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ments, articles, opinions and ideas because without you, ITK doesn't work. I am pleased to publish our This is your magazine and it is 1st edition of Grosvenor in the only magazine communicatthe Know for 2014—I cant ed to every staff member in the believe we are into the secbusiness across Ireland, the UK ond quarter of 2014 already!! and USA. So if you want to be heard, say it here! This year promises to be a big year for the company, I would like to thank those who and for me too! Those wedcontinue to send in some really brilliant pieces ding bells are getting louder by the day!!… each quarter and as always, ITK is open to Don’t worry IKT will have the inside scoop your suggestions and feedback so please conhot off the press as it happens!! tinue to keep me on my toes and send your You will have noticed that there are so many thoughts to more ways to communicate our good news mlambert@grosvenor.ie. in Grosvenor these days, starting with ITK Slán go foil, and now into its 3rd year, I ask you to continue to send in your good news, achieveMarianne x Dear Readers,
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Hi All, I would like to take this opportunity to update you on some major developments within Grosvenor. We have recently acquired Charter security ltd. This acquisition is part of our strategy to develop a significant presence in the city of London offering a range of facility services. This acquisition will assist Grosvenor services to strengthen our position in the market. Charter is one of the most respected security providers in the city of London operating for over 34 years and we welcome them into our group. This development into multi services is further strengthened with our formation of the business unit structure which is commencing from the financial year April 2014.This is happening in conjunction with the rebranding of the business which will be launched later this year. These very positive developments will help create a strong management structure offering multi facility service solutions to our clients. This will also create a cohesive platform for all of us working towards our common goals and strategic objectives. I would like to congratulate all the staff in IKEA Belfast winning the store of the year award a great achievement. I would also like to congratulate everyone involved in the process and the extremely high standards achieved. I look forward to visiting the stores and meeting with the winners over the coming months. Finally, 2014 will be an important year in our journey. I call on everyone to help contribute to achieving our goals and Grosvenor Services becoming an international leader in facility services. Bernard McCauley Group Managing Director
Hello everyone,
“customers go where they are invited and stay where they are looked after”
There is a lot of change and new things happening in Grosvenor over the last few months. If you have been keeping in touch with news on the HUB, you will see that Grosvenor has acquired Charter Security in London which marks an exciting new phase in our own company’s history. Work is going ahead on our new brand image, which will reflect the central role of our people in the evolving development of Grosvenor. We are changing to meet our customers’ needs, to ensure we can deliver new services and offer them the choices they expect. We learn many things when we listen to our own existing loyal customers, who value the service we deliver. . In today’s competitive world, “customers go where they are invited and stay where they are looked after.” It is easy sometimes to forget what a privilege it is to have customers like Primark, Debenhams, M&S, NUI Galway, DSP, NIKE, NSG, Honeywell and IKEA, to name but a few. I travelled to Manchester recently and met the team at IKEA Manchester. They were Team of the Year winners in the UK. The standards really are outstanding, which is a credit to this amazing Grosvenor team. The client said that he has “total peace of mind” as he never has to worry about the standards in the store. He pointed to a banner with one of IKEA’s slogans: togetherness and teamwork. On my way back home that evening, I reflected on what happens when we tune into the customer, when we find solutions where others see problems, when our people create that unique bond with the customer and where nothing seems like too much trouble. The team I met in Manchester reflect the very best of our Grosvenor values. And I know that there are many teams around the company who share the same passion for service and high standards, who give peace of mind to our customers. I would like to thank all of our people who are the face of our company. You represent “Grosvenor” to our customers. When you are helpful and consistent, when you ensure that the customer does not have to worry if there is an unexpected VIP visit, when you find a practical solution and say YES (even if you wonder how you can fix the problem!), when you work as a team, when you look fresh and smart in uniform, then you are making a real difference! When we look after the customer, they look after our future! Mary Horgan Operations Director (UK /Ireland)
The ICCA awards are a great opportunity for us all to acknowledge our staff who do great work on the ground, and to provide them with the opportunities to win the coveted accolade of being the winner in their respective categories. Furthermore, the awards provide us, the member companies of the Irish Contract Cleaning Association, an opportunity to showcase our client sites and put our clients on show – which should have mutual benefits for clients and member companies. If you have a site you would like to be considered as a finalist please email me the Site name (Building name if applicable) and your reasons for putting this site forward by the extended deadline of COB on Friday 4th April. If you would like to be part of the Grosvenor ICCA awards team, please make a note of this in your mail. Upon receipt of your suggested entries I will then select a team based on region and I will notify you of the shortlist and awards team members in due course.
, I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who assisted in the much needed redevelopment of the Head Office in Sandyford. After many numerous long nights and weekends, I truly believe it has all paid off. I know it wasn't easy at times and often hard to work in but your patience, assistance and co operation throughout the build means that we now have a lovely new office, that is fit for purpose, makes logistical sense and allows for future growth. Thank you also to those who assisted with the Magna Park rebuild which is now home to excellent workshop facilities as well as a centre of excellence training centre which we can be proud of. Your hard work and commitment is very much appreciated!
The new ‘Mezz area’ home to accounts
View of the new HR and Sales office from ‘the bridge’
The new Ops Room
<<PRESS RELEASE>>
Grosvenor Services Expands Security Portfolio With Acquisition of Charter Security Ltd. Grosvenor Corporate Security, a division of Grosvenor Services is delighted to announce the acquisition of Charter Security Limited. This is a key part of Grosvenor Services’ strategy to concentrate on building a significant presence in the City of London across its range of services. This strategic union of two family owned and run businesses will continue to foster their shared values and further support their positions in the market. Ben McCauley, Managing Director of Grosvenor Services is looking forward to welcoming Charter Security, one of the most respected security providers in London and its staff and clients to the Grosvenor Services Group. For over 55 years Grosvenor Services has been a successful family owned and run business and it was important to the McCauley family that any business to join the group reflected the same ethos, Charter’s proud family ties and strong client relationships made it the perfect fit; “Charter Security and Grosvenor Services have shared principles and this was important to us. We recognised that Charter joining our group would strengthen our offering to clients and be a major step to growing in the London market without diluting what makes Grosvenor and Charter so strong – our family values.” Sweetwater under construction Claire Lambert, Managing Director of Charter Security Ltd said, “Grosvenor was strategically selected for our growth in all related services, their similar core values and ethos for this acquisition. We are extremely pleased that we can continue to provide our core security services together with Grosvenor. We are passionate about our people and the services we provide, and I am totally committed to this new journey.” Richard Fenton-Jones, Security Director at Grosvenor Services, brings over 15 years of experience in the security industry and will lead Grosvenor’s expansion in London. As a former Managing Director of both OCS Security and G4S Monitoring & Response Richard has a proven track record of success and is eager to expand Grosvenor’s footprint in the City of London and build on Charter’s strengths in the market. Ends. Charter Security Ltd is a long established Manned Guarding and Technical Security Services Company with a 24 Hour Control Room Centre providing despatch and out of hours related services across London and the South-East. Based in Canary Wharf, the company employs over 200 people. Charter’s prestigious and high-profile construction projects have included the Cutty Sark, the Aquatics Centre for the Olympics, and the regeneration of Blackfriars station. In addition the company works with clients drawn from Local Authorities, Retail, and Corporate sectors. For more information please visit http://www.charter-security.co.uk
Alex's Soikans' band Kodakid released the lead single "Outta Sight" from their debut album on Friday 28th February. Review from The Sound Out. com; " With a great degree of swagger blended with soulful “ vocals and heavy guitar, the hook-laden new single from Kodakid 'Outta Sight' is an immense rock anthem that shows a band who have become intent on pushing their sound forward. It appears to draw influence from the British guitar revival of '90s Britpop and fuses it effortlessly with hints of more modern rock outfits like The Black Keys, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and the more bluesy output of the White Stripes in their pomp. From the filtered acoustic intro, to the mighty vocals of Kevin Power, to the blues/rock guitar of Alex Soikans, to the funky, relentless rhythm section of John Duignan and Tony Browne, this is a compelling teaser from their forthcoming debut album. 2014 may be the year Kodakid take over the Irish music scene." The track Outta Sight is available at the following downloads: iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/outta-sight-single/id825609079 amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Outta-Sight-Kodakid/dp/B00IPK9ASU google play: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=kodakid check out the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEA8-Rpy77g For more info on the band go to www.kodakid.com
Who better to notice the latest fashion finds, styles and bargains than those that see them come in the door every day! So we bring to you ’Cool fashion finds’. All you need to do is send us a quick pic of any items of fashion from clothing, to accessories or household items from any of our valued clients and partners along with the price and retailer name and we will feature it in our newsletter! This exciting new initiative that was suggested to us by our very own Linda Barrett.—Thanks Linda!
To be in with a chance of winning €50 / £50 voucher simply complete the above ArrowWord crossword and all correct entries will be entered into a draw to win a voucher worth 50 euro / pounds. Please send all completed entries FAO Marianne Lambert, 64C Heather Road, Sandyford Ind Est, Dublin 18 or email mlambert@grosvenor.ie ********Applicable to Ireland / UK entrants only—Apologies ********
Following very positive results from a recent survey rolled out across Ireland. We are pleased to announce the introduction of the Grosvenor Social Committee. While we hope to have all of the finer details ironed out in our next edition (June 2014) plans for the Grosvenor Social Committee are well under way. The Grosvenor Social Committee will be the centre point of social festivities in Grosvenor (Ireland) responsible for organising all social events, to include nights out, day time events, fundraisers and any social activities. Members will take turns organising events throughout the year on a bi-monthly basis. Subs will be paid on a monthly basis by the members and a corporate budget for corporate events (i.e. Christmas party) will be subsidised by the company. The board, President and VP of the SC will be democratically elected by the committee members and introduced in our June edition of ITK. Non committee members will be welcome to join us for social events but a one-off sub will be required by them for each event. If you are interested in joining the GSC, or joining the board, please email mlambert@grosvenor.ie
You may not be aware that Nick Snowdon has a hidden talent as a professional actor with a specialism for Shakespeare and the classics – with a number of runs at Stratford under his belt. His favourite role was that of Ralph Nickleby in the Dickens classic “Nicholas Nickleby”. The sevenhour two-parter culminated in Nick performing his own stunt, as Ralph hangs himself, swinging from a noose 30 foot above the audience! Nick accepted the opportunity to tread the boards for the first time in five years, when offered the role of Aladdin’s villain in pantomime in Birmingham this January. “The role was fantastic and written for me by a brilliant Director I’ve worked with before, so I just couldn’t resist. Especially as it gave my six year old daughter her first chance to see Daddy on stage. I also persuaded the Director to audition my 11 year old stepson for a role in a comedy double-act as policeman Yu Dun Pong. He got the part and stole the show. As a result, he’s been signed up by the country’s leading child-actor agency and is busy auditioning for major retail tv advertising campaigns and even movies! So watch this space……” “It was a great experience and the show really was fantastic, with great singing and dancing. The critics unanimously loved it and nobody gave it less than 4 stars. I’d like to thank Grosvenor for giving me the flexibility I needed to be in town for the run including a few mid-week matinees. Nick continues to use these transferrable skills in his work, to the benefit of all of us. “Doing multi-million tender presentations isn’t as nerve-wracking as performing Shakespeare at Stratford. It’s just like going on stage again.” What the critics said……… “Nick Snowdon’s portrayal of the villain was truly evil – and the children loved to hate him!” Ernie Almond, BBC “Nick Snowdon a brilliantly evil Abanazar plotting to a Shakespearean perfection”– Richard Aucott “Nick Snowdon on his own little booze cruise as the evil Abanazar……….” “The evil Abanazar or was it Avabanana, played by Nick Snowdon growled and sneered through the show collecting his boos along the way.” – behindthearras
Congratulations and well done to the team in IKEA Belfast who managed to bring the Team of the Year award 2014 back to Ireland. As is the case every year, the competition was extremely tough. All 9 sites in the final judging scored over 90% (following a difficult audit from Mike Sharman) but IKEA Belfast emerged triumphant overall with IKEA Manchester coming in a close second. This is the first time a non-Primark and non UK Mainland site has won the award Operations Manager Iain Jeffrey: “When I first took over IKEA BELFAST it was evident when I first met Greg and the team that there was a significant degree of apprehension taking over from GS Associates. It was clear to see that much time and effort would be required to bring the store standards, moral, and belief, up to the high standards that we all expect and thrive on at Grosvenor. Throughout the months I developed a very strong and trusting relationship with Greg, his Supervisors, and IKEA, and these strong relationships undoubtedly contributed towards us winning store of the year 2014. Greg and his team invested in Grosvenor's vision for the future and without all their hard effort and support, we would not be in the position we are in now. I would like to personally thank them all for their support and commitment and their belief in what we at Grosvenor thrive on…. EXCELLENCE!”
Carlos Lages GM, UK: “A fantastic achievement and a massive well done to all from UK. I am really happy not only for seeing our colleagues from Ireland winning this year, but above all, to notice how close are all the nominees. Which for the business means we have consistency across the business. Philip well done to you and the winners of this year, Iain Jeffray and his team. Fantastic results well done to all nominees and to Ikea Manchester local Team and Ikea estate area Manager and Operations Manager. In a summary, well done to all!!”
!! We would like to wish our colleague Linda Davies a speedy recovery after being involved in a serious road traffic collision on 9th January. Linda has suffered a serious head injury after a crash whilst on her motorbike with another vehicle.
!! Congratulations to Stephen Lowry & Dawn on the birth of baby Eva born 16/1/2014 weighing 6lb 9oz's. We would also wish the best of luck and bid farewell to Stephen who will be leaving Grosvenor on 28th March for pastures new! We will miss you!
!! We would like to say a sad farewell to Ashley Weatherilt who left us on the 31-1-14 to pursue a career in youth work.
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Ashley worked at Ikea Manchester for 5 and a half years.
Congratulations Abi and welcome to the world, Evie May Payne!
He will be greatly missed as he always turned up for work and was always willing to help out where needed. All the team here would like to wish you well for the future!
!! We would like to wish Dave McArdle (husband of Lisa McArdle) all the best for a speedy recovery.
!! Welcome to the world, Isabella Grace, daughter of Karen Hibbert of Ikea Manchester weighing in at a bonny 6lb 2oz
Congratulations to Carlos Lages (GM UK) and his lovely daughter Elyana who managed to raise an impressive ÂŁ1286.50 for Sports relief. Elyana ran 2 miles and Carlos ran 6 miles for this vey worthy cause.
Join us for a fundraiser coffee morning (in the canteen) on Friday 28th March at 12pm. We are hosting this fundraiser coffee morning to support Veronica Horgan who will be travelling to Nepal (as part of the elective physiotherapy placement programme in University College Dublin). Veronica is actually Mary Hogan's niece and she has elected to spend five weeks in Nepal, starting May 20th 2014. Many of the health services in Nepal lack proper resources and sufficient qualified staff to meet the demands of the population. Veronica will be working in a number of different physiotherapy volunteering placement sites in Nepal. These will include rehabilitation centres for disabled children or adults who have been involved in accidents and in larger hospitals treating inpatients with conditions such as TB, polio, post-burn contractures and cerebral palsy. She will also be involved in the rehabilitation of stroke victims and working with adults and children with physical disabilities. Her placement in these understaffed institutions offers much needed services to Nepali children and adults which will greatly improve their quality of life. As this experience is unpaid, Veronica will need to cover all costs for her trip. While Veronica plans to contribute a significant portion of her own funds toward this, she really needs our help to contribute towards a very worthy cause. If you are unable to join us on Friday next (28th), you can of course visit Veronicas fundraising page and donate online http://www.myprojectsabroad.org/fundraising/4g9gNm Thanks in advance for your generosity!
Congratulations and Well Done !! to all of our Extra Mile Award Winners, Thank you for your hard efforts and keep up the good work. Ireland Ops / Admin UK Ops / Admin UK Cleaning Op 1 UK Cleaning Op 2
Dec Laura Ludwig (HR) Leckie Manville (Skegness) Hondi Bilaugi from Nike Town London Sandra Cooper - Debenhams Nuneaton
Ireland Ops / Admin UK Ops / Admin Ireland Site Manager UK Cleaning Op
January Tina Kelly (Payroll Ireland) Iain Jeffray (Ops Manager N.Ire) Ann Flaherty (NUI Galway) Lorraine Cain (Primark Rotherham)
Ireland Ops / Admin UK Ops / Admin
February Conor Heavey (HR Ireland) Leckie Manville & Karl Wickens (Skegness and UK Ops)
Ireland Cleaning Team UK Cleaning Op
Ioan Vespasian Zima, Alexedra Cibelia Zima, Valentin Cretu, Vasile Samu Lynn Mc Leod (Site Manager NSG Kings Norton)
Well done to all who were nominated and thank you for your hard work -Remember there's always next month! From March we will be informing you of why people won the Extra Mile Award each month to acknowledge not only the people but the super work they are doing on a daily basis. Further to this we ask you to put forward your nominations with particular consideration given to our company Values: Pursuit of excellence, Reliability, Openness, Accountability, Commitment, Team Work
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of our new colleagues to Grosvenor. Caroline Coxon (Maternity Cover) For Abi in Skegness
Clare Swan Reception, Sandyford.
Joe Walsh Sales Director, PAGE 13 Sandyford.
Salim Amar Area Manager, IKEA UK.
< Neil Archibald BDM, Grosvenor Facility Services.
Meet Kathy Andino-Rodriguez, Kathy is our Payroll and HR Assistant and also the Account Manager for Orange County Court House in Orlando, FL. On Saturday, December 14, 2013 Kathy took her team to Universal Studios Orlando and Island of Adventure theme park for a day of fun and team building.
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Kathy Andino-Rodriguez (Account Manager) Carolyn Cruz (Night Supervisor) Ibis Salvador (Night Supervisor) Juan Fernandez (Night Supervisor / Floortech) Jessica Perez (Day Supervisor) Sascha Narvaez (Juvenile Justice Center Day / Night Supervisor)
IKEA You may recall, last month we featured some images of the team from Florida who travelled to the UK to share best practise procedures, knowledge and experiences working with IKEA. Here Andy Allen, IKEA Account Manager, captures the visit: USA Visit to the IKEA Estate in the UK 9th – 14th December 2013 It was with great pleasure and pride we were invited to host our counterparts in the United States of America over the period 9th to 14th December 2013. The aim, in essence, was to share all our knowledge that we had managed to gain as a team, over many years, working with IKEA, in the United Kingdom. Lots of hard work, many hours on the laptop putting together a programme of events that we felt would best suit the needs of our USA colleagues and allow them to return to Florida having felt they had all the tools they needed to operate successfully in the IKEAs in Orlando, Fort Lauderdale in January and in May, Miami. Our four colleagues, (co-workers from now on), Gabriel McAuley, Tony Santana, Maria Yanton and Zoraida Sui arrived from Florida via Dublin, welcomed by the Area Manager (North) Graham Warren, at Manchester airport and transported to their hotel for the day. Day One started with an extensive walk round IKEA Manchester with both the Area Manager, the Operations Manager and the Commercial Manager aided and abetted by Lorraine Warren, after all, IKEA Manchester is her pride and joy. Very clean too, I might add. This was followed up with an excellent brief by George Parish from HSEQ and then by our representative from Ecolab and a questions and answers session with all the hosts for the day before completion of their days work with brunch in the IKEA staff canteen. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Somona and Gary Schofield at IKEA for allowing us to carry out the day’s activities on their premises, thank you! I suspect, at this stage the visitors were looking for some shut eye, no doubt suffering with a little jet lag from the previous days travel so a change in driver, on their journey down to Costa Del Walsall, a better ride by all accounts, Andy v Graham Warren!, A short stop off at the motorway services to buy a UK spec phone charger for Zoraida, I think that’s the pronunciation, if not I am sorry, and we were there. Of course it is winter so no Costa but no less cold than Manchester. The next day was spent in the office in Coleshill, some 15 miles from Walsall and a less demanding but nevertheless, intensive time communicating as much information to our visitors as possible. We discussed subjects that we hope would eliminate or reduce our risk on the IKEA Florida contracts and we endeavoured to give as much good, real time, factual information as we possibly could do without overloading sore and tired brains. A detailed analysis relating to all things IKEA including schedules, worked and unworked variance in hours, client relationships and how important the building of them would be, clean-Telligent auditing, IWAY, the importance of a structure, how we clean, when and by whom, passing on what has worked for us in the UK and what has not worked so well, always trying to emphasise that it is all work in progress and what may work in the UK may well not do so in the USA. Lots of little tips and good practice making what I hope was a very worthwhile day in the office. I would like also to thank Mark and Rob for their very quickly prepared speeches on the day. Wednesday would be spent putting into practice what had been seen and learnt at IKEA Manchester. Cleaning, using our available machinery, our safe systems of working and our equipment. I feel from talking to our visitors that the early start and the hands on approach worked extremely well from feedback received later and I am sure the visitors were pleased with the support and advice they received from Michelle Bamber and her team at IKEA Birmingham.
IKEA This was then followed in the afternoon with briefings by Mike Sharman, always enthusiastic and dynamic in his presentations, great interaction and I hope his mobilisation presentations went a long way in determining what needed to be done by whom, when and why to ensure we are fully up to speed at the various important points during the mobilisation phase of the operation. To all who helped on the day, Graham and Sharon passing their ideas and IKEA knowledge, Mike, Michelle and her team, a big thank you. Once again, many thanks to IKEA for allowing us to use their excellent facilities. (Marsha and Dawn), we also managed to complete the monthly audit, the score reflecting “creative thinking” from the Area Managers. After the day’s events it was back to Walsall for food and shut eye, or so we thought. Now Maria, I said I would get you back for your comment about leaving me down some dusty Florida road. In England, we tend to put one foot in front of the other, better known as walking. This seemed to be a little alien to Maria. Whilst shopping in the evening she decided she knew better and rather than, like most humans, stepping up a kerb, she decided she would head butt one and we all know Walsall, the kerbs normally win when they come into contact with a human head. Impact tends to leave soreness, especially if it’s your forehead… I am sure you get the story, next visit A and E. Accident and Emergency Walsall General Hospital, alongside a drunken, bloodied female attached to two burly police officers from the local constabulary, I never knew a “brummie” accent had so many “F” words in it. Welcome to NHS UK. Two and a half hours later, having been treated and given the all clear, Maria decided she wanted to take a look around an NHS hospital, complete with Florence Nightingale statue, take a few pictures before heading back to the hotel complete with severe bruising to the forehead and a small gash above the eye. Didn’t stop her having the centre of attention at breakfast though, given us the low down on who runs the council services in New York, shush – it’s the Mafioso. From being so quiet all week, she is now telling us all sorts of secrets, perhaps Maria will one day enlighten us as to what she said to her boss at the time? Bright and early next day, up, to meet Carlos, our UK General Manager, in the office in Coleshill, (complete with large forehead lady, Maria), Tony, Ze and Gabriel. Carlos, as always, a mind of information, passing on all he could to enable a smooth operation in Florida. He gave a very detailed brief on project management and how, in his experience, a contract like this should be mobilised, managed and operated. I am sure his knowledge of the subject and his experience in the past will prove to be valuable going forward into January’s mobilisation and then May, in Miami. All points highlighted by Carlos, valuable and good practice, we hope, by then, had been taken on board by all present, including our own UK team. Next day, Friday, was on the move day again, with the Operations Manager providing the travellers with an insight into the weather on the M6 motorway, lots of rain, mad drivers, heavy braking (it was deliberate to keep you awake) before arriving at Manchester Terminal One, Bentley Hotel. It was at this point, after coffee, that we said our goodbyes. I, we, all here in the UK hoped for a safe journey home for our guests. A great week was had, a lot of information passed on, lots of laughs, lots of sleeping but above all, it was a pleasure for us in the UK to host you guys, not one ounce of bother. We hope the long days, cold weather, (Ze loved it) and “sore head” remind you of “Blighty and IKEA”, you have a successful mobilisation and we all hope to hear in late January or February, the visit was worthwhile, the points put into practice and vital, the contracts are running smooth. Working Together UK Operations, HSEQ and Commercial Management Team
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PISCES The month starts with drama when your feud with the local kebab house, which you felt had given you severe wind and burping problems, comes to a dramatic end when your stomach settles out of court. You then find yourself spending some time with Elasto, a depressed contortionist friend of yours, who recently tried to bend it all. The month ends in disaster when you manage your cement mixer into a passing prison van, leaving police searching for a number of hardened criminals. Lucky Felt Tip Pen Colour – Black Lucky Golf Hole – 9th ARIES The coming month starts with an impulse visit to a nudist convention in town as you decide to go if you have nothing on. You then find yourself in trouble with your bank manager when questioning him over plans to introduce new plastic banknotes which can be cleaned in a washing machine. He does not seem impressed with your concerns that this will increase money laundering. The month ends in controversy when you lose in the Drug Dealer of the Year competition and storm out claiming it was just a big fix. Lucky Word count – 237 Lucky Mountain – Mount Etna GEMINI The month starts with a visit to your financial advisor in which she tells you that if you want to set up a company and run it then that’s your business. You then find yourself on an aeroplane with a close friend who has a fear of flying. In flight, he says to you “wouldn’t it be awful if we fell out?” but you assure him “don’t worry we have been pals for years”. The month ends with trouble in the local pub quiz when you answer the question “With what do you connect the name BadenPowell?” with the answer “A hyphen”. Lucky Sweet – Sherbet Lemon Lucky Railway Platform - 3 CAPRICORN The month starts in a sad yet comedic way when you leave your house and notice someone stealing your car. You don’t manage to catch the person but do manage to make a note of the number plate. Further criminal comedy follows when you are shopping in Primark when someone hijacks the escalator and demands to be taken to Marks & Spencer. You also become convinced this month that your dad, a petty criminal, must be a member of the police orchestra because the police keep coming to your house asking where he had hidden the lute. Lucky Pet – Stick Insect Lucky Password - SESAME LIBRA You are excited at the prospect of trying something new this month and go along to a seafood themed disco but end up pulling a mussel. You then go to see your doctor as you cannot stop singing “The Green Green Grass of Home”. The doctor diagnoses Tom Jones syndrome and tells you that It’s Not Unusual. The month ends on a technological note. Having had some problems with your iPod recently, you decide to change its name to Titanic and find that it’s syncing now. Lucky Vegetable – Potato Lucky Raffle Ticket Number - 459 SAGITTARIUS You find yourself falling out with a work colleague this month who asks you to describe the difference between ignorance and apathy and you reply “I don’t know and I don’t care”. Your obsession with your toaster, which you take everywhere, reaches worrying levels this month when you find that your toaster is not waterproof and are completely shocked. The month ends with trouble in the supermarket when your young child is found to have written “Knees & Toes” on lots of bottles of “Head & Shoulders”. Lucky Fruit Machine Symbol – Bell Lucky Street – Downing Street
SCORPIO A shock start to the month sees you or a friend being assaulted and mugged at Legoland. However, the Police soon put the pieces together and build a case. You then find yourself getting angry at the number of people coming to your door trying to sell things. You take out your anger on a man carrying a drum who comes to your door by telling him to beat it. The month ends with you publishing some work in which you claim that no two people see colour in exactly the same way meaning that colour is a pigment of your imagination. Lucky Body Part – Knees Lucky Family Member - Grandmother VIRGO A road accident starts the month in dramatic fashion when a lorry carrying tortoises collides with a van carrying terrapins and causes turtle disaster. You make yourself into a laughing stock with your friends this month when your penny-pinching ways see you trying to make your own smartphone by attaching a mini dinner suit to your ten-year-old Nokia. You then end the month meeting somebody at work called William Hill and think to yourself “what are the odds?” Lucky Reindeer Name – Comet Lucky Electrical Item – Electric Blanket LEO You get increasingly frustrated at your partner’s obsession with Posh Spice this month when you work out the amount of money you are spending each week on saffron. The month then goes downhill as you get fired from your job at Lastminute.com for continually turning up late. A business opportunity presents itself before the month ends when you are offered the chance to buy shares in Mount Everest for £1 million. After giving it some thought, you decide that it is just too steep. Lucky University Subject – Media Studies Lucky Music Group – The Bee Gees AQUARIUS A misunderstanding in the bedroom is predicted this month when your wife asks you to make her scream and you poke her in the eye. A battle with your local zoo is also likely when you ask the bird keepers if birds really sing or do they actually just produce tiny screams because they are afraid of heights. The month ends with you being banned from your local supermarket when you misunderstand the checkout operator’s instruction “strip down facing me” which was referring to your credit card. Lucky Eye Colour – Blue Lucky Book – Wuthering Heights TAURUS Your first attempt at online shopping goes horribly wrong this month and results in you getting your credit card stuck in your computer’s floppy disk drive. A large book then falls on your head whilst you are sat at home but you decide that you only have your shelf to blame. You then take great joy at the end of the month when you manage to complete a jigsaw in five months when the box said 2 -4 years. Lucky Car Make – Volkswagen Lucky Pizza Topping – Fried Onions CANCER Your long running disputes with the farming community return this month when you ask your local farmer if he is planning to get more pigs onto his farm by building a sty-scraper. You then manage to offend the French on a trip to Paris by asking some locals if the reason they love to eat snails is because they hate fast food. A shocking end to the month is likely when you go to the airport to pick up your friend Jack and find yourself getting tazered by security when you see your friend and shout “Hi-Jack!” Lucky Shoe Size – 8 Lucky Country - Italy
We will no longer be printing payslips for distribution and all payslips will be emailed directly to the employee under the Payment of Wages Act 1991. Area Managers and Operations Managers have put in a great effort to collate employee email addresses but there is still a huge number outstanding. Ultimately it is up to you the management to enforce and support this. We have a record of all area management and the percentage of email addresses they have collated to date and we will be running 2 campaigns simultaneously to encourage managers and employees alike to submit their details as soon as possible. The first Area Manager to collate 100% of employee email addresses for their area will be awarded with a ÂŁ100 / â&#x201A;Ź100 shopping voucher and 1 lucky employee in the UK and Ireland will be drawn from the email database list to win an APPLE iPad Mini! Every Manager must enforce that every employee who has not yet submitted an email address across the country to send their Name, Employee Number, Email Address and Mobile number to the email addresses below: Please see supporting poster attached which is to be distributed and posted up on every site. (Please contact me directly if you wish for me to print out these posters for you). Any employees who have not submitted their email address will collect their payslip from their Area Manager on site as printed payslips will no longer be posted.
payslips@grosvenor.ie
ukpayslips@grosvenor.ie
A tasty chicken curry is usually forbidden territory if you’re watching your weight, but we’d hate you to miss out so we’ve come up with our healthy Red Thai chicken curry recipe. Add extra chilli if you like. As well as being low fat, this recipe is also low in saturated fat, sodium and sugar. Despite being this nutritious, this recipe is delicious and easy to prepare. Ingredients 12 oz. (360 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces or 1 lb (450 g) firm tofu, cubed 1 (450-ml) can light coconut milk 2 / 3 tbsp. Thai red curry paste, to taste 2 tbsp. sesame / cooking oil 1 cup vegetable stock, heated ¼ cup water 1-2 teaspoon corn flour (or as req) 1 tablespoons brown sugar 1 bulb of garlic 1 tbsp. (15 ml) lime juice 1 tbsp. Light Original soy sauce 6 oz. (165 g) fresh green beans or Sugar Snap or Mange tout 1 Red pepper / Red Capsicum 2 tbsp. (30 ml) Thai fish sauce 1/4 cup (60 ml) basil leaves, torn 4 sprigs fresh coriander / cilantro for garnish
Preparation method 1.
In a wok or large fry pan heat 1 tbsp. of oil on Med High heat. Add the chicken and fry until golden brown, remove from pan and set aside.
2.
Heat 1 tbsp. of Red Curry Paste and sauté for 1 minute. Place the heated stock into pan and bring heat down to low Simmer for 4-5 minutes. Now add the light coconut milk.
3.
Now add the chicken and veg and stir.
4.
Add lime juice, sugar, and fish sauce and allow to simmer for 3 minutes.
5.
Now you want to thicken it up more so in a cup add the cornflour with ¼ cup cold water, stir until dissolved. Pour into curry and stir until thickens.
6.
Serve with brown rice, garnish with coriander / cilantro. Please do continue to send us in your recipes and pictures of your version of our featured recipes.
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1. How long have you worked in the company? 5 Months 2. What did you want to be when you were little? A Postman! 3. If you could describe yourself in 2 words what words would you use? Practical & Calm (or so I am told)! 4. If you could be a fictional character who would you be? Baloo from the Jungle Book 5. Who would you get to play you in a movie about your life? Val Kilmer (we were born the same day!) 6. If you could be anywhere in the world right now where would you be? Cuba, my second home! www.grosvenorservices.com
Grosvenor Cleaning Services Dublin 64C Heather Road Sandyford Ind Estate Dublin 18 Ireland
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Birmingham UK -
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Skegness
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Lincs, PE25 2AG
Roman Way,
Phone: +44 1790 754 580
Birmingham B46 1HQ Phone: +44 121 366 0560
Phone: +353 1 2954866 Fax:
+353 1 2954301
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E-mail: ireland@grosvenor.ie
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Little Island, Cork
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Phone: +353 906 490 748
Phone: +353 21 435 5112
Dublin 24 Ireland Phone: +353 1 421 5082 UK StoresUnit 3, Hardwick Court, Alford, LN13 9JE Phone: +44 1507 466 388
Belfast Ground Floor, Unit 4, Building 9, Citylink Business Park, Belfast BT12 4HQ Phone: +353 906 490 748 If you have anything you would like to submit or anything you would like mentioned in the next edition of “Grosvenor in the Know”, please feel free to send it directly to Marianne Lambert via email (mlambert@grosvenor.ie), fax (+353 1 2958119), or via post to the Dublin address above.