Area Focus: Mid Warwickshire
Schoolfriends work on same project
Pupils enjoy a hearty breakfast at Hatton Adventure World! A healthy full English breakfast was served to 27 school children at Hatton Adventure World. Children aged 6–7 from Ferncumbe Church of England School in Hatton were collected by tractor and open-top trailer and transported to Hatton Adventure World, where they learnt about the benefits of eating a hearty breakfast, while enjoying locally sourced bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, baked beans and wholemeal toast. Breakfast was served by local farmers and members of the Warwickshire branch of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU). Matt Western, MP for Warwick & Leamington also enjoyed breakfast with the children after meeting with local famers to discuss farming issues. He said: “I enjoyed meeting the children and eating breakfast with them after a very productive meeting with local farmers to discuss the big issues in our community”. Chris Mann, NFU Branch Chairman, Central Warwickshire, said “The NFU are pleased to encourage children to eat a good hearty breakfast. Going to school having eaten a nutritious breakfast gives children many health benefits and helps them perform well in the classroom”. Kerri Grubb, a teacher from Ferncumbe School, said: “It’s great to have Hatton Adventure World on our doorstep and for children to visit the Farmyard so they can appreciate the link between the animals they feed and the healthy food they eat.” Richard Craddock, Adventure World Manager at Hatton, said: “Hatton Adventure World enjoyed working with the NFU and feeding pupils from Ferncumbe School. It’s so important for children to understand why breakfast is so essential, especially at this time of year when many are susceptible to colds”. After breakfast the children were accompanied around the farmyard to feed and pet the animals.
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L/R AC Lloyd’s Steve Essex, Dan Whiting and Shay Browne at Oakley Grove in Leamington
Two apprentices who have known each other since primary school are working alongside each other at a new housing development in Leamington. Sixteen-year-old Dan Whiting and Shay Browne, aged 17, have been recruited as apprentice carpenters by Warwick-based AC Lloyd Homes and are working on helping to build properties in phase 1B at Oakley Grove in Harbury Lane, Bishop’s Tachbrook. The teenagers have been friends since meeting at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Leamington and they also both attended Myton School in Warwick.
Now, Dan and Shay are studying for their NVQ level two in carpentry and joinery at Moreton Morrell College, which is part of Warwickshire College Group, one day a week and the rest of the week they are putting their new carpentry skills into action from adding stud walls to skirting boards in the two, three, four and five-bedroom homes at Oakley Grove. Dan is fully au fait with homes created by AC Lloyd since he lives in Oakley Grove 1A with his parents, David and Kerry, and brothers, Michael (24) and Callum (15). He said: “We love living in our AC Lloyd home and I am enjoying working with people on the site because it is hands-on work.
“I thought I might be sweeping up but I am learning all about carpentry from more experienced colleagues which is a much better way to learn than sitting in a college all day.” Shay, who lives in Whitnash, agreed that being an apprentice was a great insight into the world of work. He said: “I have known Dan since primary school and we went to the same senior school and now we are working on the same housing development and going to college every Monday. “I have always preferred practical learning rather than book learning – design and technology was one of my favourite subjects since it was practical.” Steve Essex, health and safety officer at AC Lloyd Homes whose headquarters are in Tachbrook Park, Warwick, said apprentices are vital to the construction industry.
“It is great we are helping Dan and Shay to learn the carpentry skills they need at the start of what I hope will be a long career in the sector,” he said. “AC Lloyd Homes is no different to any other property development business – we need apprentices coming through the industry and apprenticeships are a great way to encourage young people. “I have been really pleased with the level of skill and dedication Dan and Shay have shown since they joined us. “It can be daunting joining a site where around 80 people are working but they have fitted really well into the team and they are both learning important skills.” Around 130 properties are being built at Oakley Grove IB which are expected to be completed towards the end of 2020.
“It is great we are helping Dan and Shay to learn the carpentry skills they need at the start of what I hope will be a long career in the sector.”
A positive association for Sarah Tomson Associates and Glued Two Leamington Spa based companies have seen the benefit of trading locally. Sarah Tomson Associates already had a brand identity for their new start HR services business but the business was struggling with how to express and get their message across. Sarah met fellow chamber member David Wilson of Glued at a networking event and agreed to meet to see if there was anything their respective businesses could work on together. It became clear in the first meeting that Sarah Tomson Associates had a strong and valuably different business
proposition. The challenge was how to express that. This is where Glued’s strengths lie. Following a subsequent intensive meeting with Sarah Tomson David Wilson was able to draw out a narrative theme that expressed the rationale behind the Sarah Tomson Associates’ business proposition. This concluded with a range of potential straplines. With the narrative and straplines as the creative brief Glued went on to develop and build the look, feel and messaging for the Sarah Tomson Associates brand guidelines, web site and exhibition graphics.
Sarah Tomson of Sarah Tomson Associates and David Wilson of Glued celebrating their association and local trading.
Sarah said “The work Glued have done has given me the confidence and story to go out and promote my business faceto-face and on line. And as a consequence business is good.” David Wilson of Glued was keen to convey what his business
had got out of the engagement “We were invigorated and refreshed by Sarah Tomson’s proposition and it’s that which makes it all the more fun and satisfying to create her communications and marketing material.”
“The work Glued have done has given me the confidence and story to go out and promote my business face-to-face and on line. And as a consequence business is good.” www.cw-chamber.co.uk