Warblings 2012 Q3

RBLI NEWSLETTER

Supporting the Armed Forces Community

QUARTER 3 - 2012

Sawmill creates jobs Page 3

Armed Forces Week Page 4

Offering experience to students Page 10

Tea party for residents Page 17

Tackling youth unemployment Page 20

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QUARTER 3 - 2012

CONTENTS Page 3

RBLI News Update

Page 4

Sawmill Creates Jobs

Page 5

Armed Forces Week

Page 6

Royal Engineers’ Work

Page 7

Leatherhead News Bygone Days

Well what an incredibly busy few months of national celebration we’ve had since the last instalment of Warblings back in August.

Page 8

Enterprise Agreement Network Rail Review

Page 9

Equip Newsletter

Page 10

Experience For Students

At RBLI we have been very busy partnering with various organisations, improving our performances in our social enterprise factory and introducing new projects such as our ‘cutting edge’ beast of a machine, the sawmill (more on page 4).

Page 11

Stoll Update

Page 12

GAH Summer Fayre Golf Day

Page 13

HOKH Shop

Page 14

Employee Of The Year

Page 15

Special Recognition Award

As is evident within this issue, even during the distractions of the fantastic summer of sport and jubilee celebrations, we have been busier than ever…

Page 16

Palace Garden Party

Will Gowin - Editor

Page 17

Tea Party For Residents

Page 18

Getting To Know You

Page 19

RBLI Face Mash Up

Page 20

Tackling Youth Unemployment

2 RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter

We have also been developing relations with the Armed Forces Community, such as the Brompton Barracks Royal Engineers’ (see page 6) and have launched the brand new Equip newsletter, which details the latest workplace support available to people with disabilities or health condition (see page 9).

Keep your eyes peeled for the RBLI Duck hidden within this edition. If you spot him, within one of the photos, please email: marketing@rbli.co.uk with your name and the page number you found him on...

You could win a box of chocolates! The winner will be drawn on 22nd October.

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STEVE SHERRY’S R B L I N E W S U P D AT E

by Daniel Coomber Having enjoyed some spectacular coverage of the recent Olympics games, it is hard not to be overwhelmed by the dedication, commitment and ultimate achievements of the athletes who competed in the events. ‘Team GB’ did a great job. Not only did they deliver outstanding performance and record numbers of medals, but they also raised the profile of Great Britain as a major contender in the world of sport.

The aim to deliver something which would inspire future generations through sport has undoubtedly been achieved.

by Megan Trace And it didn’t end there. No sooner had the final chimes of the closing ceremony subsided than the excitement started all over again as everyone geared up for the Paralympic games. With record numbers of tickets being sold, it promised to deliver the same excitement and achievements all over again. We’ve been inspired by athletes who have overcome some significant challenges to achieve greatness in their

chosen sports. Many of these are men and women who have served in HM Forces and found themselves having to readjust to life following illness or injury.

We have been touched by their stories, amazed by their achievements and inspired by their courage and determination.

agreed to work together on this exciting project.

For RBLI our aim to deliver and grow services for those Armed Forces personnel who may find it more difficult to achieve that motivation and determination remains on track. As the numbers of beneficiaries that we support continue to grow, we were delighted to soft launch the SORTED initiative recently.

Over the coming months we will develop a comprehensive employment support model which will play a vital role in supporting those whose career in HM Forces may be unexpectedly cut short due to injury, illness, redundancy or those who may have left some time ago but found the transition from Armed Forces to civilian employment more challenging.

As part of the project we will link in the fully integrated services delivered by our dedicated teams providing Armed Forces personnel with access to the healthcare, welfare, assessment, training and employment they need to achieve independence and sustainable work.

SORTED will link up the services of seven established charities to ensure that those seeking work have easy access to a comprehensive range of services.

This will enable each of the charities to continue to deliver the quality services they were established to provide through a more joined up approach.

Individuals will benefit through the provision of whatever they may need to achieve sustainable employment. The Royal British Legion, Royal British Legion Industries, The Poppy Factory, RFEA, Officers’ Association, Poppy Scotland and Officers’ Association Scotland have

I am also delighted to report that the quality of the work done by everyone here has recently been recognised by the Charity Times, who have shortlisted RBLI to win one of the prestigious Charity Times Awards for 2012.

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RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter 3

QUARTER 3 - 2012

SAW M I L L C R E AT E S J O B S Forces, disabled and disadvantaged communities.’

‘Individuals that work within our

After many months of careful planning, the sawmill has finally arrived at RBLI. The sawmill supports our Pallet manufacturing operation and enables us to produce a wide range of sawn softwood timber.

We are delighted that the sawmill will provide 8 new workplace opportunities for beneficiaries whilst also helping to reduce our carbon footprint. The whole system is kept operational by our newly hired fitter, Damian Cannon who until 4 weeks ago was serving as L/Cpl (Lance Corporal) in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

David Jessop, RBLI’s Director of Operational Delivery explains, ‘the sawmill is all about investing in equipment to sustain our social enterprise activity and especially allows us to compete toe to toe in the commercial world. The sawmill is providing employment to many people who come to us for help, and this includes individuals with health conditions from the Armed 4 RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter

sawmill get a sense of self-esteem and a sense of purpose. There’s a reason why they work there, it helps deliver our commercial activities, it ensures that we can actually get our products out on time and it also provides essential revenue to RBLI.’ Tom Humphrey, the sawmill supervisor, ‘When I started working for RBLI, I started on pallet making and worked my way up, then I saw this opportunity to become the sawmill supervisor, so I thought I’d give it a shot.

‘After getting the job, my new role is supervising, this involves getting everyone working in position, make sure every aspect of the sawmill is running correctly, problem solving and generally helping the whole team out. I enjoy this role a lot, what I enjoy most is getting to work with people with disabilities. I like to get involved with them and help them out as much as I can.’

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‘Working here has changed my life really. I’ve got a family on the way so I’ve had to settle down, be sensible and do the best for them, which this opportunity has allowed me to do.’

Richard Lacey, Yard Manager, said ‘we’ve got a wide range of people with disabilities working on the sawmill who could find it hard in other industries to find a job or work placement. What the sawmill has actually given our beneficiaries is a challenge that they wouldn’t have got anywhere else because this is a unique opportunity for them.’

‘The benefits of the sawmill to RBLI is that we can actually produce our timber to make pallets, which means we can actually make cheaper pallets than our competitors so that we can compete in the market place.

This is the only sawmill in Kent at the present time, it’s a venture that RBLI has taken on and hopefully will go from strength to strength.’

ARMED FORCES WEEK ARMED FORCES COMMUNITY COVENANT SIGNING VIDEO CAMPAIGN

RBLI marked Armed Forces Day with a week-long celebration of its work with serving and ex-Service personnel. To support the event we released a video a day from our Armed Forces Community.

(L-R) Cllr Nicolas Heslop, Leader of TMBC, Cllr David Davies and Steve Sherry, signing the Covenant Agreement RBLI and Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (TMBC) have formalised plans to work together to support Armed Forces Communities with the signing of a Community Covenant.

The local Covenant recognises the moral obligation that the nation has to the Armed Forces and their families and the huge sacrifices individuals often make in serving their country. It exists to prevent the disadvantages that Armed Forces personnel can face, whilst acknowledging that in some cases this will require special consideration, particularly for those sick, injured or bereaved.

Steve Sherry said: “Making the transition back into civilian employment for many of our Armed Forces, especially those who may have been injured in combat, can be a daunting process. We are proud to sign a Covenant Agreement with TMBC to formalise our commitment to

work together for the benefit of those who have served in HM Forces.”

Nicolas Heslop said : “TMBC is a strong supporter of the work carried out by RBLI. This covenant commits us to help them further by promoting the good work that they undertake in supporting the local veteran community and to look for further opportunities to develop new services and projects to help those who have served their country and are now returning to civilian life.”

The group received a tour of the Royal British Legion Village and were given the opportunity to meet our former Armed Forces personnel working in Social Enterprise.

On Monday we released the first of our films focusing on housing and welfare services. Tuesday’s film tells the story of how RBLI provides training and work for ex-Service personnel through our social enterprise factories.

Wednesday saw the launch of a film about the RBLI LifeWorks course which provides the Armed Forces Community with the skills and confidence to help them secure work outside the military. Thursday’s film features interviews with staff and Veterans focusing on residential nursing and healthcare. Friday’s film culminated in the signing of the Armed Forces Covenant (more info left). Finally on Saturday, Armed Forces Day itself, our film sees RBLI employees and beneficiaries identifying the significance of Armed Forces Day. The videos received lots of views online and have been well publicised throughout the media.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this a successful campaign.

Scan here with your smartphone to view AFW videos

We are pleased to announce that RBLI were chosen by Cllr David Davies as one of the charities that he will support during the coming year.

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or visit http://bit.ly/NpCB2i RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter 5

QUARTER 3 - 2012

ROYAL ENGINEERS’ WORK “this project provided us with a real-life task that we saw from inception through to the finished product. The five of us had never undertaken or managed such a technically demanding construction project before and it was immensely satisfying to see such a worthwhile cause benefitting the local residents and RBLI’s village as a whole.”

RBLI has provided the ideal location for soldiers from 1 Royal School of Military Engineering, to complete the design and build phase of their Military Plant Foreman (MPF) training.

The MPF course consists of 88 weeks of intensive training where the students are equipped with the skills to reconnoitre, design, plan and co-ordinate all aspects of earthmoving and engineer construction plant for military and civil engineer works. The training covers a vast array of subjects ranging from; mathematics and engineering science to design and build project management. On successful completion of the course the students pass out as Military Plant Foreman and are awarded a foundation degree in highway engineering and plant management.

The culmination of the MPF training is for the students to design, plan and manage a technically demanding,

infrastructure engineering task, utilising the skills learned throughout the course.

The prioritised areas that benefited both parties were; the removal and reinstatement of approx 100m of bitumen bound asphalt pavement and adjacent footway at East Park Road. The construction of a modular block paved patio at the Capel Morris Centre, which itself is the venue for training courses to support Armed Forces personnel prepare for civilian employment. The final area was the replacement of approx 176m2 of concrete hard standing at RBLI’s Social Enterprise factory.

Sergeant James Collins, one of the five students, explains

6 RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter

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One of the MPF course instructors, WO2 (MPF) David Dixon noted “the end product of their work is constantly on display so they had to complete it to the highest of standards.

Due to the adverse weather, the students had to work extremely long hours to complete this project on time and it is a testament to them that they have achieved this.”

Geoff Humphreys of RBLI, is impressed with the standard of work, “The quality of work is outstanding and I would like to thank the Royal Engineer permanent staff members and the MPF students for all their help and dedication in making these projects come to life.

This work allowed the charity to save considerable funds and also means residents and staff have safer access routes. I look forward to the continued partnership between RBLI and the Royal Engineers, receiving ongoing continued support and as always their enthusiastic MPF students.”

L E AT H E R H E A D N E W S also confirmed their Christmas hamper orders for this year and we are currently quoting for the large annual Movember campaign. We ‘must-dash’ to fulfill these orders when they arrive as we expect at least double the volumes of last year!

Christmas has arrived early at Leatherhead! Our first yearly supply of toys has arrived from Santa’s grotto. We are all working like elves, busy wrapping and packing various parcels to be distributed via the reindeer powered sleigh mobile.

Partridges of London have

B YG O N E D AY S by the Ancient Mariner

In the last instalment of our history I left the story in 1870, where Henry Arthur Brassey, yet another railwayman, had inherited Preston Hall. It was during his occupation that the London, Chatham and Dover railway line was constructed from Otford to Maidstone, and Barming Station was built on the edge of the Brassey Estate.

Henry had an elaborate porch built over the entrance to Preston Hall and inside were hung three very fine tapestries.

One represented the marching

New customers, since our last article in Warblings, include Royal Star and Garter Homes - a military charity, for whom we have just completed our first printing and mailing job.

PHS Allclear, a new fulfillment customer, has us dispatching large quantities of plastic of the Jutes to the Battle of Aylesford; the central tapestry, the largest of the three, depicted the death of Horsa at the battle and the third showed the burning of Rochester Bridge.

Henry died in 1891 and is

Hengist and Horsa landing in Britain commemorated by a stained glass window in Aylesford Church. He was succeeded by his son, Henry Leonard

coloured sacks.

We have now won a large amount of the print work for Vines of Guildford, a BMW dealership. This includes flyers, large posters and banners for Guildford, Gatwick & Redhill branched.

We would like to welcome back Mark Taylor from a long period off following an operation on his leg, this is not the first time Mark has been legless, it’s good to have him back on board with us.

Campbell Brassey. While he was the Squire, Preston Hall was the social centre of the neighbourhood. Every summer, Sunday School treats were held in the Deer Park, children from Eccles, led by their band, walked to Aylesford Church, where they met the Aylesford children with the Aylesford band. Following a short service, they all walked the park, where they played games in the afternoon including a cricket matches.

In 1905, the Brasseys left Preston Hall, to live at Apethorpe Hall in Northamptonshire, for Mr and Mrs Sorber to become the next owners. …… to be continued.

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RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter 7

QUARTER 3 - 2012

NEW ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT NETWORK RAIL REVIEW

RBLI supply trackside rail signs throughout the UK. Having been at the heart of the rail industry for over 30 years, we are working closely with Network Rail in the development of new standards.

We are regularly consulted for technical advice by companies and have built up an extensive knowledge and understanding of RBLI’s Rob James, with Enterprise’s Kevan Jepps and Sam McWilliams specifications.

RBLI is a national provider of of the Enterprise business, routine and bespoke permanent nationally. We are delighted to signs for commercial applications, tell you, that following a visit public buildings, roads and in May to Aylesford by Kevan railways. From design to Jepps (Procurement Director) manufacture and installation, and Sam McWilliams (Category we offer a fully comprehensive Manager), we have secured a Rob James, Commercial Manager service for Public and Government supply agreement between for RBLI, has been working closely Sectors, Local Authorities, the the companies which lasts until with our customers to develop Highways Authorities and Airport December 2013. relationships. Rob explains, “In construction.

August, Sue Welch and I met We are obviously delighted with with Unipart Rail Logistics (URL), the supply agreement and hope the organisation that manages that it will add approximately the majority of Network Rail sign £500,000 of additional sales requirements. They handle over and, combined with our existing business, should catapult RBLI into 100 key suppliers on behalf of Network Rail and every six months the ‘premier league’ of national our performance as a supplier highways sign manufacturers. We is reviewed against a number of look forward to this continued criteria including quality, delivery Since September 2011, RBLI co-operation between RBLI and and cost management. We are have been a preferred supplier Enterprise PLC. tasked with meeting a minimum to Enterprise PLC for the Kent Call 01622 795920 or scan here performance score of 96%.”

County Council highways signage with your smartphone to view contract. We are delighted to our Signs website Rob continues, “We are delighted report that the business is growing to report that during the latest steadily and that Enterprise PLC review we scored 98.8% overall reports that they are very pleased and have so far achieved an two with our performance. amazing 100% scores this year.

Building upon this success, we entered into negotiations to become the preferred highway sign supplier for the whole 8 RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter

or visit http://bit.ly/O68fTZ

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Julie Humphries, the Contract Manager at URL was full of praise for the way that we conducted business and Sue and I are proud to have represented all at RBLI.”

EQUIP NEWSLETTER OUT NOW! Our debut issue of RBLI’s Equip newsletter, detailing the latest news on our range of workplace assessment and support services, is out now.

With employers across the UK finding themselves having to react to an evolving job market as well as ever-changing legislation around health at work, RBLI is here to provide a range of services, such as Access to Work, designed to maximise employee wellbeing.

What can you expect from

s a m t s Chri PRESENTS

PARTY NIGHT

Friday 30th November 2012, 7.30pm - Midnight Ditton Community Centre, Kilnbarn Road, Ditton, Aylesford, Kent, ME20 6AH

Celebrate Christmas in style with friends, colleagues and family. Join in the fun and dance the night away.

Equip? We have some of the best assessors in the country on-board to provide advice on the latest products, industry news and practical guidance on getting the most from your work-space.

The debut issue focuses on an introduction to our fantastic team, including the ever-vocal Edward Tidbury and his band of ergonomists to the stars. Edward has relished this opportunity to reach a wider audience for his occasionally controversial viewpoints, so you have been warned.

A huge thank you is due to everybody that has taken the time to contribute to the launch issue.

Hard copies will be available in reception and on request.

RBLI are working in partnership with JobCentre plus to provide Ergonomic and Specialist work based assessments across Southern England for customers applying for support under the Access to Work programme. For more info click here.

Scan here with your smartphone to view Equip online

Richard Neville, a top local DJ will provide the sounds of the year. £10 per head with a light buffet included. Fun Casino UK will be there with a roulette and poker table to liven up the party!

Fully licensed bar. Over 18’s only.

All proceeds will go to The Heart of Kent Hospice

Call 01622 790195, complete the form or book direct on www.hokh.org

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or visit http://bit.ly/R3LNu5 RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter 9

QUARTER 3 - 2012

RBLI OFFERS PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS

Three photography students from K College have provided RBLI with photography for branding work on our new Work Programme office in Overline House on Station Way, Crawley.

Louis Walpole, Jaime King and Luke Mullett organised a photo shoot at RBLI’s Capel Morris training centre. The brief from RBLI was to include portrait profile shots of members of RBLI’s staff against white backgrounds and staff in working situations located around the RBL Village.

The students used this opportunity to gain experience of photography projects in a real life situations, which had the added benefit of providing RBLI with the necessary images to use in their office branding. Using the RBL Village location also meant the students had to compensate for environments which were not set up for photography, encourage and motivate positive expressions from RBLI staff and manage time effectively to be available for photo opportunities 10 RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter

throughout the day.

The students’ photos have been colour branded and enlarged onto boards to cover large bare walls. The boards will be the centre pieces of branding work in the new office and will make the office welcoming to prospective new clients.

The new office will be used to deliver the Work Programme across Crawley, allowing unemployed people, who are eligible, to access employability assistance including job searching techniques, interview preparation and developing a winning CV. Louis Walpole, one of the photography students, explained why the RBLI project was beneficial, “The days shooting at RBLI proved to be a fantastic opportunity for me. It provided a real insight into the charity’s work, which is a lot broader than I had previously realised.

It also helped me to expand my portfolio and it was very beneficial to experience working

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for a client with a specific brief. The days work was very enjoyable - all the RBLI staff have a very positive outlook, they’re all very friendly and were more willing than most to jump in front of the camera and give us a ‘fun pose’! I am really pleased to have met and worked with the guys at RBLI and hope to do so again in the future.”

Louis, Jaime and Luke fully understood the brief that was asked of them and showed professionalism throughout the project. The photographs that the team took will enable us to create a new, bright and welcoming environment within our new Work Programme office. It has been a pleasure to work with K College and their students, and we look forward to doing more projects together.

Later in the year RBLI plan to officially open the office, complete with new branding with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Watch this space...

S T O L L L E A D S T H E WAY F O R LONDON’S VETERANS

V E T E R A N S D R O P - I N , E V E RY S E C O N D W E D N E S D AY Established by theatrical impresario Sir Oswald Stoll in 1916, Stoll was founded to provide comfortable and inexpensive homes for Servicemen injured in World War I and their families. Welfare and clinical care was also offered so that these Veterans could live a normal and dignified life whilst acknowledging their personal

dedication and sacrifice during their career in the armed forces.

Almost 100 years on, Stoll is still able to pride itself in providing quality care and support for our country’s ex-servicemen and woman, which has recently received a Triple A Rating for its high standards of delivery and support.

Since November 2011, Stoll has lead the way in London by facilitating the now well established Veterans’ Drop-In Centre. Bringing together more than 20 service organisations on a monthly basis, London’s Veterans can now get practical help, advice and support on a variety of issues including Mental Health, Housing, Debt Management and State Benefits.

For those who maybe need help and advice on Employment or re-training we have that too—so why not come along and see what’s available.

Our Drop-In is open every Second Wednesday of the month between 4 & 7pm, no need to make an appointment, just come along and see what we have to offer. For more information visit www.stoll.org.uk or call us on 020 7385 2110 for more information.

RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter 11

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QUARTER 3 - 2012

G A H S U M M E R FAY R E This year’s Summer Fayre was held on the 23rd of June and opened by RBLIs David Jessop. A grand total of £1,200 was raised for GAH on what turned out to be a fantastic sunny day.

The event had an assortment of stalls including arts and crafts, cakes stands and bric-a-brac tables. Entertainment included a tombola, bouncy castle and special live performances from Harmony Variety Clubs Ltd

GOLF DAY The RBLI Charity Golf Day, in aid of David’s Day, will once again grace us and many others with its presence. This year’s event will take place at West Malling Golf Club on 11th October.

12 RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter

(more information to the right).

A massive thanks to everyone who attended the fayre and contributed in some way, especially to the support from our generous volunteers, without whom the event could not happen.

David’s Day was originally set up by the RBLI in 2009 to help provide a day out for around fifty children and their carers in memory of David Rowlands MBE. Mr Rowlands had a great passion for enhancing the lives of people with disabilities as well as trains and his family.

When David suddenly passed away in 2008, the RBLI decided to award this day as David’s Day in memory of the distinguished gentleman.

The charity golf day itself has been running now for a total of

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Harmony Variety Clubs ltd was set up by John. A. Kingdon in 1999 to encourage children to participate in drama and singing during out of school activities.

The clubs also offer children the chance to learn technical skills in stage management, i.e. lighting, sound, stage setting & wardrobe design.

Children meet and practice four nights a week at Harmony Community Arts Centre, Mangravet, Maidstone. It is open to children regardless of all ages, sex, race, religion or abilities.

For more information about Harmony Variety Clubs call 01622 600202, email info@harmonyvg.com or visit www.harmonyvg.com. three years. Each year has been a great success and this year we expect to surpass the previous years in terms of money raised.

If you would like to sponsor the event in some way, please get in touch, whether you are able to attend in person or not.

There will also be an auction held at the event so if you are able to donate something that we could include in the auction, please let us know by emailing claire.bonthrone@rbli.co.uk or calling 01622 795900.

Alex Brimson

No13 LUCKY FOR THE H E A RT O F K E N T H O S P I C E Thirteen may be unlucky for some, but The Heart of Kent Hospice (HOKH) is not superstitious.

The charity is opening a unique shop at 13 King Street, Maidstone – and its their thirteenth shop.

Opened on Thursday 13th July by Helen Grant MP, retail business manager Sheila Burton and her team have pushed the boundaries of charity retail to give shoppers an experience to rival all others.

before treating yourself to a well-earned break in the coffee lounge where you can enjoy hot drinks, cakes, sandwiches and light bites. The real find is on the first floor, where amongst all the usual fashion, accessories and charity shop items nestles the bridal suite.

The area provides brides with somewhere special to buy her dress, with comfortable areas for her bridal party to wait while she steps into beautiful dressing rooms.

Furniture, bric-a-brac, wedding dresses and a coffee shop are all drawn together at the new twostorey building in the heart of the county town.

Enjoy browsing the ground floor for home make-over items, browse the books and take a look at the music department,

Sheila Burton said “Brides-to-be are given the same experience that any high street wedding

shop would give them.”

“We know that a wedding dress is treasured and it’s hard to part with it, but your dream dress could also be someone else’s.”

There are also outfits for weddings, proms or days out at Ascot, along with shoes, hats, fascinators and accessories.

Sheila continues, “If you’ve been hoarding that special outfit never to be worn again, we would love to have it for the shop, especially men’s suits.”

Please bring any donations to the shop or call 01622 609143.

RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter 13

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QUARTER 3 - 2012

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

There were two Employees of the Year awards for 20112012, sharing the title were Roger Leeder and Daniel Butler. However they shared this accolade for two different reasons, Roger Leeder for his commitment to the repatriation of Veterans returning from Commonwealth countries.

The second award went to Daniel Butler for his approach to supporting the Access to Work programme and ergonomic

assessments. Daniel consistently went the extra step despite having strict requirements and deadlines.

There are also two Manager of the Year awards in 20112012 and they went to Lauren Dawkins and Sue Welch.

Lauren is praised for her use of knowledge and wholehearted willingness to go that extra bit further in helping others around her. Sue Welch is the second manager to receive this award

and this is for increasing sales ahead of budget. This increase was achieved through her hard work in introducing new procedures and controls.

Alex Brimson

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

Congratulations to Tracey Johnson who won January’s EOTM for her commitment to Access to Work. Also February’s winner, Trever White, for his continued work with the

Property Services team. March saw Malcolm Sears from the Welfare team also win the award.

Please remember to submit your nominations for Employee

of the Month each month!

You can fill out the form (right) and return it to your Divisional Manager, or scan it and email it to: rosemary.keaney@rbli.co.uk BEST OF LUCK!

Mr & Mrs RBLI Answers from page 17. Mr RBLI, top-bottom: Trever White – Property Services, Steve Beevis – Social Enterprise, Peter Dungay – Finance. Mrs RBLI: Hayley Rush – Reception, Leanne Newick – Support Services, Eimear Smyth – Ergonomic Assessor.

14 RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter

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S P E C I A L R E C O G N I T I O N AWA R D

In accordance with there being an award for both manager and employee of the year, it was decided that there should be an award for those who had shown special progress for the company.

As in the previous award, there are two candidates, both of whom have two very differing reasons to receive it.

The first recipient was Edward Tidbury, as he had the responsibility for managing the delivery of our Access to Work programme on behalf of Jobcentre Plus. This is a really good link for the company to have, making

it easier to develop on future ideas that might arise from this for the job market. Launched in November 2011, the contract is now over a half a year old and is getting better everyday.

Edward and his team have taken on a large project so that people with a disability or health condition can actually feel that, once they’ve completed the programme, they can go out into the world and be useful again especially within the workplace.

The second person that has been given the special recognition award is David Church. David and his team have a great development and creative style that has become recognised across the toy industry. It is with that recognition that David has managed to be able to promote RBLI, not only in this country but as far away as America too.

You may or may not have heard about the great big project which he and his team took on for the toy manufacturer K’NEX. David and his team of 12 built a 230,000 piece replica of the Grave Digger monster truck. It took 1,000 man hours to build and was shipped off to the USA for a monster truck world tour.

David is therefore deserving of this award for that fact alone, aside from all of the other hard work behind the scenes that he puts in for RBLI. Alex Brimson

E O T M S TA F F N O M I N AT I O N F O R M To be returned to your Divisional Manager, or scanned and email it to: rosemary.keaney@rbli.co.uk

Name of Nominated Employee

Department/ Division

Nominated for the month of :

Nominated by :

: :

(Please complete & explain why the person has been nominated for this award explaining fully how the individual’s action has contributed to performance results or organisational success over the preceding month)

SIGNED (Nominating Employee)

Date:

SIGNED (Divisional Manager)

Date:

RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter 15

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QUARTER 3 - 2012

GARDEN PARTY IN PALACE GROUNDS

RBLI residents were treated to a royal reception at this year’s annual Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, ‘throne’ by the Not Forgotten Association.

The event took place on Thursday 24th May and was attended by residents from across the village and Mountbatten

Pavilion. Guests were offered royal afternoon tea consisting of sandwiches and cakes whilst the music of The Band of The Scots Guards played. The ‘crowning’ achievement went to the gloriously British weather, as the sun gleamed in wonderful surroundings for the fellow 2,400 guests.

The garden party guests included HRH Birgitte, The Duchess of Gloucester and a mix of celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment.

Famous faces this year included, Tony Blackburn, Fatima Whitbread, Jayne Torvill, Rula Lenska, Philip Glenister, Jennifer Ellison, Lynda Bellingham and Heidi Range (of the Sugababes).

16 RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter

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T E A PA R T Y F O R R E S I D E N T S

Residents from RBLI’s Mountbatten Pavilion, were treated to an afternoon tea party at the local Waitrose Distribution Centre in Aylesford.

Organised by staff at Waitrose Distribution, 19 residents were delighted to be waited on and treated to a selection of sandwiches and scones, muffins and an assortment of other fancy cakes.

Mountbatten Pavilion, our 24 bed living scheme for single Armed Forces Veterans and their dependants.

However, this occasion sadly marked Gavin’s final event for RBLI’s residents, as he has now been appointed the Community Fundraiser for our friends at local charity, The Heart of Kent Hospice (who specialise in palliative care for the people of Maidstone, Kent and the surrounding local communities).

Over the past three years the residents and staff at RBLI’s Mountbatten Pavilion have thoroughly enjoyed the events which have been kindly organised by Gavin and staff at Waitrose. To show our appreciation of all of their generous hard work supporting RBLI and to wish Gavin the best of luck in his new role, he was presented with gifts and a card signed by residents and staff of Mountbatten Pavilion.

In addition, RBLI is happy to announce that this generous support will continue as Waitrose are soon to appoint a new Community Fundraiser in replacement of Gavin. We look forward to the many events to come.

The afternoon had been arranged by Gavin Wenborn, Community Fundraiser for Waitrose Distribution and long time supporter of RBLI’s Mountbatten Pavilion. Every year, Gavin kindly organises a lunch and a tea party to be enjoyed by residents of RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter 17

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QUARTER 3 - 2012

GETTING TO KNOW YOU RENA PATEL! With the second instalment of the Getting to Know You section, Rena Patel, our well travelled resident HR Administrator sits in the hot seat and reveals her hobbies, favorite entertainment and love of naughty books...

Hi Rena, do you have any nicknames? Numerous, at the moment my Husband is calling me ‘piescream’, don’t ask me why What was the last book you read? Fifty Shades Trilogy (don’t judge, if you haven’t read them, then you should!!)

Olympics? Watched the Olympics and felt so proud :) What did you do for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee?

Went to see my parents How do you spend your free time? Chillin’ What are your hobbies?

Reading and travelling What gadget could you not live without? TV Remote Control

What would be your last meal?

Chinese

What countries have you visited? USA, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica, Kenya, Spain, Dubai, Turkey, Tunisia, Greece, Cyprus, shall I go on…

What do you do on Sundays?

Got to start with a decent lie in,

18 RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter

What is your motto in life? Live your life the way you want to and be happy Who do you respect the most?

Myself and my family Who has had the most influence in your life? A friend I met when I was seventeen, she really brought me out of my shell What would you do if you were Prime Minister for a year? Sort this country out!!!

What’s your favourite film and or TV show? Favourite film is every girls favourite Dirty Dancing What did you do for the

nice breakfast whilst watching a discussion show that you can throw your two pennies at, make lunch and off to the pub!!

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What super-power would you most like to have, and why?

This is cliché, but got to be invisibility. Just think of all the snooping!

R B L I FA C E M A S H U P

Do you recognise these facial features? In this brand new feature we affectionatly ‘mash’ six

famous RBLI employee features into our Mr and Mrs RBLI. No prizes for guessing who these

characters are correctly I’m afraid, but the answers are on Page 14 if you get stuck!

WEDDINGS

BIRTHS

Congratulations to Carolyn Smith (QEC Administrator) who married John Amos on Saturday 19 May 2012

Congratulations to Gemma Kavanagh, who gave birth to a baby girl – Brooke Lily - on 9 April 2012 – weighing 9lb 13 oz.

NEW STARTERS

Welcome to our new staff who have recently joined the existing

Marie Walker – HCA

Heather Paxton – QEC

teams at Gavin Astor House and Queen Elizabeth Court.

Sharyl Fugio – Bank HCA RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter 19

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QUARTER 3 - 2012

Designed by Will Gowin © RBLI 2012

TACKLING YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT RBLI and Horsham-based company, Interior Concepts Ltd, have joined forces to tackle youth unemployment in Horsham by actively promoting the Government’s new Youth Contract for employers and jobseekers.

The Youth Contract is a £1 billion package of national support to get young people earning or learning again, before any long term associated damages can be done, such as becoming dependent on benefits. It provides employers with a financial incentive of up to £2,275 to employ an 18 to 24 year old from the Work Programme for a minimum of 26 weeks.

Interior Concepts Ltd, who specialise in design, development and installations of bespoke office environments predominately throughout the counties of Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire has employed apprentice Paul Evans with the help of employment consultants at our Work Programme Office based in Horsham.

Paul has relished the opportunity that Interior Concepts Ltd and 20 RBLI WARBLINGS Newsletter

RBLI have provided him. “The role is an amazing chance for me.

I always wanted to do this and develop my career, but I never had the opportunity before as I was stuck in jobs where my opportunities were limited. I’m going to use this opportunity to learn as much as I can so I can potentially grow and develop into higher management.”

“I hope that other local businesses will come forward to offer the same opportunities to other local young people” Colin Wells, founder of Interior Concepts Ltd, is pleased the Youth Contract has worked to his business’ advantage, “The Youth Contract is helping us achieve our long term plans and growth strategy as a business.

The incentive to help with wages is a real bonus and enables us to employ people like Paul, and give them a chance at real

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sustained personal and business development. It’s a win, win for both parties.”

Wendy Wilmot, our Employability Consultant who referred Paul to Interior Concepts Ltd is keen to work with similar organisations from the area who are thinking of taking advantage of the contract. “It’s great to work with local employers who are keen to help the younger generation into work. Supporting local people into sustained employment is a priority for RBLI and I hope that other local businesses will come forward to offer the same opportunity to other local young people” If you are an employer and would like to discuss the Youth Contract, please contact RBLI on 01622 795900 or email workplacesolutions@rbli.co.uk.

For more info on Interior Concepts click here or call 01403 820000