free for you to make positive changes to your life, so I now
Ramsdale Park saves the day! When Theresa, General Manager at Ramsdale Park saw on the local Facebook page that the power in a local village was beng turned off for the day, she quickly posted inviting people to work from Ramsdale Park, with a free filter coffee station. They were very greatful!
Congratulations! Welcome to the world Congratulations to Birchwood Park Team Members: Lucy Young Lifeguard On the birth of her 1st child, Freya, on 29th October 2021.
Lloyd Edwards Retail Supervisor On the birth of his 1st child, Emilia, on 18th December 2021
Latest News His knowledge of ESP, Golf and his existing member relationships proved to be invaluable thoughout a very difficult time. Throughout this time it was clear that Tom was a natural leader and had a very calming and professional attitude toward sales and decided he wanted to change his career path. After an 8 month training plan in 2021, Tom has passed his probation with flying colours and I am delighted to announce he has been promoted to the position of Sales Manager for Ramsdale Park. Tom Wilson, Ramsdale Park Golf Centre. Tom started on the 6th November 2006 as PGA professional at Ramsdale Park. One of our leading coaches, Tom soon became the junior champion for the club and an expert in golf retail. In 2020 Tom was drafted into the office to help with the craziness of re-opening and his performance was outstanding.
James Marshall
28/07/74 - 26/11/21 James sadly passed away in November 2021 after his battle with Lymphoma. He was always a huge part of the Sidcup Team and will be sorely missed by us all. Niki Grenfell - General Manager - Sidcup Family Golf
Tom has since been instrumental in the huge success of the new Trackman Range and regularly holds Group Golf and member events aswell as running the competitions. FUN FACT – His hero is Doctor Hillary Well done Tom!
Birmingham Mr Mulligan’s meets Bollywood. On the 17th January 2022 Mr Mulligan’s Birmingham welcomed the famous Dr Zeus and Sandeep as he chose the venue to film his latest Music video. The site was closed for filming for the day, with the golf course captured in the exciting new music video. Once finished it will go out on his YouTube channel and hopefully increase social media following for the site! ‘I did ask if I could be in it but alas I didn’t have the moves!’ Matt Strange, General Manager
Congratulations We’d like to say a huge congratulations & thank you to our amazing BGL team members who are celebrating 5+ years with us this January 2022. It wouldn’t be the same without you. Heather Pickerill, Support Office, 27 years Phillip Bromage, Thornbury GC, 17 years Ryan Stonehouse, Hoebridge GC, 17 years Brian Hadland, Birchwood Park, 15 years
John Aird, Burhill GC, 14 years Katherine Cloughton, Abbey Hill GC, 9 years Jonathan Gray, Hoebridge GC, 5 years Katarzyna Anna Skrobot, Burhill GC, 5 years Victoria Hadland, Birchwood Park, 5 years