Kier Construction News

Read inside for a round up of the Summer and Autumn 2013 news...

London Edition

The

Autumn 2013Issue 16

Company News 04

Project News 07

Charity News 15

Kier People 18

Wildlife Feature 19

Inside

If you would like further information about any of the stories in this edition please contact Shirene Jarvis.

Contents

The Kier 3 Peaks Challenge Team pose for a photo before they climbed Ben Nevis on day 1 of their event. See page 14 for more details.

Front Cover

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The Royal British Legion and Royal Navy Association invited Kier to its annual Remembrance Day parade on Sunday 10th November.

The march set off from The Royal British Legion Club in Loughton, Essex and continued to parade to the Kings Green Memorial where a service of Remembrance was held.

Office manager Tony Day took part in the March carrying the Poppy Wreath donated by Kier and laid it at the memorial in Loughton.

Kier Remembers...

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A message from the MD

Movember is all about bringing back the moustache, having fun and doing it for a good cause. In previous years Kier have raised money for men’s health charities; specifically prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health.

This year our Board supported by departments from across the business raised over £800 the Kier Foundation. This is how they looked by end of November, take a look at the progress they made!

Ming the Merciless From: Flash Gordon

Mark Pengelly Managing Director

Chris Dyer Pre-Construction Director

Kevin McKidd From: Grey’s Anatomy

Keith Lemon From: Celebrity Juice

Louisa Finlay Construction Director

Ned Flanders From: The Simpsons

John Abbott Director

George Clooney From: Ocean’s Eleven

Indi Muttucumaru Director

Yosemite Sam From: Looney Tunes – enemy of Bugs Bunny

Richard Bysouth Director

Ming the Merciless From: Flash Gordon

Mark Pengelly Managing Director

Chris Dyer Pre-Construction Director

Kevin McKidd From: Grey’s Anatomy

Keith Lemon From: Celebrity Juice

Louisa Finlay Construction Director

Ned Flanders From: The Simpsons

John Abbott Director

George Clooney From: Ocean’s Eleven

Indi Muttucumaru Director

Yosemite Sam From: Looney Tunes – enemy of Bugs Bunny

Richard Bysouth Director

We would like to take this opportunity to thank every single Kier Construction London employee for all their hard work and support during the past year.

We have had a successful 2013 with highlights including:- Achieving our 1 Million RIDDOR Accident and Incident Free Hours.- 6 Projects scoring 40 or above during their CCS audits.- Raising more than £30,000 in total for various charities.- Ending the year in line with our Commercial Forecast.

None of our achievements would have been possibble without YOUR hard work and commitment.

Company News

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Kier Construction London excels at the 2013 Kier Graduate of the Year Awards

Paul Sheffield and Mark Pengelly visiting the team at Sydenham Bell Green in Director’s Week.

Matt Burley Design Manager

CIOB Graduate of the Year

Ross White Design Manager

CIOB Finalist

Kimberley Meadows Assistant Quantity Surveyor

RICS Finalist On 2nd September Kier Group chief executive, Paul Sheffield, and directors from around the business gathered to congratulate the Kier Graduates of the Year at a ceremony at Tempsford Hall followed by a dinner at the George Hotel.

The categories for the awards were: Civil Engineer, Building Engineer, Quantity Surveyor, Building Services, Non Construction Overall Graduate of the Year. Kier Construction London did extremely well with 3 employees short listed as finalists:

Design Manager Matt Burley currently working at North Middlesex Hospital, won the CIOB Graduate of the Year award. Our other nominees were:• Kimberley Meadows - Assistant QS, currently

working at Kings Cross, Building B3, Camden. • Ross White – Design Manager – currently working

at St George’s Court, New Oxford Street, WC1.

During the award ceremony Mark Pengelly commented “Matt has been with Kier two years

in the role of design manager and despite having graduated only two years ago he has not only shown an exceptional grasp of the technical aspects of the role but has an understanding of the broader qualities required of a modern construction professional that simply belies his 2 years’ experience. “

“He is well advanced towards achieving his MCIOB with 7 of the 9 competencies demonstrated and is now working closely with the recent Foundation degree trainees and is mentoring two of the Kier Apprentices.“

He has a very customer focused approach while balancing this with real commercial awareness and therefore has gained the confidence of his client. This has led to a close working knowledge of the Health Trust’s forward strategy which is putting Kier in an excellent position to negotiate more work at North Middlesex Hospital’.

Award Winner Matt Burley won the CIOB

Graduate of the Year Award.

Future pay dates for 2014 are as follows:

Friday 24 JanuaryFriday 28 February

Friday 28 MarchMonday 28 AprilWednesday 28 MayFriday 27 JuneMonday 28 July

Thursday 28 August Friday 26 SeptemberTuesday 28 OctoberFriday 28 NovemberFriday 19 December

If you have any queries about future pay dates please contact the payroll team on 01767 355294 or email payroll@kier.co.uk

Pay date change reminder

Company News

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A warm welcome to our New Starters

Retirements

Alastair Watson (pictured above), Planning Manager retires after 41 years of service

Trevor Waller, Staff Ganger - 43 years of service

Iourii Pankov, General Operative - 14 years of service

John Fidler, Senior Contracts Officer - 2 years of service

John Coville, Project Manager - 18 years of service

Colin Harris (pictured above), D&B Commercial Manager - 40 years of service

Malcolm Burton, Snr Contracts Manager - 40 years of service

Graham Simpson, Area Surveyor - 25 years of service Louisa Finlay, Director - 25 years of service

Nigel Phillips, Contracts Manager - 25 years of service

Long Service Awards

• Aiden Donnelly - Design Manager

• Alastair Cockburn - Graduate Assistant Design Manager

• Alex Keats - Planner

• Amanda Simpson - Site Administrator

• Andy Beck - Project Manager

• Billy Saunders - Trainee Surveyor

• Carl Tamay- Senior Surveyor

• Chris Maguire - Senior Surveyor

• Daniel Kelly - Senior Engineer

• David Mellows - Senior Planner

• Derren Francis - Site Surveyor

• Edward Bryant - Site Manager

• Graham Bicknell - Commercial Manager

• James Crosby - Assistant Design Manager

• James Window - Site Manager (from May Gurney)

• John Balmain - Design Manager

• Joseph Hunt - Graduate Surveyor

• Louay Fendukly - Senior Design Manager

• Mark Causey - Pre-Construction Building Services Manager

• Mark Fox - Senior Buyer

• Mark Greaves - Site Manager

• Muftau Akintoye - Graduate Civil Engineer

• Nicholas Ardakani - Graduate Civil Engineer

• Paul Wilsher - Design Manager

• Peter Cobbold - Bid Leader Residential Sector

• Ron Francis - Project Manager

• Sameer Dulabh - Graduate Civil Engineer

• Simon Murray - Senior Planner

• Siraj Rehman - BIM Manager

• Stephen Cullen - Construction Team Leader Apprentice

• Steve Howden - Technical Services Manager

• Steven Watts - Graduate Assistant Surveyor

• Stuart Cleworth - Contracts Manager

Joanne WynneCustomer & Aftercare Leader

David Webb Senior Engineer

Aspire is Kier’s business transformation programme. Aspire will help us to create better ways of working across Kier and make us more competitive in our chosen markets.

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This will provide us with a platform for long-term sustainable growth as we deliver our business strategy and continue to invest in our people and communities. Better processes, methods of delivery and structure will provide improved quality, effectiveness and efficiency. We also expect a reduction in our overall expenditure and cost base.

As a result we will provide a more consistent experience to our customers and an even greater focus on delivering excellent service. Frontline operations, at a contract level, are largely unaffected by proposed structural changes. We are working closely with employees and trade unions, which are being informed and involved in the development of plans to improve the way we work.

Why is Aspire important?Earlier in the year we carried out a thorough review of the business. This identified many opportunities to improve the way we do things. By acting on what we have learned we will become more competitive in our chosen markets and retain our position as leaders.Kier has taken significant steps to further strengthen its capital structure in this last year which has enabled us to invest for the future.

At the same time we are also working hard to integrate our operations following the acquisition of May Gurney in July 2013. I’m pleased to let you know this is on track. Our combined workforce of 16,000 experts in their fields allows us to deliver more services to more customers.

We are already helping many clients to meet their organisation’s objectives through our combined construction, services and property capabilities; providing better value through service and innovation.

Who is involved in Aspire?So far, teams composed of colleagues from across Kier have been involved in the review of our business.As the programme develops more people will be involved in designing and improving our ways of working for the future.

We are committed to engage proactively with our employees and their representatives every step of the way. Trade union briefings are also arranged.

Who will be affected by Aspire?Changes are inevitable as we introduce improvements to the way we work. These will mainly affect our corporate and support functions. At a contract level, our frontline operational teams will be largely unaffected. It is important that we remain focused on delivering excellent service to customers as we develop improvements to our business.

We have already made our leadership structure better. A new executive management team has been formed and a number of boards and management layers have been removed. This flatter, simpler operating structure brings our leadership closer to the frontline and our customers. By removing bureaucracy we will also help the business make decisions more quickly, improve communications and be more responsive.

As we introduce a new operating model, new roles will be created and some will be removed. This is expected to result in a far more streamlined, focused and effective way of working. We envisage an increase in the way activities are managed through shared services, while continuing to provide critical support to the operational business and our people.

Anyone potentially affected by change will be consulted with collectively and individually. We are also engaging with unions to keep them informed of proposals.

When will I see changes through Aspire?The development of north and south teams in Construction and Services is under way and expected to be finalised in October. Central and support functions are also being reviewed, as is our property business.

Steve Bowcott, Chief Operating Officer

Camden Care Homes Team have exceeded the 250,000 RIDDOR free hours benchmark and are the proud recipients of the Kier Bronze SHE Flag.

This achievement entitles the site to proudly display the Kier Bronze SHE Flag in recognition of their commitment to safety, health and environmental management.

KCL MD, Mark Pengelly, said “Congratulations to the Camden Care Homes team for achieving 250,000 RIDDOR accident free hours benchmark which is an achievement for us all to celebrate.

The site have maintained a positive approach to safety, health and the environment delivering Phase 1 to the client to the highest standards, and to top this achieving the RIDDOR free benchmark, well done to all involved in the project.”

Camden Care Homes Flies Bronze Flag

Camden Care Homes Team are Award the Kier Bronze SHE Flag

The seventh site to receive the Kier Construction London Board’s SHE Award is City Gateway. This award is presented every 2 months by the KCL Board to the site team, who in their opinion best performed against set criteria for Safety, Health and Environment. The award recognises the hard work and commitment by our staff and subcontractors in providing a safe and incident free environment on all of our sites. KCL MD, Mark Pengelly, said “The City Gateway team have demonstrated even our smaller projects can deliver the highest standards of safety, health and the environmental management expected, it’s through this type of commitment we will prevent the next accident.

The KCL Board were particularly impressed by the SHE Advisors statement in the nomination.

Caroline Mullins SHE Advisor for the project added “The Kier Site Management Team are very proactive and committed in delivering this site accident free, this is evident in the excellent working relationships formed between Kier and the contractors on site, great communication via morning prayers, SHE committee meetings and pre-planning of all tasks which are all very consistent.

The Kier SHE motto of “DON’T WALK BY” is well practiced on this project.”

City Gateway Wins KCL Board’s SHE Award

Project News

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Project News

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We are pleased to announce that the Board of Directors for Kier Construction London have agreed to the implementation of a Supply Chain SHE Award. This award will be presented every 3 months by the KCL Board to the successful Supply Chain subcontractor, who in their opinion best performed against set criteria for Safety, Health and Environment.

The first two sub-contractors to win the award are Relabond Ltd and T Lott Ltd. The award recognises the hard work and commitment by the subcontractor in providing an accident and incident free environment, working to the Kier SHE standards and assisting our project teams in creating a safe, healthy and environmentally sustainable place of work.

We are pleased to announce that the sixth site to receive the Kier Construction London Board’s SHE Award is Whipps Cross Hospital. This award is presented every 2 months by the KCL Board to the site team, who in their opinion best performed against set criteria for Safety, Health and Environment. The award recognises the hard work andcommitment by our staff and subcontractors in providing a safe and incident free environment on allof our sites.

KCL MD, Mark Pengelly, said “The Whipps Cross Hospital team have consistently achieved excellent APR reports, 3 of which were ‘all green’. This is the third time in a row the Whipps Cross Hospital team have been nominated and this consistent high level of commitment over the last 6 months deserved recognition. The site team also achieved 250,000 RIDDOR Accident Free Hours and were presented with the Kier Bronze SHE Flag. Congratulations and well done to all at Whipps Cross, a well-deserved win.”

Whipps Cross Hospital wins KCL Board’s SHE Award

Caroline Mullins - SHE Advisor, Paul Spurgeon - Contracts Manager, Gerry Hooper - M&E Manager, Alex McKenna - Supervisor, Richard Wheeler - Project

Manager, Dave Bevan - Assistant Site Manager, Indi Muttucumaru - Director, Ian Franklin - Assistant Project Surveyor, Roberto Corbishley - Project Surveyor and

John O’Reilly - Environmental Manager.

Supply Chain SHE Awards

(l-r): Patrick Lott (Director - T Lott), Noel Clohessy (Site Supervisor - T Lott), Spencer Baker (SHE Manager - T Lott), Tommy Lott (Managing Director - T Lott), Peter O’Rourke (Supply Chain Manager - KCL), John Abbott

(Director - KCL), Michael Gates (Site Manager - KCL),

(l-r): Patrick James (Foundation Degree Student), Ed Dwight (Site Manager), Indi Muttucumaru (SHE Director), Danny Murphy (Director – Relabond), Tony Durrant (Supervisor – Relabond), John Bolton (Senior Project Manager), David

Peace (Commercial Manager) and Kwok Yam (Works Manager).

T Lott Director Patrick Lott collects his award from Ops diector John Abbott.Relabond director Danny Murphy receives the award from SHE director Indi Muttucumaru

Relabond Ltd T Lott Ltd

Project News

Kier recently organised a Kier Occupational Health ‘Well Being Event’ which was successfully held at the Loughton office on 17th October 2013.

Dubbed as an “MOT” for men and woman, the Well Being event gave the opportunity for KCL employees to undergo a medical health check and a brief medical and discuss any health issues with a qualified Kier Occupational Health Nurse.

The event was promoted by a Newsflash and offered 40 places to KCL employees. The places were instantly snapped up and the event was a great success.

Focus on Well Being at Loughton

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On 20th June, ETZ Chaim Free School reached Practical Completion. The project involved the refurbishment and extension of an existing garden centre into a new 2 form entry primary school. This will be the eighth school procured under the PSCIP Framework with the London Borough of Barnet.

Kier team have been involved throughout the process from developing the design to putting the design through to planning and through to delivery on site, Kier were also involved in the preparation of an existing building in order for the school to use whilst the works on the main building were being carried out.

Etz Chaim first opened in Barnet in 2011 located on a temporary site and was one of the first free schools in the country teaching 76 pupils aged between three and six.

The new school has a B rating on the EPC certificate, the building is also fitted with PV panels on the roof providing power for the school and any surplus being sold back to the National Grid, these panels will save the school approx £1,000 per year.

Our work comprised of the retention and conversion of the existing facades. The existing central glass roof and glazed conservatory were removed followed by a single storey extension.

The rear of the site was opened up to form an open courtyard and play area with soft landscaping.

ETZ Chaim School reaches Practical Completion

Project News

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The Camden Care Homes project consists of the design and construction of a 120 bed care home and 35 bed extra care facility with associated external works.

Maitland Park Care Home is the first phase of the Camden Care Homes project to be completed. The Kier team handed over the home on 13th May 2013 which contains 60 care home bedrooms and 35 extra care self-contained flats and home is now opened to residents with all of the care home bedrooms, and many of the extra care flats occupied.

The Kier team have been involved throughout the process from developing the design to putting the design through to planning and through to delivery on site. The second phase of the project Wellesley Road started in August where there was a care home that housed a number of the residents. They have all have been moved into new the Maitland Park home.

The Wellesley Road home will be completed and handed over to Shaw healthcare in 2015.

Camden Care Homes -Maitland Park Handed Over

The new care homes offer valuable nursing care as well as a dementia-friendly design that will help residents to stay independent for longer. They feature guest rooms for visitors, bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms in bright, attractive buildings, outdoor terraces and landscaped gardens.

They also have places to socialise and facilities that bring the community into the homes. The extra-care sheltered housing meet the wishes of older people who want to stay living in a home with their own front door.

There are spacious communal areas including an activities room, cafe and dining areas and an exercise and pamper room.

The concrete framed building consists of residential wings around circulation and shared area nodes and externally we have used vertical timber cladding at these “nodes” to visually separate the two functions. All of the residential wings have either 1 or 2 bedroom flats, all of which have balconies. Underfloor heating and natural ventilation is incorporated throughout.

The windows line up externally as a direct result of the practical requirements of the internal layouts for each bedroom, which always ensures a good view for anyone who may be bed ridden.

Project Overview

Project News

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Congratulations to the project team at Canary Wharf Collage who have recently achieved 4 all Green’s reports from the last 5 APR Inspection Reports.

Kier Construction MD Mark Pengelly commented “Congratulations to the project team and contractors at Canary Wharf College, it’s good to see our smaller projects are able to demonstrate the same level of consistent commitment to SHE as our larger schemes. The logistical challenges faced at Canary Wharf College of an extremely tight site; immediately adjacent to a live primary school and directly on the back of the public footpath are considerable and make the team’s recent achievements even more commendable.”

The contract value is £3.8m and the aim of the project is to expand the current provision of the existing school from 1 form entry with 7 classes to 2 forms of entry with 14 classes.

This will be accomplished by providing accommodation over two floors for 8 additional classrooms plus a new admin office facility within a very tight site, whilst retaining the classrooms currently occupied by the College within part of the existing facility by way of a CLT brick clad frame which will provide the load bearing structure.

In order to accommodate the College’s student population growth, 2 temporary classrooms plus some ancillary office facilities have been installed within the site footprint.

The new facilities are required for no later than September 2014, although the intention is to complete ahead of this by Summer 2014.

Kier Group SHE advisors Hugh Barrs, Nick Winser and Jon Butterworth attended Mill Hill East Primary School on the 1st October 2013 for a site visit.

The Mill Hill project team had a good opportunity to promote the good work that we do at KCL and show the improvements we have made in SHE.

Mill Hill East Primary School

Orion Primary SchoolFollowing several site visits by the teachers of The Orion Primary School some of the pupils were given the opportunity to have a look at their new school during construction. The children having been recently taught about soil and rocks were keen to understand how the building was being constructed in particular how the concrete foundations were formed and placed in the ground.

The new four form entry school will have a total of 28 classrooms, nursery and theatre along with playing fields and sports pitches all providing for 940 pupils and 50 nursery children. The school is due to be completed March 2014.

Above: Project manager Darren Wisbey and site manager Pui Wong answer the children’s questions

Canary Wharf College Goes Green

AskHR, went live on 10 June 2013 for the Construction Division.

AskHR (01933 376 376) should be the first contact point for all general day to day queriesThe AskHR team will be working across Kier Group and as a result there will be a review of all current forms and processes to ensure consistency.

These changes will allow the HR Team in London to be more business focussed and proactive and will continue to provide local support

During the transition phase please continue to send all paperwork through to the HR Department in

Loughton, with the exception ofHoliday Request Forms, which should, following authorisation, be sent directly to AskHR.

Examples would be as follows, but this list is not exhaustive:• Holiday entitlement • Private medical insurance • Sickness queries • Pay • Maternity/Paternity/Family leave • Termination of employment

North Middlesex University Hospital (combined projects) has exceeded the 250,000 RIDDOR accident free hours benchmark.

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This achievement entitles the site to proudly display the Kier Bronze SHE Flag in recognition of their commitment to safety, health and environmental management.

KCL MD, Mark Pengelly, said “Congratulations to the team at North Middlesex University Hospital for achieving this significant Milestone of 250,000 RIDDOR accident free hours. The hard work and commitment shown by the Team in delivering safe, healthy and environmental place of work is another indicator Kier Construction London have taken another step forward towards our overall SHE Objective of ZERO AIR and beyond, thank you all for your dedication and commitment.”

The Kier Bronze SHE Flag was presented to Contracts Manager John Bolton and his entire Kier Team by Mark Pengelly.

Project News

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On 7th May 2013 Wolfson House was handed over. The Wolfson House redevelopment in Pimlico consists of 24 brand new 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes for of whick 17 were affordable rent and 7 for shared ownership. The project was completed on behalf of Sanctuary Housing Group and delivers much needed affordable homes in the heart of London.

The scope of our services under this design and build contract started with the extensive demolition of the 6 storey building in the tight inner–city network of Westminster. The building was then rebuilt to accommodate brand new contemporary living whilst externally retaining the local Georgian ‘Mock Regency’ architecture originally designed by Thomas Cubitt. The team worked closely with Westminster Council’s planners to produce moulds to replicate the stonework on the front and side elevations which had to match the surrounding area as the adjoining buildings are listed and the site was situated within a conservation area. Located in the Pimlico conservation area, we utilised the existing Pimlico District Heating System The building was connected to the Pimlico District Heating System which provides all heat and hot water to the scheme, with a backup conventional boiler installed.

The scheme also incorporates other renewable energy sources including PV panels to the roof which helped the homes to achieve Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4. All dwellings meet Lifetime Homes and Secured by Design standards with 3 of the general needs homes DDA approved for wheelchair users.

Wolfston House Completed

Kier Construction London appointed to design and construct 150 Residential units for Notting Hill Housing.

The contract value is £21.1m and the project is known as the Carterhatch Depot Site which is in Enfield, North London and comprises a mix of 2/3 storey houses and 4 story apartments blocks.

The former site was owned by the London Borough of Enfield and contained single storey warehouse and depot buildings used to house Enfield Council’s transport fleet.

Following the successful negotiations with Notting Hill Housing on this project, we are now negotiating a further scheme for 121 units known as North Circular Road which is also in the London Borough of Enfield.

Carterhatch Lane Contract Awarded

Bid TeamPeter Cobbald - Bid leader David Howell - Senior Estimator Mark Florence - Assistant Estimator Mark Causey - Building Services Manager Mark Fox - Senior SC Buyer Wayne Brady - Senior Planner John Balmain - Design Manager Bob Winwright - Senior Project Manager Steve Fox - Contracts Officer

Project Delivery TeamPaul Whitworth - Contracts Manager Ramzies Dacres - Area Surveyor Bob Winwright - Senior Project Manager David Skinsley - Surveyor Oliver Bartrum - Assistant Surveyor

In September Kier Construction London were invited to enter a team in the annual CRASH Charity Golf day held at Dryham Park Golf and Country Club.

The team consisting of Alan Sweeney, Malcolm Burton, Kevin Major and Darren Wisbey accepted the invitation and along with teams from 11 other construction organisations for a day of competitive golf.

CRASH is a practical charity addressing the issues of homelessness by harnessing the skills, products and goodwill of the construction and property industry.

In total £3,100 was raised during the day and all the team members are looking forward to being invited to enter next year’s event.

Charity Golf Day for CRASHBy Malcolm Burton

Charity News

A group of Kier London staff responded to a call to take part in the National 3 Peaks Challenge, and in doing so, take part in a Group wide effort to raise £20,000 for the Kier Foundation and Barnardo’s.

The group trained all over the country in preparation for the event, and braved the unusually late snowfalls, bracing British spring and appalling Bank Holiday weather in the six months leading up to the event.

Despite some appalling weather we achieved the task in an array of times; all of which constituted significant personal achievements and we were fuelled by some of the most scientifically advanced food supplements know to modern man; most notably pot noodles and pringles and a mixture of boiled eggs and sardines!

It was without doubt an extremely tough challenge but made “almost” enjoyable by the fantastic camaraderie of all of those taking part. The most rewarding aspect of challenges such as these is not only the superb support from all of our sponsors that helped us raise a fantastic £22,000 but the collective strength of a group of individuals of very mixed ability all pulling together to support each other achieve something that is a million miles away from their normal day jobs.

So I would like thank all the organizers for a perfectly run event, all those who took part and made such and enjoyable experience and to all our sponsors for the fantastic generosity in helping us surpass our original target.

By Mark Pengelly

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3 Peaks Challenge Team raises £22,000 for Charity

Charity News

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Team Building Day at Little Havens

On Wednesday 27th November members of the Procurement Team embarked on the long journey (for some of us!) to Little Haven’s Hospice in Leigh-on-Sea to get involved in some corporate volunteering.

Little Haven’s Hospice is a sanctuary for terminally ill children and their families; a really magical place with excellent facilities and professional, caring staff.

The Kier team braved the cold, the damp (and frizzy hair!), donned our PPE and went to town on their extensive grounds. They had us raking leaves, laying slabs, fixing fences and even rescuing a statue of Gandalf the Grey!

We had great fun and felt really pleased that we were able to give our time to such a worthy cause. We plan to return again next year (although probably in the summer this time!).

By Loretta Prince

The planning team based at the Loughton office supported the Directors on their Movember

Board Challenge and raised over £100 for the Kier Foundation.

Movember 2013

Project manager Ian Saunders and his team working at City Gateway have been supporting the local community centre.

Alpha Grove is a community centre which offers social and recreational services to local people in the Isle of Dogs area. The team’s support of the centre included:• Reviewing their Fire Strategy Report• Donating and fitting Fire Doors to the

centre to ensure it complies with the recent fire report

• Fire Marshall training for staff• Painting of the main hall• £50 donation towards new equipment,

(donated from our supply chain through their safety award)

• Networking with the client of the City Gateway project to arrange construction of perimeter wall for the centre

• Roof Survey

As well as donating the fire doors, painting the community hall and suppling the floor finishes, the team also helped City Gateway constructions course with donations of lecturing time and timber, plywood, doors and linings as well as plumbing fittings, paint and ceramic tiles to assist with their curriculum. They have also raised £400 by scoring over 40 points from CCS on two visits.

City Gateway Supports Alpha Grove

Kier apprentice John Lye, with Alpha Grove caretaker Colin Webb.

Kier People

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John Bolton has been promoted to the position of Contract manager.

John joined Kier in 1998 as a summer placement student, and for the past 7 years he has been predominantly involved with managing P21 and P21+ Healthcare schemes. John is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and Chartered Institute of Building and is a Supervising Civil Engineer for Graduates as well as being a mentor for Team Leader Apprentices.

John is also a member of the SUSA committee and Management Review Group.

Congratulations to...

Paul Campbell married Stacy on 8th of August in a lovely ceremony in Royal Chace Hotel in Enfield. They will go on their Honeymoon in the New Year.

We are pleased to announce an excellent set of final results for the BSc Honours Degree group of Foundation Degree Programme this year. Assistant surveyor Andrew Jellett (pictured below) gained a 2:1 and finished 5th in his class of 17.

Site manager Shea Linnane (pictured below) gained a 2.1 and finished 9th in the same class of 17 students.

Kier People

And a Special Welcome to our New Editions

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Imran and Zara Tabbasum had a their first son on 28th June. Isa weighed 8lb 4ozs.

Bhavna Khetani had a healthy little baby girl on 9th November. She weighed 6lb 11ozs.

Michael and Jo Salisbury had their son, Max on 4th September 2013.

Scott and Candy Taylor had their first daughter on 15th Nov. Palmer weighed 8lb 7ozs.

Mark and Gillian Fox had a little boy on 21st July. Callum Elliott weighed 6lb 15oz.

Alex and Kathleen Keats had their first son, Henry on 29th August. He weighed 6lb 4ozs.

The sequence is as follows:The larva leaves the water and attaches itself to vegetation having lost its ability, via gills, to breathe underwater.

The adult bursts through its larval skin, the head exiting first through a hole in the thorax. The adults body (thorax) follows with the legs folded inwards. The new adult then extracts its legs and holds onto the larval case (exuvia) as it eases the first abdominal segments free.

It reaches back and then rests whilst its legs harden. Once hardened the adult reaches forward holding the exuvia and extricates the remainder of its body from the case.

Body fluids are used to pump up the wings. Once fully expanded the adult is about twice as long as

its larval case or exuvia. After about an hour or so the wings, although still reflective have hardened sufficiently to enable the teneral adult to take its first maiden flight!

I was privileged to record this event involving a Four-spotted Chaser just up the road to our Loughton office at Goldings Hill Ponds. Most of the action I recorded during my lunch break but with my time running out and the Dragonfly only just beginning to emerge I had to seek permission for an extended lunch period so I didn’t miss it all!

Dragonflies have a life cycle of egg - larvae - emergence - adult and some species can spend up to 3-4 years in a pond or mud before emergence to their brief life as an adult.

These insects have always fascinated me and the colours and detail of the adults get even more incredible the closer you get.

Wildlife feature

The original Aliens film starring Sigourney Weaver was best remembered for that dramatic scene when we all jumped as we got our first glimpse of the newly formed young alien emerging from John Hurt’s stomach. Well perhaps the inspiration for this scene was from an event that has been happening for millions of years and that continues every year in the reed beds around our ponds unseen by most of us?

It is of course the emergence of the Dragonfly, not from a prolonged pupal stage like the butterfly but directly from its own larva, leaving its exoskeleton (exuvia) behind as can be seen in the images below.

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Aliens – Eat your heart out!by Steve Jellett

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Kier Construction, 2 Langston Road, Loughton, Essex. IG10 3SDwww.kier.co.uk