The Chevron Group employee newsletter Summer 2022
The cone ranger!
Why is Michael Christie dressed like this?
Long, hot summer
From festivals to shows, find out what events Chevron has been working on this summer
Find out what makes Chevron…
A winning
team!
INSIDE “A rollercoaster”
Helping hands
A splash of colour
What our operations team thinks about Chevron
Some of the things our staff have done for those in need
How we’ve been brightening up local communities
2 | Newsletter Summer 2022
Welcome Message from Tim Cockayne
It’s hard to believe that we are over halfway through the year and already in the middle of an extremely busy events calendar. It’s fantastic to see our events teams back doing what they do best, following a very challenging two years which practically ended this area of our business. This year, we are providing traffic management services to all type of events from large scale festivals to high-profile concerts, from international sports events to regional marathons, half-marathons and triathlons, from agricultural shows to community festivals, from Jubilee celebrations to Remembrance parades. The team down in Somerton have just delivered a first-class service to Glastonbury, which is arguably the biggest outdoor event in the UK with over 200,000 music lovers and 3,000 artists attending the festival over 5 days. Anyone who has attended, or even watched Glastonbury on TV will appreciate the scale of the traffic management planning and delivery required by this event alone. At Retford, the team have been managing multiple events almost every weekend, including a series of Let’s Rock Festivals which they secured for the first time this year and the Outlaw Triathlons which Chevron TM have been doing for over 25 years. The fact that customers return to us year after year is testament to the exceptional service we deliver. Shift Traffic Events joined the Chevron Group last December and have a full calendar of events particularly in London. Ride London was a major event which included a FreeCycle event, which closed off an eight-mile route in central London to give cyclists of all ages, abilities and background the opportunity to see London in a safe, traffic-free environment. We’ve recently introduced a number of changes to our Operations Structure, with the appointment of Louise Cope as Chief Operating Officer to help us build on our success, prioritise and deliver for hispeed and low-speed customers and best channel
“It’s fantastic to see our events teams back doing what they do best, following a very challenging two years which practically ended this area of our business.” our experience and expertise in these areas. Dennis Gregg has been appointed Chevron TM Managing Director Hi-Speed, North and will also continue to oversee major projects within the region. Steve Pope has been appointed Chevron TM Managing Director, Hi-Speed South overseeing learning, development, technical training and will also support Chevron Green Services while Chris Morley will take up the role of Chevron TM Managing Director Low-Speed for England and Wales. You can read more about Dennis, Steve and Chris in the newsletter. Also inside the newsletter are more detail on our new rewards platform, Fill Your Boots which has been organised by the People Team. It’s a fantastic platform through which you can make savings of up to £1000 per year! It is personal to you so you can choose the discounts and offers that suit you. If you haven’t already signed up, you could be missing out on some great discounts. As always, the first half of the year has been extremely busy across all our businesses and once again, you have gone the extra mile to deliver for our customers. I want to thank you for all your efforts. As schools start to break up for the holidays and some of you will be taking a well-earned break, I want to wish you a fun-filled, enjoyable summer. Tim Cockayne CEO
3 | Newsletter Summer 2022
Helping Hands
We have a team of fantastically generous employees across the group who give their time and money to help those in need. Here is a selection of some of the great work they have done.
Blooming Great Work These two lovely ladies from Age UK Bradbury House were the first to try out a new gardening shed which was donated and installed by Chevron TM in Stafford. We have been supporting Bradbury House for many years and on a recent visit, Operations Manager, Martin Johnson noticed that their potting shed needed to be replaced. Andrew Avey and Reece Durns removed the old shed while Tony Rolls laid the concrete. The guys then returned and installed the new potting shed. Bradbury House specialises in daycare for people with complex needs including dementia. Gardening is a key activity for their clients so we were only too glad to support these services with their new shed.
Newport Mind Hats off to Miles Griffin and Shawn Enos from Newport depot who are trekking the Beacon Way in support of their friend who lost his mother and uncle to suicide and to raise awareness of mental health issues and raise funds for mental health charity, Newport Mind. Miles and Shawn will hike the 159 kilometre trail over five days, beginning on 3rd August and will be joined by some depot colleagues, including Rhys Clarke and Matt Church. This is a challenging fundraiser, and we wish the guys well. If you can support Miles and Shawn, scan the QR code below.
Float like a butterfly In April, Morgan Thompson from our Manchester depot took part in a charity boxing match to raise money for two very worthy causes. The first was for a local gym that focuses on children who are struggling, being bullied or heading down a wrong path and gives them purpose and discipline. The second was for the family of our friend and colleague, Kevin Jarvis, following his tragic death in February. Morgan trained hard and while he was narrowly defeated, he was ultimately a winner, raising a fantastic £3,835. Well done Morgan.
Winning Team Last year, we took part in the Balfour Beatty Annual Charity Touch Rugby Tournament. We came a respectable third. This year, the tournament was back on and the Chevron TM Rugby team headed to London Irish Club with one thing on their mind...to win! And that’s exactly what they did. Led by Chris Davis and Jack Simons, the Chevron TM team were undefeated in a tournament of 24 teams and took home the cup. The tournament raised £20,000 for Heathrow Community Trust, British Heart Foundation, Teenage Cancer Trust and SCAPE. Well done to all involved. An outstanding result all round.
4 | Newsletter Summer 2022
R a o s i . l . l e . e r f r e i t c s oa L
A few weeks ago, we announced a change to the structure of our Operations function. Louise Cope was appointed Chief Operating Officer and Dennis Gregg and Steve Pope were appointed Managing Director for Hi-Speed in the North and South while Chris Morley took up the role of Chevron TM Managing Director LowSpeed for England and Wales. So who are Dennis, Steve and Chris? We caught up with the guys to find out more about them. It was interesting that two of them described their careers as a rollercoaster and two said that the best thing about Chevron TM is the people!
Chris Morley
ement since Chris has worked in Traffic manag ards Urban 1994 and has always leaned tow ber of TM num a up and 12D works. He has set Events ffic Tra companies, most recently, Shift TM in December which was acquired by Chevron 2021
What makes low-speed work different? Low-speed TM can be a lot more complicated than hi-speed with more moving parts, switch outs, suspensions, parked cars etc that can change the original plan. The 12D operative has a number of considerations or challenges prior to install. Chevron TM is the largest Hi-speed business and I want to help build the 12D Urban low speed element of the company so that we are the first choice and largest in this arena also. What are the biggest changes you have seen in TM since you joined the industry? The industry has evolved and become a lot more professional in its approach to Health and Safety which I see as a very positive thing. The introduction of crash cushions in high speed in 2002 was the start of what is now normal practice in SRN. Also contractors have moved away from self-delivery. Traffic management has become more of an specialised sub contract for low speed 12D works.
“Rollercoaster” What makes Chevron TM and Shift the success they are? We are only as good as our last job! We recognise that and do everything in our power to make sure that if the ball is dropped, we do everything we can to rectify the situation. It’s about offering a great service and managing unexpected situations to ensure we give confidence to our customers so they come back to us. If you had one piece of advice for a TM Operative, what would it be? You get out what you put in. There are a tonne of opportunities in this business if you are hardworking and patient. Tell us an interesting, strange, funny thing that happened to you while working in TM. I have had many funny and strange experiences whilst working in this industry but I can’t print most of them. I have met great characters and have been guilty of giving people nicknames which have stood the test of time. There’s been Floppy, Carpark, Flash and Nightmare. I’m sure some people will read this and know who I’m talking about. Give us three words to describe your career to date. A rollercoaster ride. Some bits great, some bits scary and not so great but I’d pay to go on and do it all again. One final piece of advice to operatives…take pride in your work and enjoy the ride!
5 | Newsletter Summer 2022
Steve Pope
in 2019 as part Steve joined the Chevron Group which he had set of the acquisition of Acones Ltd around TM for up in 2009. He has worked in and sub-contractors the past 19 years, firstly using TM ures when for relaxed and mobile lane clos the highways undertaking soft estates works on ss. then starting his own TM busine
What are the biggest changes you have seen in TM since you joined the industry? There have been many changes to standard and relaxed high-speed closures since I joined the industry. The introduction of Interim Advice Notices (Standards for Highways) and subsequently Raising the Bar documents by National Highways to identify best practice, raise standards and improve supply chain engagement have have resulted in much safer standards for all operations.
Dennis Gregg
Dennis has been working in traffic management for over 31 years and joined Chevron TM in 2019, bringing a wealth of experience with him. What are the biggest changes you have seen in TM since you joined the industry? I have seen a great deal of change in the industry over the last 30 years, particularly in safer ways of working. When I started my first day of my TM career, I was issued with my PPE which was a single short sleeve vest, a used hi viz coat in case it rained and I was told I had buy my own rigger boots when I had the time. We only have to look at the PPE we issue our operatives to see that we have come a long, long way since then. What makes Chevron TM the success it is? That’s an easy question to answer. It’s the people. I have worked in some great environments over the years and without a doubt Chevron are right at the top when it comes to the people I work with. The passion, enthusiasm and drive to be the best they can is great to see and be part of.
“Challenging” What makes Chevron TM the success it is? This is easy….the people at Chevron are outstanding. If you had one piece of advice for a TM operative, what would it be? Take your time to learn and understand the methods and processes and stay safe and look out for your colleagues. Sorry couldn’t just give one piece of advice! Tell us an interesting, strange or funny thing that happened to you while working in TM I closed the road where Dennis Waterman (Minder) lived and ended up having a beer and a BBQ after work with him. A thoroughly nice chap! RIP Dennis. Give us three words to describe your career to date. Rollercoaster. Enjoyable. Challenging.
“Exciting” Tell us an interesting, strange or funny thing that happened to you while working in TM In my first role as a Traffic Safety and Control officer way back in 1993, I was asked to take part in a BBC documentary. I was to be filmed installing an advanced 3m x 4m crossover sign. To make a very long story shorter, on the night we were being filmed I forgot to add the sand bags to act as a counterbalance. I tried to lift the sign, got it to my chest height, which really isn’t that high and couldn’t get it any further no matter how hard I tried. After a few moments I eventually realised what I had done and had to start all over again. For some reason the film crew thought this was part of the process, left it in the final edit and the documentary went out. I have only ever seen the footage once on the night it was aired and do not want to see it again. Give us three words to describe your career to date. Exciting. Enjoyable. Challenging. If you had one piece of advice for a TM Operative, what would it be? Always be aware of your surroundings and stay safe.
6 | Newsletter Summer 2022
Things they say… Championing our customers is at the heart of what we do. We work every day to deliver for our customers, so it is always a pleasure to when they take the time to tell us what they think. This is some of the feedback we have received over the past few months…
Thank You! “This is an appreciation message for Jamie Hurst and Sam Gallagher from Chevron Green Services who were trimming the hedges on the M25 on Tuesday. My dad broke down and the guys took time out of their day to give him a hand and get him moving. These guys definitely deserve some sort of commendation.”
Cracking Effort “I would like to highlight the excellent work carried out by Chevron Green. It was a cracking effort by all to ensure that all the works were completed and to a very high standard. Chevron Green Services went above and beyond what was required of them and really did a thorough and excellent job throughout these closures.”
Positive reports We received the following feedback from Costain. “Just wanted to drop you a quick email about Brad Palmer. We have had several positive reports from Costain staff across both schemes, culminating in a positive report received from our Works Superintendent, who watched him operate the manned lights on Longbank. He was impressed with the actions Brad was taking and felt the way he was working was in the best interests of the scheme, our client and ultimately the customer. Please pass on our thanks to Brad.”
In safe hands Our team working on the A423 Kennington Bridge were praised by Milestone Infrastructure for their actions in avoiding a confrontation and theft of a vehicle. They had been briefed that there was the potential for thefts in the area so they were proactively locking vehicles at all times. Two men approached the vehicle and when they realised it was locked, they demanded the key. Our operatives did not engage in any confrontation. They walked away from the would-be carjackers and called the police. This simple action ensured that the vehicle was secure and no harm was done. Nice work!
Defining standards A massive well done to the team in the South-East who achieved an amazing score in their Defining Blue, Costain Subcontractor Performance Review on 24/03/22. The score achieved puts Chevron TM in the top performance banding within Costain on the Area 4 CWF contract. The feedback stated, “To achieve a score of 800+ out of 1000 is a fantastic result and is credit to the hard work and commitment of all of your team and we thank you for your effort and commitment to the Area 4 CWF contract. Chevron TM was awarded some schemes very late on but were able to mobilise and deliver these to a high standard. You have really raised the bar over the past few months and have made significant contributions on the A26 Newhaven, A27 Falmer and A27 Upper Brighton schemes in particular. These have been complicated schemes in busy locations; you have strived to improve each shift in order to maintain and enhance the safety aspects by protecting the workforce and reacting to the continually changing interface with the public on a daily basis. Thanks again for your Defining Blue performance.”
7 | Newsletter Summer 2022
Congratulations and Celebrations We love a reason to celebrate and there is always plenty to celebrate in the Chevron Group, whether it is a new contract, a new acquisition or a job well done. This time we are celebrating three colleagues.
32 years and counting Chris Davis, our Business Development Director has marked an amazing 32 years with the Chevron Group. Chris is not sure how this has happened as it only feels like yesterday since he took his first steps into traffic management. Chris, that is an unbelievable service. The Chevron Group is a much better place with your experience, calm manner and good humour. Congratulations on your commitment and here’s to the next 32 years!
Has it really been 10 years? Congratulations goes to Ryan McKenna who has celebrated 10 years with Class One TM. Ryan is a massive part of the team as MD, Mike Healey’s words show. “It seems only yesterday that Ryan started his career with Class One as a fresh-faced 21-year-old with a big personality. Fast forward 10 years and Ryan is now a supervisor here and a well-respected member of staff. He is one of our most knowledgeable employees, especially in relation to highspeed projects. With his trademark smile and sense of humour, Ryan can often be found on the premises working on team briefings before going onto a live site environment. Worth a mention as well that Ryan is great fun and Class One’s resident party animal! Thank you, Ryan, you are a pleasure to work.” Well Done Ryan!
Chris is pictured with Marvin Gayle who joined the Chevron Group as our Group Business Development Manager in April. Marvin, you only have 31 years and 8 months to go to beat Chris’ record.
Cone Goal Congratulations to Michael Christie, one of the Contract Managers at HBS in Belfast who got married recently. We don’t have a wedding photo. We’ve gone one better and have a photo of the groom-to-be on his stag night when he was “persuaded” by his HBS colleagues to wear a cone costume for the duration of his stag. Fair play to Michael. We just hope his wedding photos didn’t involve road signs or traffic cones.
8 | Newsletter Summer 2022
Rugby in Rwanda Andrew Roach is a TSCO in Newport depot. He is also a referee for the Welsh Rugby Union and has travelled the length and breadth of Wales, refereeing all level of matches. In June, he had a slightly longer journey when he joined a group of Welsh referees and travelled to Rwanda to teach rugby to children and train older people to become referees so they can keep the game of rugby alive in Rwanda. During the week-long trip, Andrew and his fellow referees gave their time, skills and rugby kits which had been donated by Welsh rugby clubs to the local clubs and were treated like royalty. The local people had very little. Some of the children only got fed in school because there was no food at home and some as young as six years old, walked for over an hour just to watch the rugby tournament. “It was a really humbling experience,” explains Andrew. “We visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial where we were treated to a wonderful tribal dance and we got to play and teach rugby with some of the loveliest people in the world. The joy and love we saw was amazing. It was an exceptional experience.” It sounds fantastic, Andrew. We are sure you made a long-lasting impression on the lives of everyone you met in Rwanda!
Wateraid We love an opportunity to get out of the hi-vis gear and get our glad rags on, so the teams at Chevron TM and Shift Traffic Events got dressed up and headed off to the Severn Trent Roaring 20s ball on Saturday in aid of WaterAid. We were proud to support this fantastic event which raised much needed funds for this very deserving charity. The event raised an amazing £254,000. Congratulations to all involved. It was a great night! And doesn’t everyone look great!
Seeing is Believing Technology has and continues to change the face of traffic management and HRS is leading that change. They have developed some fantastic products which have undoubtedly improved safety for road workers and road users and are regarded as best practice within the industry. Massive credit has to go to the team at HRS who have been knocking the doors of the industry for many years, changing mindsets and convincing the industry that digital traffic management is the way forward. They regularly attend industry events, product demonstrations and myth-busting sessions across the UK to push the digital message and have supported the Chevron Group businesses to showcase the range of digital products to our clients. The Chevron Group has built a reputation for delivering digital traffic management, thanks to collaboration across all our businesses. Let’s keep it going and continue to build our reputation.
9 | Newsletter Summer 2022
A splash of colour An art competition, a colour run and signpost painting are just some of the things we have been doing to bring a bit of colour to our local communities. Archie Art Attack Buchanan We recently ran an art aged 6 competition for our children asking them to draw pictures to show us what traffic management was all about. We had a fantastic response and some very happy winners who won scooters and trampolines as their chosen prizes! Well done to:
Alice Jones
Blake McLean
aged 11
aged 7
Hayden Strickland aged 10
Pointing the way Chevron TM has worked with WJ Group for many years and were delighted to get involved in a project which brightened up a local community. Craig Diviney and Luke Chenery from our Detling depot swapped cones and signs for paint and paintbrushes to help employees from WJ Group paint milestone posts on Sustrans National Cycle Network, Route 21 in East Grinstead. And we think they did a great job. This simple activity has certainly brightened up the cycle path and received a lot of positive comments from cyclists and walkers. “These signs always fascinated me but they look fab with a coat of paint.” Well done to all involved.
Colour run colour fun We love getting involved with local schools and supporting them where we can. We were delighted to help the Friends of St Lawrence Primary School in Lechlade, Gloucestershire who organised a colour run to raise much-needed school funds. Over 180 children took part and judging by the photos and the smiles, they had an amazing time. The organisers told us, “We couldn’t have organised and delivered an event like this without your donation so thank you very much. The money raised from this event will go towards St. Lawrence pupils and providing the ‘extras’ that might not be available otherwise.”
10 | Newsletter Summer 2022
Long, hot
summer! The events teams across the group are currently busy providing traffic management for events up and down the country.
With the summer season in full swing, there are loads of festivals, sporting events, community fairs, agricultural shows and concerts taking place up and down the country. Hopefully, you can all get to enjoy some of them but spare a thought for our fabulous events teams in Chevron TM, Shift Traffic Events and Class One TM who are at the heart of providing traffic management services to some of the biggest and smallest events in the country. We all know that event TM can make or break an event. Poorly planned or executed traffic management can have a devastating impact on an event, with customer complaints, social media frenzies and loss of repeat customers. This makes the work that our events teams do even more important. We deliver time and time again, delivering first-class services and returning year on year to the same events. Amazingly, in September David Abbott at our Retford Depot will be looking after the Burghley Horse Trials for the 36th year. This is a phenomenal record which says a whole lot about the service we provide. We are only halfway through the events calendar with plenty more to come over the next few months. Here is a roundup of just some of the events we have looked after so far this year….
Bikers Groove In April, up to 4000 bikers took part in the 23 mile Bike4Life ride out from Shrewsbury park & ride to RAF Cosford Museum. The Chevron TM events team from Stafford & Retford provided a safe, closed road network of the A5 & M54 eastbound. The Bike4Life is a truly wonderful event, which raised over £100,000 for Midlands Air Ambulance.
Ride London From motorbikes to push bikes. Shift Traffic Events was the traffic management provider for RideLondon. As part of the plans, they created an 8-mile closure to allow participants to cycle freely around the city and take in the sights in a traffic-free and completely safe environment.
11 | Newsletter Summer 2022
Jubilee Celebrations
CONTACT US
Many of our depots across the group worked with local authorities, county councils, parish councils, carnival committees and event planners across the UK to deliver traffic management services and help local communities celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
If you have any news stories, want further information on any subject or have any queries, please contact our Group Marketing & Communications Team brand@ChevronTM.com
Green green grass It’s grass cutting season across the country which means a really busy time for Chevron Green Services. The crews across Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire are in full flow, with six teams out this year, usually with up to five operatives per team. As you’d imagine, grass cutting is machinery-heavy, with tractors, side, front and orbital flails, ride on mowers and the Unimog all being used, alongside strimmers and brushcutters for the more delicate work. The grass cuts are predominantly on the roadside, including slip roads, roundabouts, approaches to junctions and crossovers. 75% of the work is taking place at night in a rolling enclosure, which keeps disruption to the travel public to a minimum.
Glastonbury In terms of scale, profile and visitor numbers, it probably doesn’t get much bigger than Glastonbury but the team from Somerton were on hand to deliver manage the traffic for the world-renowned festival.
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See you soon…
Get onboard!
Have you signed up to Fill Your Boots yet? This is our fantastic new platform* offering discounts and savings from a range of retailers and high street stores which could save you up to £1000 a year. It went live on 11th July and colleagues are already saving on it. If you haven’t signed up, you could be missing out. Check your emails for an email from Fill Your Boots Support which allows you to activate your account. It’s that simple!
There are loads of discounts and offer available including up to 19% saving on airport car parking with Holiday Extras, 10% discount on Hotels.com and 10% at Pizza Hut or Pizza Express. Fill Your Boots is your platform. The more you use it, the more you will benefit from it so login and start saving!
* Fill Your Boots is currently unavailable to Class One TM and Shift Traffic Events.
Don’t forget your friends The Chevron Group is continuing to recruit and there really isn’t a better time to join us because: l We are offering a £500* joining bonus to new employees who are fully qualified 12AB, 12D or Foremen l We are offering £750* to existing employees who bring friends to us l We have just introduced our new Fill Your Boots platform which can save you up to £1,000 per year. The people team are doing a fantastic job at bringing new employees to the Chevron Group but they need your help which in turn helps you because the sooner we can fill our existing vacancies, the sooner the pressure eases on colleagues across the businesses. So if you know of anyone who would be a good fit for the Chevron Group, particularly as Traffic Management Operatives, let your depot manager know or email careers@chevrontm.com. You could be sitting on a £750 bonus. *Terms and Conditions apply