SC21 Silver: more than customer benefits

[Photography and online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

Groveley’s SC21 Silver accreditation has meant significant benefits to customers – orders delivered right first time (and on time) every time, for starters – and the company has benefited enormously too.

It has helped us achieve:

• greater efficiency in manpower and resource,

• better floor space utilisation, 

• enhanced process flow, 
• a higher-skilled workforce that is motivated, content and proud of the company. Staff buy-in to quality and continuous improvement processes is excellent.

Prior to SC21 we had started continuous improvement programmes a number of times, always gaining some benefit, but experienced difficulty in sustaining them. Now it’s an integral part of everything we do.

And to cap it all… high levels of customer satisfaction has led to closer ties and collaboration within the supply chain (to the benefit of all) and has resulted in more work and potential openings in other industry sectors.

Mud hut roof repair

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

During a visit to Child of Hope in Uganda, a team from the Lighthouse Family Church near Poole got stuck in and helped repair a couple of straw roofs.

Leo McCarthy from the team said: “The welfare team had identified two families of children at the CoH school who desperately needed new roofs and of course we were keen to help.”

The working party was split into men (to help repair the roofs) and women (to carry the straw because culturally this was considered women's work. Actually, the guys helped too). All the straw was at the school and had to be carried quite a way, which proved hard work for the ladies on such a hot day.

Meanwhile the men stayed on site to help construct the roofs, which involved passing up the bundles to be placed by the local men, checking the ties on the roof twigs and making sure things were held secure. 

“It was very early in our trip and we hadn't adjusted to the heat, but it was a very good opportunity to get stuck in with the community and also linking with COH's welfare team,” said Leo. “We had our first glimpse of slum housing and some of the team found the squalid conditions and lack of possessions rather overwhelming to start with. Overall we were well-received and thanked by many of the community, even passers by.”

Christmas cards that raise funds

[Online PR for charity Child of Hope]

We have teamed up with Just Cards Direct again this year to provide 10% donations on sales of its handmade Christmas cards and gifts from Africa. So if you'd like a source of great cards that also help our work with slum kids... give them a look!

The charity helps provide justice, dignity and hope for the disadvantaged. It works in partnership with card-making community projects in the developing world, helping to provide jobs, self-worth and security. In many cases these cards provide the only income to a widow or an orphan. It practices fair-trade principles and aims to bring hope to those who have been down-trodden, neglected and traumatised.

You can buy all kinds of cards – birthday cards, Christmas cards, Thank You cards, African cards, Christian cards, wedding cards, banana leaf cards from Rwanda, cards made using recycled fizzy drinks cans from South Africa, and printed cards from Australia and the UK – to name just a few!

To ensure a donation, simply select 'Child of Hope' from the drop down menu at the end of the payment page... and 10% of the sale will come our way.

They sell great gifts too! Handmade keyrings, fridge magnets, Christmas tree decorations, mugs, plaques, photo frames and mounted and framed artwork.

Aerospace: from Spitfire to Airbus

[Online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

Groveley’s track record with aircraft runs continuously from the 1960s since its early days of machining friction materials and production of aircraft brakes – and our products can be found on the under-carriages and brake systems of aircraft from Spitfires to the Airbus A380!

For today’s aerospace industry, we specialise in 3D modelling/machining for turning, milling, and finishing materials such as:

• stainless steels

• titanium

• ferrous, non-ferrous metals and plastics

• friction materials.

And we still enjoy producing a variety of legacy products that date back to aircraft first manufactured in the 1960s.

With SC21 Silver accreditation and quality approval to BS EN ISO 9100, we are better placed than ever to serve customers within the aerospace industry, and our client base in the sector continues to expand.

Helping save lives: Pius at work

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

Meet Pius, he’s a very busy guy. During the day he heads up our welfare team and in his spare time he is caretaker of the boys section of our expanding children’s home, currently with 19 lads.

He began his affiliation with CoH four years ago when he was sent to do an internship at the school looking after children. He would walk younger children to school, serve them porridge and oversee their playtimes. He was delighted that CoH paid his study fees for his last year of University which helped him to obtain a Diploma in Social Work, after which he worked at CoH without pay for a while to refund the money.   

Since becoming employed by CoH, Pius has become an extremely useful staff member and this year was promoted to Welfare Team manager, with four staff in his team. This team plays a vital role in the life of CoH and does pretty ground-breaking work, bearing in mind that Uganda does not have an effective welfare system, especially in the Namatala slum. These five people are regularly saving young children from abuse, sickness and death.

For the past four years Pius has been running the boys department of our children's home.   He’s a christian and says his love for God is his motivation for all the wonderful work he does. Caring for 19 boys in the home is a very demanding job and he finds little or no time off for socialising… although, at least, all the boys are very involved in the running of the home, helping with cooking, washing clothes and keeping the home clean.

He has four brothers and three of his five sisters are still alive. One of his sisters was a teacher at CoH school but died two years ago of complications in pregnancy. He now pays school fees for his orphaned nephew as well as his younger sister and brother. He has rented a house for them in Mbale and also visits his mother as often as possible.

In the press

[Photography and online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

Groveley MD Peter Bennet is the lead interview in a feature article in Works Management magazine this month called Cheque Mate - exploring the relationships between bank managers and manufacturers.

The introduction sets the scene… “The seven brand new CNC machines standing proud on the shop floor of SME component manufacturer Groveley Precision Engineering are brimming with impressive stats. Some 75 ft-lb of torque produced at only 1,200 rpm, the throttle to reach 8,100 rpm in just 1.2 seconds and a £600,000 price tag. 

"But, all are trumped by the eye-catching fact this equipment was bought, not from cash reserves, but in partnership with the banks."...

Read the article…

Moses survived jiggers and now wants to become a doctor

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

Moses is the head boy at our school and is in the last year of the school (P7) – but before he started at the school he seriously doubted if he would survive a serious infestation of jiggers.

Otherwise known as the chigoe flea, jiggers bore into feet to produce an inflammatory skin disease called tungiasis. This can lead to tetanus, gangrene and death if not dealt with.

But Moses was in the first ever class when Child of Hope started its school in the borrowed hall of a local church – and treatment for jiggers is part of the healthcare we offer our pupils. Staff removed them all (not a great job!), gave him shoes to wear… and Moses has been free of them since.

He said: “If I hadn’t come to Child of Hope I think I could not even be living this time. I think I could have died because the condition which I was going through was not really good.”

At the time he lived with his grandmother, his parents and seven other children in a tiny home. However his father died when he was still in P2 class and things didn’t work out for him, so he lived with our Ugandan directors Moses and Bex for around three to four years. He regularly suffered with stomach pain so they de-wormed him and treated him whenever he fell sick. 

Once our first children’s home was established Moses moved in, as it was much nearer the school and he could easily get there for after-school revision.

Moses is bright and pretty set on eventually becoming a doctor. He could do it, too… he’s nearing the time when he finishes his primary education at Child of Hope school this December and hopes to move on to nearby secondary education where we will continue to support him. 

Future job prospects of children in Child of Hope's school are much higher due to being given an education, and general overall health, welfare and entrepreneurial support for their families. The costs are all covered by donors and child sponsors in the UK and Ireland – if you’d like to sponsor one of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable children at just £15 per month, please click here.

Rose’s family is rising from poverty

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]


Since Rose approached Child of Hope’s Income Generating Activity team in 2013 for a business grant and training – to set up a small business selling vegetables – she and her husband have been able to purchase a small plot of land where they will build a home one day.

That’s a terrific lift for her family in just over two years of running her business, and she says for the first time she feels secure for the future.

Rose also sells charcoal, which people use for cooking. That’s not an easy job as she has to collect the charcoal and carry it to her home to sell it. But she is so happy that the business enables her to feed and clothe her family and pay the rent. It also means that she can send two of her children to a local school while two others attend the CoH school, leaving her to care for her baby.

To read more about how simple business training and a £25 start-up grant helps mums out of poverty (and you can donate a business grant, if you like)… click here.

How we can help your business

[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!

SC21 Silver: how our customers benefit

[Photography and online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

SC21 Silver acts as an umbrella for our continual improvement programme – ensuring that benefits are maintained and sustained, and yielding prolonged reduction in waste. 

Importantly, continual improvement and sustained efficiency provide two huge advantages for our customers:

1.  Right first time… every time: during 2014 our quality performance was 99.99%; this year it is 100%.

2.  On-time: we haven’t been late with a single delivery in the last three years.

These are massive reasons for you to consider Groveley as part of your supply chain. We also offer you close ties and collaboration. Why not call or e-mail us today?

It’s time to give even greater support to vulnerable children and families

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

The extra free services that Child of Hope provides for its pupils and their families are unique and have a huge impact – these are our welfare, healthcare and Income Generating Activity teams. We have so many stories of restoring children from disease… rescuing them from abuse… actually saving their lives in some cases. Plus all the times we help families rise up from crippling poverty.

Now it’s time to give them even greater support, and to do that, we plan to bring the three teams closer together and work collaboratively, so that each staff member thinks holistically rather than focussing just on their own objectives. We want to set up a child development unit that will draw together the various strands of our child/family support structure and improve our service to them.

To do this, we will appoint an overall manager to think strategically and monitor/evaluate the teams’ achievements – and we will provide the technology so team members can see what’s going on with any particular child/family. This requires a new small building to give them their own combined space, where cross-team staff can talk to each other as they do their work, provide rooms for family meetings, child counselling, business start-up meetings, etc… plus a proper clean room with sink/sluice for the health team.

The unit will cost approximately £19,000 and we have started the process of raising funds. This is something that will help many of the poorest and most vulnerable children and families in the Namatala slum – if you would like to help us, please make a donation. Click here to make an online donation, or click here to pay by cheque or online banking. For more information on the unit, please click here.

Retailers – extra storage space for Christmas

[Online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

If you need extra space for storing your Christmas stock, come and take advantage of the great business benefits of flexible self-storage at Store & Secure!

Lots of Bournemouth shops and online businesses are taking space in our expanding self-storage facility – because you can they can scale up or down quickly for seasonal stock requirements, releasing their storage space for more effective use. 

Plus these other clear benefits:

• Low-cost

• No rates nor utility charges

• Free parking

• Open 7 days a week

• 24-hour access

• Free goods-in/out service!

• Free use of forklift, pallet/hand trucks and trolleys

• Free tea and coffee!

Store and Secure self-storage provides high-quality storage for businesses, large or small. Located in Bournemouth, behind Castlepoint, we are highly-secure, cost-effective and easily accessible from the surrounding areas. You can store just about anything in our units…our space becomes your space.

Prices: From as little as £5 per week! And that includes all business rates, heating, lighting and power costs, security and general maintenance charges.

Security: With constant supervision, monitored CCTV cameras and alarm systems, our locked units are accessible to you and only you.

Unit sizes: Units are available from 25 to 20,000 square feet of self-contained units, and you are able to adjust your space as your storage requirements expand and contract.

Ah well, nearly…

[Online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

Shame, we didn’t get an award this year at the industry ceremonies… but then we didn’t really expect to come top in the UK (and Europe) two years running!

But sincere congratulations go to this year’s winner of the best UK facility of the year category at the Self Storage Association awards ceremony – Stock N Lock in Worcester. Well done, you deserve it.

It’s great to see another self-storage company investing in providing exceptional customer service.

Environmental improvements keep coming

[Photography and online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

Groveley’s drive for continuous environmental improvement under ISO 14001 has been boosted with a restructuring of how waste is stored and recycled – which follows hot on the heels of new plant and equipment with added environmental awareness and lower energy use that has reduced our carbon footprint.

The three main strands of ISO 14001 help us (a) minimise how our operations negatively affect the environment, (b) comply with regulations and (c) continually improve in the above.

Accreditation since 2011 (and just renewed this September) has improved resource efficiency, reduced waste, driven down costs and provided assurance to stakeholders that environmental impact is being measured and improved. 

Our internal systems are regularly externally-audited to ensure they are kept in order and are subject to continuous improvement. 

The excellent buy-in from our workforce has contributed significantly. They are:

• provided with environmental awareness training, 

• engaged in our environmental improvement programme, 

• involved in energy conservation initiatives that minimise energy, and 

• educated to prevent pollution.

Environmental aspects are considered within all our design, manufacturing and assembly capabilities. And of course, Groveley minimises waste through reuse and recycling, sending waste to landfill as a last resort.

Betty loves helping slum mums out of poverty

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

Meet Betty – she’s the Income Generating Activities (IGA) co-ordinator for Child of Hope and her role is to help mums succeed in the businesses we help them start.

As the co-ordinator she goes out to the Namatala slum to visit the mothers who are involved in businesses which have been set up with a grant from CoH. This has enabled her to make many friends in the community and to learn about the mothers and their various and many needs. She is well-known in the community, being a bridge between the mothers and CoH.

And actually, being employed means that she is able to pay her own rent and feed and clothe her family, for which she is very grateful! 

Betty originally started working in the CoH Nursery and now in her current role loves to help the mothers achieve their goals. The IGA scheme is very impressive as it helps to raise families out of poverty to provide basic needs for their families. Lives are being transformed and the changes are making the mothers and their families feel happy and secure as they look to the future.

When people would like a business start-up and grant, a full profile is taken and they are assessed as to whether they may be given a full or part grant to start their business. The business training scheme operates one day per week for four weeks to help the mums acquire new skills to enable them to succeed.

There are many kinds of businesses which the mothers are involved in. Probably the most popular is running a shop (really a stall by the road or in the market). There they can sell vegetables, rice, bananas and many other everyday essentials. Some are more inventive, selling charcoal for fuel, or selling meat by visiting door-to-door in the evening when it is cooler. As well as all these projects there are ‘restaurants’, salon and barber shop and tailoring.

Would you like to donate a £25 start-up grant to a slum mum?… click here for details.