Groveley Precision Engineering: Solid environmental and quality accreditation

[Photography and online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

The latest annual external audit of our quality and environmental policy, systems and practice raised no issues, and Groveley has again passed with flying colours.

Special reference was made to our staff communications and buy-in from our workforce; being forward-looking; constantly looking for improvements; and commitment to our policies.

Groveley has held environmental ISO 14001 accreditation since 2011 – which has helped improved resource efficiency, reduced waste, and driven down costs. It provides assurance to stakeholders that environmental impact is being measured and improved within all our design, manufacturing and assembly capabilities. 

And with quality assurance ISO 9001:2008 approval, the company operates a 'right first time' philosophy – acknowledging that quality cannot be inspected into a product, but must be built in during production. Groveley's policy is to supply products and services at a level of integrity that merits total customer satisfaction.

Store & Secure: Removals firms: need more storage space?

[Online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

Are you struggling for high-quality storage space in Basingstoke or Bournemouth? We’ve got loads! We can hire you space fast – at very short notice – whenever you need an overflow from your own premises.

We understand fully how removals companies operate, so we can work with you closely and confidentially to store your clients items with a minimum of fuss.

Storage with Store & Secure is low-cost, has free parking with 24-hr access and you can upscale or downscale quickly and easily. You can take advantage of our forklifts, pallet trucks and trolleys at no extra cost. And our friendly, uniformed staff to greet you and your visitors, plus free tea and coffee all round.

It’s safe: With constant supervision, monitored CCTV cameras and alarm systems, our locked rooms are accessible to you and only you.

Unit sizes: Rooms are available from one cubic metre to 20,000 square feet of self-contained units, and you are able to adjust your space as your storage requirements expand and contract.

In both Basingstoke and Bournemouth, we are easily accessible from the surrounding areas. You can store just about anything in our units… our space becomes your space. Call us and see if we can help you.

Child of Hope: The plans are taking shape: our new slum Family Support Uni

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

Architectural plans have just been produced for our proposed new joint slum Family Support Unit and vulnerable children's respite home.

We intend to build bespoke premises near to the school that will house offices and meeting rooms for our staff to expand their work with families, while the first floor will become the children’s respite and rehab home, replacing our currently rented children’s home. The budget cost for the land purchase and construction is £125,000.

These new facilities will accommodate more rooms for counselling, training and community meetings, which will enable our IGA, health and welfare teams – now working collaboratively as the Children’s Development Unit – to roll out many of their highly successful programmes to the rest of the community. Potentially this will impact many more families in the Namatala slum to improve their health, education and living standards in line with the UN sustainable development goals. And it will free up a lot of much-needed space currently used in our school.
Children's respite and rehab home

Even with the ongoing development of our foster care programme, there will still be a need for premises to give short-term respite and rehab services, to help children and families in emergency situations. We therefore want to reshape our children’s home so that our focus is much more on respite and rehab rather than on long-term accommodation.

You can read more information and if you'd like to help us with the project, you can donate... please click here.

Kirolite: University receptions

[Photography and online PR for Kirolite, high-end joinery and solid surface furniture manufacturer]

We have manufactured four reception desks in white solid surface for the Arts University Bournemouth.

Located in University House main reception, student services, student union and goods-in, the desks feature the university logo in solid surface.

They were designed by architects and project managers Ink Associates during an expansion to the university, which involved both new and refurbished premises.

For more images, click on the picture...

Store & Secure: How we can help your business

[ Photo editing and online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

Take a look at this list of benefits we offer your business… it’s huge! Of course we provide flexible storage space for your stock – and can even hire you office space in our business suite – but there are loads of ways we can help your business become more profitable!

STORAGE: You can have as much or little space as you need, and can keep changing to suit the ebbs and flows of business… read more

STORE ANYTHING: Stock, office equipment, surplus, tools, returns, archives…

GOODS IN AND OUT: We’ll receive your deliveries and ensure your despatched are sent safely. A free service for storage customers.

CONFIDENTIAL SHREDDING: Complete security for the stuff you need disposed of… read more

OFFICE SPACE: High-quality, fully-serviced office accommodation in Bournemouth to rent, ranging from 100 to 1000 sq ft… read more

24/7 ACCESS FOR TRADESMEN: External lock-ups in our secure compound can be accessed at any time, day or night. Great for tradesmen’s tools, equipment and materials.

SECURITY: The safety of your stuff is our top priority and take it very seriously. Read more…

MAILBOX POSTAL ADDRESS: Our PO box mail service is a great option for home businesses, small business and start-ups in need of the credibility of a business address… read more

So there it is… every reason for you to consider Store & Secure to help you build your business. Call us or e-mail us today!

Child of Hope: How can we do more to boost slum household income?

[Photography and online PR for Child of Hope]

This week, our IGA Department is starting to conduct a household income improvement survey with mums we have helped to start a business. We will use it to assess new business ideas; what families have done previously; successes from the IGA programme; and gaps that need urgent attention.

This survey runs for two weeks to January 31. We’ll let you know the findings and anything that emerges to help the mums improve their household incomes still further.

Mailboxes… lots of reasons to have one!

[Photography and online PR for Store & Secure self storage]

We offer mailboxes to businesses or individuals for just £5 a week – with no fixed term. As long or as short as you like and available seven days a week! Here’s when they are useful…

Moving home or office: ensure all your mail and deliveries arrive where you expect them!

Run an online business or work from home: a mailbox gives you a commercial address to help your business image.

Living in shared accommodation: don’t risk mail and packages getting stolen – have them sent to your mailbox and collect when convenient to you.

Buying goods online: you can have your purchases delivered to your mailbox address and we'll sign for your deliveries, so you don’t have to hang around waiting for your deliveries.

Out of the office a lot: don't worry about packages being returned or left on your doorstep. We’ll receive your deliveries from the Royal Mail or carrier, and hold them for you to collect when you’re ready.

Living abroad: but want to keep a UK address. We will receive your post and even forward it to you.

Temporary address: we can provide you with a more permanent base in for your important mail and forward mail to you as required.

Contact us today if you’d like to discuss how a mailbox could work for you.

Child of Hope: slum health survey results

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

The results are in from last year’s health survey that compared Child of Hope pupils to similar resident children of Namatala slum – and it clearly shows that Child of Hope's health interventions are improving health. 

The more obvious comparisons showing benefits for CoH pupils are in these areas:

• Teeth: 35.7% better

• Eye problems: 15.1% better

• Head infections: 15.1% better

• Nose problems: 14.8% better

• Anaemia: 13.7% better

• Underweight: 10.8% better

• Skin problems: 10.4% better

The anaemia score is interesting. A child showing signs of anaemia is an indication that he or she has recently had or still has some form of parasitic infection – including malaria.

During the survey we had help from some medical students and staff from JOY Hospice – the clinic we often use when our children fall sick and it is beyond what our small sickbay can manage.

Children were weighed, had their height recorded, had their bodies thoroughly examined for wounds, parasites, vision/hearing problems – anything that might give clues to their physical well-being.

You can see the full results from the survey by clicking here.

Groveley Precision Engineering: Filtering oil mist for clean air

[Photography and online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

We have fitted oil mist filtration to our CNC machines in order to capture the mist as it is generated… which protects the environment in a process that requires the least amount of energy to accomplish.

The machining of parts produces coolant and oil mist, and if this can be captured and filtered before the CNC machine door is opened, it prevents the contaminant from migrating throughout the factory and even beyond.

There’s every reason to do this: it causes slippery floors and collects dust on machines and walls; it coats ventilation channels and can cause fires; and it coats the heat exchanger, reducing the efficiency of heat recovery.

The new development comes from Groveley’s environmental policy of minimising waste through reuse and recycling; minimising energy usage; preventing pollution; and considering environmental aspects within our design, manufacturing and assembly processes.

Child of Hope: Big plans to benefit vulnerable children and slum families

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

We’ve been developing exciting new plans for 2017 that will add even greater impact to our work with Ugandan slum children and their families. As we roll these out, we will work to safely place more of our most vulnerable children into foster homes; our children’s home will be re-shaped; and a new family support unit will expand our work with families.

Foster care

Foster care is family-based care for children whose own families are unable or unwilling to look after them. It provides a safe, secure and nurturing family environment. We are starting to establish relationships with suitable foster parents, who so far are all staff members. Presently, ten of the children that we were living in our children's home have been placed with five different foster families. 

Respite and rehab home

Even with the ongoing development of our foster care programme, there will still be a need for premises to give short-term respite and rehab services, to help children and families in emergency situations. We therefore want to reshape our children’s home so that our focus is much more on respite and rehab rather than on long-term accommodation.

Family Support Unit

We intend to build bespoke premises near to the school that will house offices and meeting rooms for our staff to expand their work with families, while the first floor will become the children’s respite and rehab home, replacing our currently rented children’s home.

These new facilities will accommodate more rooms for counselling, training and community meetings, which will enable our IGA and welfare teams – now working collaboratively as the Children’s Development Unit – to roll out many of their highly successful programmes to the rest of the community. Potentially this will impact many more families in the Namatala slum to improve their health, education and living standards in line with the UN sustainable development goals.

So, that’s what we’re up to in Uganda's Namatala slum this year… thank you for your ongoing support, prayer and donations, making it all possible!

Store & Secure: Top 10 office decluttering tricks

[Online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

Clutter can really influence the way you work. If you're too disorganised, everything competes for your attention and makes it hard to work, not to mention influence perceptions of your professionalism. Here are 10 great tips for decluttering your workspace and getting organised from the blog lifehacker…

http://lifehacker.com/5641578/top-10-ways-to-organize-and-streamline-your-workspace

So how does self-storage help to declutter your office? It helps you clear space by letting you store things somewhere else, but still always available. Things like documents, tools, furniture and stock - stuff you don’t want to lose, but that doesn’t need accessing immediately. With Store & Secure in Basingstoke and Bournemouth it’s very low-cost… e-mail us or telephone us today on (01202) 520 220 for details.

Child of Hope: Child development unit… one year on

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

In December 2015, Child of Hope was awarded funding to kick-start its its pilot Child Development Unit (CDU) project. The project was to consolidate its current holistic services - Social Welfare, Income Generating Activity (IGA) and Health departments - to ensure maximum benefit of the education services provided. One year on, we’re delighted with the results that the collaboration has produced.

Work between the departments has become seamless, emergencies are handled faster and families no longer find themselves slipping through gaps. Team management skills have improved, including organisation and communication skills, team work, motivating people and managing difficult behaviours. If you’re interested in some of the specifics… read on!

Child of Hope: new homes will keep slum kids with their families

[Online PR for Child of Hope]

The homes we’re building for some of our poorest parents are nearly finished. The latrines should be completed in the next couple of days and hopefully tenants will move in before the end of this month! 

The basic accommodation will house around ten small families and enable the families to stay together and the children to remain both at school and at home with their other family members. Otherwise we find that when parents need to move away for various reasons, their child can no longer have a free education, or the child remains and has to stay in our children’s home.

We will rent the homes to the families at a very reasonable cost, which will give CoH a rental income to help reduce our childcare costs. There is also land that we can use for other income-generating or cost-reducing programmes linked to training the school children.

The ten rooms, two pit latrines, and three bathrooms have been built using metal poles as columns, local bricks and mud, cement plastering of walls and floor, and roofs of timber and iron sheets. Each room will be 12 feet by 8 feet in size.

Store & Secure: 24/7 drive-up self-storage for tradesmen

[Photography and online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

If you’re a Basingstoke or Bournemouth tradesman needing space for storing tools and stock, here’s your answer.

We have external self-storage rooms – much loved by tradesmen for storing their stock, machinery and tools because they offer ground-level, drive-up access any time, night or day… all year round.

It goes without saying that the area is totally secure and well covered with CCTV.

Look what else we lay on, free of charge:
• Access to forklift truck

• Goods-in service – deliveries can be taken on your behalf, saving you the need to be on site.
• Tea and coffee (during work hours).

Terms are easy-in, easy-out. You could even hire a post office box to give your business a more commercial feel. The rooms can be shelved out and all have easy vehicle access at ground level.

So, lots of reasons to get your work stuff out of the house and into self-storage. Don’t hang about… call us today and see if we’ve got a space available that’s just right for you. Better still, come and have a look… no appointment needed.

Ideal for tradesman, builders, market traders, site workers… even vehicle storage.

Groveley: BIT makes lean personal

[Online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

The remaining half of Groveley staff have started Business Improvement Techniques (BIT) training, which means all our staff will be BIT-trained by mid-2017.

The skills gained will enhance their ability to monitor and make improvements to production and manufacturing processes, especially in the tools and techniques of lean manufacturing. That, of course, aligns well with our SC21 status and and helps develop lean skills across the wider workforce.

When the first round of our staff qualified with BIT NVQs, we discovered instant benefits in greater efficiency, which led to extra capacity.

In the area of continuous improvement, it teaches the workforce how to identify and eliminate waste, create flow and improve quality leading to greater efficiency and increased profitability.

Up to last month the BIT training sessions were classroom-based; now the focus switches to project work.