A year of charity at Britplas

/in

2019 was our second year in partnership with Warrington Youth Zone (WYZ). Building on the success of last year, several fund raising events were held throughout the year.

In May, after apparently not enough weeks of training, Group MD John Blackwell and P&C Projects Director Chris Fletcher completed the Abersoch triathlon, completing a 750m swim, 20km bike ride and a 5km run to raise over £4000. John completed the course in 1hr38, with Chris finishing in 2hr11.

In October Design Manager Neil Tattersall took part in the Tour de Youth Zone in October, blessed with a week of nice weather he along with 18 other cyclists completed the 471 miles over 5 days, visiting all 15 of the Onside Youth Zones, raising £920.

WYZ supporter Lee Webster and 17 others rode the 160-mile coast to coast route to raise money for the ‘buddy up’ program. The programme, which was developed in 2009, has supported over 500 disabled young people from across Warrington, by providing them with a volunteer Buddy. The Buddy supports the disabled young person with a range of issues including becoming more confident with using public transport, handling money or developing friends. They raised £1362 which Britplas rounded up to £3000.

Throughout December Britplas collected both food and present parcels for distribution through the youth zone to disadvantaged families throughout Warrington, a big than you to all staff and their families who donated. Our Christmas jumper day with pizza and several games raised a further £77.

 

Tour de Youth Zone: complete!

/in ,

Last week Britplas’ Design Manager Neil Tattersall and 18 other supporters of Onside Youth Zones set off from Carlisle Youth Zone and travelled 471 miles in 5 days, before reaching Legacy Youth Zone in Croydon, London

Somehow blessed with a week of dry weather in what was otherwise a very soggy week for the UK, every rider reached the days checkpoint without fail, an outstanding achievement given that for many this was the first time attempting such a long, hard ride. Over £40k was raised, all of which will go into front line services helping young people up and down England.

Neil commented “I rode with some real characters – Youth Zone workers, Team Leaders, CEO’s, Fund Raisers as well as Onside Charity and patrons from the private sector – all of whom proved to be very inspirational, very entertaining and very determined ride companions which made for a great and fascinating all-round experience. Some people were literally at their physical and mental limit with tears w shed and some instances of extreme fatigue, but, very much to their credit, every participant managed to complete the challenge.

The triumphant ticker-tape reception at almost every Youth Zone quickly made it clear that the suffering had been very much worthwhile, and each could relax safe in the knowledge that the money raised by their efforts will be well utilised to improve opportunities and the health and wellbeing of young people up and down the country.”

2019 Tour de Youth Zone: from Carlisle to Croydon

/in ,

On Saturday 21st October a team of 25 local cyclists, including our own Neil Tattersall, will set off from Carlisle Youth Zone and travel 471 miles over 5 days to reach the finish line at Croydon Youth Zone!

The Tour de Youth Zone will take in all 15 sites that Onside Youth Zones run with the aim to raise money for their ongoing work in local community’s.

Open 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, offering over 20 activities per night, OnSide Youth Zone’s support young people to lead healthier, happier, more aspirational lives by providing quality activities, new opportunities and offering a listening ear to those need it.

Neil will be flying the flag for Britplas on the Tour de Youth Zone, if you can donate please follow this link

The sun shines on another Britplas annual company day!

/in ,

Friday saw both the sun come out and our annual company day take place at a local sports club. As a result of another year of growth, it was once again our biggest ever held, with over 100 employees attending! Another chance to represent our company value of Better Together!

First up all staff were presented with a review of Britplas performance from our Directors and a progress update from our chosen charity, local children’s charity Warrington Youth Zone. The most anticipated part of the day followed, a hotly contested It’s a Knockout set of challenges with Team 4 running out as eventual winners!

A selection of either Pizza or Fish & Chips rounded off the day, with a few more adventurous colleagues heading out to bond over some light beverages.

Directors complete the Abersoch Triathlon

/in ,

Congratulations to both Britplas Group MD John and P&C Projects Director Chris who completed the Abersoch Sprint Triathlon at the weekend! John completed the three-part race in 1hr38, with Chris finishing in 2hr11.

Over £2,000 has been raised for Britplas’ charity of choice, Warrington Youth Zone, an amount which will be matched by the company bringing the total to just over £4,000 – fantastic effort guys and thanks to everyone who supported this cause!

Every penny raised will go directly towards ensuring thousands of young people from across Warrington are given the opportunities needed to live healthier, happier, more aspirational lives.

Britplas opens Yorkshire office

/in

Britplas has opened an office in Yorkshire in order to meet the requirements of a healthy sales pipeline into 2020 across its commercial glazing services.

The Huddersfield office will initially be home to a design team who will work closely with the existing design department based at Britplas’ head office in Warrington.

Group Managing Director John Blackwell commented “With a number of significant project wins recently secured, the new Yorkshire team brings a wealth of experience and will help us to continue to provide the best possible service to our national client base.

This is an exciting development in the continued growth of the Britplas Group and we look forward to welcoming the new team into the Britplas family.”

Britplas launch new Multask handle for mental health environments

/in ,

Britplas have launched a new operating handle for their award-winning Safevent window. The Multask was launched at Design in Mental Health 2019 and replaces three separate pieces of hardware, bringing improvements in both functionality and aesthetics.

The Safevent window is designed specifically for mental health environments, providing safety and security whilst also allowing natural light and ventilation and a high degree of patient control. Up to now, the window controls have comprised a ‘wizzy winder’, patient thumb lock and staff lock. The new patented Multask handle provides the functionality of all three components within an anti-ligature, stainless steel shell that has passed all relevant industry tests for mental health environments.

The brand-new handle can be stopped at any point of being open or closed, giving both the service user and staff increased flexibility over both ventilation and privacy. The anti-tamper design of the staff lock greatly reduces the potential for damage and associated maintenance costs.

“The Multask was very well received at the recent Design in Mental Health exhibition” commented Britplas head of sales Neil Guest.

“Innovation is an important part of our culture at Britplas and the continuous improvement of our proprietary product range will always be a priority. We have completed the first window installations using the new hardware and feedback has been very positive..”

Directors take on the Abersoch Triathlon

/in ,

On 29th June Group MD John Blackwell and P&C Projects MD Chris Fletcher will be taking on the Abersoch Triathlon Sprint to raise funds for Warrington Youth Club. The race, which has been fully subscribed for the last 4 years, consists of a 750m swim, 20km bike ride and a 5km run around the scenic Abersoch beach in North Wales. Chris is returning for the second time this year whilst the race will be John’s first foray into triathlons!

As a founder patron of OnSide Warrington Youth Club, Britplas has been supporting the charity since 2017 with various fundraising events and initiatives. The club is currently raising funds to create a new purpose-built Youth Zone at Winwick Street, Warrington which will provide them with a permanent base from which they can continue to provide excellent social and educational opportunities for children and young people from across Warrington every day of the year.

The Youth Zone will offer thousands of members access to indoor climbing, dance, music, media, sports, gym, cookery, enterprise, employability, health & wellbeing and much more – 7 days a week for only 50p per visit.

Every penny raised will go directly towards ensuring thousands of young people from across Warrington are given the opportunities needed to live healthier, happier, more aspirational lives.

For more information and to donate please visit:

httpss://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/displayCharityCampaignPage.action?charityCampaignUrl=AbersochTriathlonSprintforWYC

Jason Cross joins Britplas as operations director

/in ,

Britplas is pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Cross to the new position of operations director.

With overall responsibility for delivering operational excellence across the design, manufacture and installation of Britplas projects, Jason brings considerable operational experience and skills to the role, having worked in the commercial glazing sector for some 32 years.

“I am thrilled to be joining Britplas at such an exciting time” commented Jason. “This is a progressive business with strong values and a unique proposition in the market. Our pipeline is strong and I’m looking forward to delivering continuous operational improvement with the support of a great team.”

Britplas Group is forecasting another year of impressive turnover growth, and Jason’s is one of several recent appointments which have been made in order to support the continued expansion of the business.

We are also delighted to welcome Gill Gribbin as financial controller to lead the accounts and finance team. In the factory, Ian Mitchell has been promoted to Commercial Line Production manager.

The sales team has also recruited a new member, with Matt Gorman moving from the estimating department to take on a business development manager role.

All smiles as Fortress Fencing is installed!

/in ,

Britplas have completed the refurbishment of the courtyard fencing on Holt Ward at Newtown Hospital in Worcester – a mental health assessment ward for patients in acute crisis. The project was commissioned by Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, who needed a more secure perimeter solution than the previous installation, reducing the chance of absconsion whilst helping to create a relaxed and calming environment.

Our Fortress Fencing was installed over two phases to minimize disruption for the day-to-day operation of the ward and the lives of service users living there. The 2.4m fence, printed with a woodland scene, was designed in collaboration with the client to provide a therapeutic space which would also contain people with wide-ranging mental health issues.

People are admitted to Holt Ward for a 14-day assessment period to understand their care -requirements. As service users’ needs are wide-ranging, the facility must conform to the standards expected of high secure facilities.

Bev Hardiman, the Ward Manager commented “We wanted a fence which would meet our security requirements but would also add an ambience to the environment where it could be used as a therapeutic calming space. The Britplas team were fabulous from start to finish, they took our ideas and created something fit for purpose! The team worked for a cause and not for applause!”