News

Jake Phillips

Meet Jake: the ambitious apprentice at Edward Street Quarter

Jake Philips, 19, is in the third month of a Civil Engineering NVQ, working at the Edward Street Quarter site in Brighton with O’Keefe Construction.

Born and bred

Monthly News in Hollingdean, Jake is already planning a career as a civil engineer despite starting with little knowledge of the profession.

Jake said: “I didn’t know about anything to do with civil engineering when I started but I now have a good understanding and I absolutely love the people here. I’m the youngest and they look after me, although I’m expecting some banter today about getting my photo taken!

“I was good at maths and English at school and I think I’m pretty smart so, although I didn’t know anything about the subject, I thought I’d give it a go. The first month was tough, there was a lot to take in and learn and I was struggling, but I bought a notebook, wrote everything down and it started to sink in. Now I’m in month three and I’m really enjoying it.

“I want to take this as far as I can – into management one day. O’Keefe say they’ll look to take me on when I’m qualified and that’s what I’m aiming for.”

When asked about living in Brighton, Jake has only good things to say: “I’m a big fan of Brighton and Hove Albion and love the new stadium. It’s a good community around here – everyone knows each other. When I’m not on site I’m down the beach with my mates, playing football, out for a meal or a night out or taking a drive to find somewhere new in Sussex.”

The Edward Street Quarter development will bring 110,000 sq ft of Grade A office space to Brighton, as well as 168 new flats. Jake is looking forward to it, saying: “When I started in June the development was still at ground level - it’s been great to see it go up so fast – I can almost see my house from the top now! There are parts of Brighton struggling with unemployment and the new offices will create new jobs - anything that can help with that is a good thing. The fact that it’s right next door to the job centre should help too.”

Steve Eccles, Project Director at First Base said: “I’m delighted to hear that Jake is enjoying his apprenticeship. We’ve been working with our contractors McLaren and O’Keefe to bring more trainees and apprenticeships to site – we’ll use Jake’s experience as an example to encourage more trainees to work with us.”

For more information, please visit edwardstreetquarter.com.

Emma Marsland promoted to Associate at Plummer Parsons…

The Partners of leading Sussex Chartered Accountants, Plummer Parsons, are pleased and proud to announce the promotion of Emma Marsland to Associate with immediate effect.

“Emma has

Monthly been a key

News part of our success for many years. Loyal and hardworking, she has recently become a key part of the senior management team, sharing our vision for the future of the firm”, says Partner, Steve Griffen.

“This promotion is very much deserved. It’s an important career milestone, and we recognise the commitment and high performance that she has made during her career with us.”

Having joined the firm in 2003, Emma qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2008, becoming a fellow member in 2018.

“Having been at Plummer Parsons for over 17 years, I am absolutely delighted to continue advancing my career at the firm as an Associate, and want to thank colleagues past and present that have helped me along the way,” says Emma.

“As a working Mum, I consider myself lucky to work at a firm that have supported me not only through my career development but in my personal life also. They recognise the importance of a crucial balance

Congratulations

Emma Marsland Associate

www.plummer-parsons.co.uk

between the two. I am looking forward to developing my new role and seeing where the next 17 years will take us.”

Based at the Hailsham office, Emma takes care of a portfolio of clients, providing a full range of support which ranges from supporting personal and corporate clients with annual accounts and tax compliance to regular monthly management accounts with business advice and support.

“Internal promotions are just one part of our drive to ensure we offer the best career development opportunities possible for our employees. It’s a key component in maintaining a highlyskilled team that can address the full range of challenges experienced by clients”, concludes Steve Griffen. With over 70 staff across offices in Eastbourne, Hailsham and Brighton, Plummer Parsons Chartered Accountants provide tax planning and compliance services to individuals, businesses and charities across the UK, as well as providing the essential auditing, planning and management support that allows businesses to set, monitor and achieve their goals.

Contact:

Emma Marsland, Associate 01323 846622 Hailsham@p-p.uk

www.plummer-parsons.co.uk

Fireco celebrates one millionth sale of innovative product Dorgard

Monthly News

Door retainer which closes when it hears a fire alarm also helps with germ control.

Innovative business Fireco is celebrating selling its one millionth Dorgard – a product which holds doors open and then automatically closes when it hears a fire alarm – following 25 years of success and recent increased sales due to the pandemic.

The door retainer was designed to replace door wedges, which keep doors open but fail to protect the premises or people inside in case of fire.

Now the invention has found even greater popularity as businesses look to find safe ways to keep doors open so that staff no longer need to touch doorknobs or handles, spreading germs in the process.

Fireco Founder, Neil Purssey originally dreamt up Dorgard 25 years ago after watching a ‘dancing daisy’, which would dance when there was a sound near it. This got him thinking - what other items would be useful if they were sound activated?

Since then Fireco has designed and released another eight products in its range, with more to come, and what was once a small business born in Brighton has expanded to sell its products worldwide.

Chief Executive Officer Michelle Bussey said: “The last 6 months have been challenging for businesses across the country, so we feel extremely grateful that we have something so positive to celebrate. We are proud to say we have supplied our millionth Dorgard unit.

Over the last 25 years, Fireco has worked tirelessly on the development and manufacture of innovative products that help keep premises fire safe and help save lives. When COVID-19 hit our business we reacted quickly and recognized the huge importance of Dorgard not only as a fire safety product but as a product that can assist with a premises germ control strategy.

Since then we have shifted our focus on how we can help and have been pleased to have donated products and services to those in most need. Our team has relished the challenge and we have been privileged in supporting the NHS and other organisations in their fight against COVID-19.

Manufacturing in our new premises in Sussex, we are proud to continue investing in Engineering and Manufacturing in the UK and the local area, together with being an active exporter into Europe and the rest of the world.”

Now the company has taken its offering a step further by, in the space of just three months, designing and launching Germgard, a smart sanitising system.

Germgard uses digital signage to alert users to sanitise their hands before gaining entry. This system can be used stand-alone or can be integrated with access control, automatic doors and electronic door locks, making the use of hand sanitiser a requirement before access is allowed.

To find out more about Fireco and their product range, visit www.fireco.uk