Grosvenor In The Know Dec 2014

Dec 2014

GROSVENOR

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N E W S L E T T E R

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SERVICES

include it in our next edition.

Dear Readers, SPE CI AL POINTS OF INTEREST: 

A note from Bernard

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Message from Mary

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Competitions

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Staff News

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Work News

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Extra Mile Award

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FunZone

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What's Cooking

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Notice board

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The Social Committee

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Charity

I am pleased to publish our 4th and final edition of Grosvenor in the Know for 2014.

Lastly, I would like to thank all of you, particularly my colleagues and friends in Sandyford who have been so good to me (this slightly special year) I am so grateful for everything.

I would like to take this opportunity to Thank You all for your very positive feedback relating to the magazine over the past 3 years and I ask you to continue to send in your good news, achievements, articles, opinions and ideas because without you, ITK doesn't work. If you December ‘14 have anything you would like featured in the next edition please email me and I would be happy to

Thank you, also, to everyone who has contributed towards the many fundraisers, and fancy dress days this year— you cannot deny the great atmosphere and ’buzz’ we have enjoyed this as a result.

Here's to a happy and successful 2015!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Marianne x

...

Hi Everyone, As we enter into the Christmas Season and the close of 2014, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your hard work, commitment and dedication over the past year.

2014 was a good year for Grosvenor. We have grown both our facilities and cleaning divisions and in February we purchased Charter Security launching us into the London security market. There were also significant successes during the year, which saw us expand with our premium retail clients within the UK and into the United states. The facilities business has continued to grow with significant clients in 2014 such as Coca Cola, Henkel and in early 2015 with Proctor and Gamble. We also launched our new brand to the market.

The New Year will be an exciting one for Grosvenor services. Our first major security contract in Ireland will commence in the early part of the year. I look forward to sharing with you soon, further news on growth plans and service streams we plan to add to our business offerings.

We continue on our three year journey to achieve our strategic goals and our growth plans which are designed to ensure we achieve success as an international leader in facility services delivering long term value to our customers, employees and shareholders. We do this through customer service excellence, enhancing leadership and development for our people, maximising awareness of our brand and improving our systems and support services. I ask you to join me in embracing our goals and working as a team to deliver quality and excellence in everything that we do. Your contribution in your own role in the company is crucial and muchvalued.

Thanks to the efforts of our head office team, the festive atmosphere is very much evident in the workplace here in Dublin, as I hope it is where you are!

On a personal note, I wish you and your family a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Bernard Mc Cauley Group Managing Director

...

Hello Everyone, Season’s greetings everyone!

Coming up to the end of yet another year always gives us pause for reflection!

It is over eight years now since I joined Grosvenor Services and I have seen many changes in that time. The most significant shift for me has been the way technology is changing the way we communicate and interact, especially now that Grosvenor Services as a business has moved into new sectors such as facilities management and security as well as growing our core cleaning business. I am pleased to see the way the company has expanded and professionalised in the way we conduct our business. As we emerge from one of the most ferocious recessions in living memory, Grosvenor has survived and grown and is now an international player.

Our recent rebrand reflects a new energy and a particular focus on our people, who are after all at the heart of everything we do in delivering a service to our clients. And the people side of the business is being supported in new ways in the setting up of a dedicated HR function which I am proud to lead. We have a key role in ensuring that our policies and procedures are people centred and easy to understand. Also the HR team encourages learning opportunities which are available for our team and to ensure that people have access to the support when things go wrong.

Some actions we have taken during the year have included:  the roll out of EAP (employee assistance programme)  a leadership development programme for our senior team  the implementation of the self-directed Social Club – which allows the club to run its own events and make choices suitable to your own needs  Groupschemes – a benefits schemes for Grosvenor employees to enjoy discounts and cash-back opportunities  workshops on coaching for frontline managers to create a focus on corrective coaching rather than disciplinary measures  sponsored training for professional development These are just a few initiatives but our HR team remains committed to listening and growing our support for our employees at every level. Your professional hard work on our client sites across Ireland, the UK and the USA is what allows us to use the phrase “expertise you can rely on”. You are the experts and you make the difference on a daily basis.

Christmas is a time for family. I hope you can all take some time out to be with your families wherever they may be. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a safe, happy and healthy Christmas and continued success in 2015.

Mary Horhan, HR Director

...

Hi Everyone, Season’s greetings, the holiday season marks the end of the year, it’s a time for celebrating and reflecting on the 12months just passed.

The festive period also marks the time in many cultures where family and friends get together to celebrate the end of the year, looking forward to a new one and culminating in big celebrations on New Year’s Eve. For Grosvenor it’s been a challenging yet successful year on a lot of fronts.

These successes have been due to each and every one who help to deliver and support the services we provide. For this contribution I’d like to say thank you for these efforts and ask you to continue your dedicated support into 2015.

During the year we’ve had some new people join Grosvenor, here’s to each of your future success with the company and to your contribution towards the company’s growth.

For each of us 2014 will have very different meanings and memories, some of these brilliant and some not so great. Whatever 2014 means to you, I hope you take time to rest and enjoy the company of those that matter most to you during the holidays.

I’d like to wish you each of you, my colleagues, a merry Christmas for 2014 and a successful year together in 2015.

Joe Walsh Cleaning Business Unit Director

??

That from 1st Jan all hotel / accommodation and travel bookings should now be requested through the portal on The Hub? There is a quick link on the home page titled ‘hotel & flight booking’ You can also place your extra mile award nomination on the Hub but logging on and clicking on ‘Extra Mile Award’ quick link also on the home page.

?

Who is this lovely creature I hear you ask??? This is our new ‘In the Know’ mascot joining us in 2015..

But he needs a name.. So get thinking and keep an eye out for a suggestions board on the Hub in 2015.

Send us in your news, announcements, achievements or well wishes.

You can send all information to me [Marianne] & we will get them in the next issue!

To Daniel Jones (IKEA Cardiff) & Lauren Simpson on the birth of their baby Sienna Mae Jones.

To Wayne Robinson & his partner Lauren on the arrival of baby Noah.

Born: Tuesday 4th November at 11:30 am Weight: 7lb 6oz

Born: Sunday 14th December Weight: 7lb 1.5oz

The store opened on Wednesday 27th August. It was not as bust as expected, probably due the delay in opening from construction issues. This had an effect on the initial foot fall because college students and school kids had already returned to schools. There was still a steady flow of customers as there were a few camping out a few days prior to opening. Ikea were giving away couch and chair set for the first 30 people through the doors. They also gave certificates to I believe 1000 other customers. Parking was highly controlled by local police and the use of an offsite parking venue was in effect. Coworkers an customers alike had to travel by a shuttle bus to the store.

There was a stage where there was a live band and music for the first couple of days. The Mayor of Doral, the town where Ikea is located, was there for the opening ceremony and the " Log cutting" ceremony. I also think the Mayor for Miami was there but cannot be positive. All was televised by quite a few news stations.

The first weekend of opening was a different story though it was an extremely busy affair.

There was a line, I would estimate, over half a mile long for customers outside the building and access to the parking was extremely limited with police directing people to offsite parking.

It was all hands on deck for Grosvenor in all departments. We had close to 1000 hours for dish room and bussers and we needed them all. We also had 1540 hours for Carts with two parking levels it was a constant challenge to keep carts available within the store. The takings for IFS for Friday and Saturday were both in excess of $65,000 per day, the store over $800,000 per day.

There were 25,000 to 30,000 visitors per day making it a challenging weekend, this continued for two weeks.

Wit close to 1 million square foot to cover, including the parking area, we kept our heads though and we performed well. We had no major incidents and the store managers were pleased with our performance and standards, with only minor teething items to iron out. Ikea Miami staff and management are also a pleasure to work with, Selwyn the store manager, Chris the operations manager, Chef Jo IFS manager and Doug the facilities manager.

Well done to all the Miami team.

Well done to Lorraine and Rosie for their support and hard work.

Well done to all the Grosvenor team at head office for all the hard work during a very busy period for

GBS.

See picture of our brilliant team who were all invited to the KEA Nottingham Christmas party on Sunday 14th December as guests of IKEA at the Nottingham Belfry Hotel, a lovely setting with over 300 attending.

A big thank you to the Store Manager, Johanna, who made us all feel welcome and part of the team.

It was great to see a big turn out from our team.

By all accounts everyone had a great night with Marek showing off his dancing skills, winning his own Grosvenor Oscar.

Operations Manager Andy Allen said "I was so pleased to see a great attendance from the dish staff as it epitomised the wonderful relationship built up between our co-workers and IKEA". He also said "everyone had made the effort to dress up for the occasion" and it was also pleasing to see the Store Manager embracing our staff as they made their way to the ball room, a lovely touch".

On a lighter point, it was noticed we have a secret Brussels sprout lover in Kathryn Neville.

Perhaps not so secret by the end of a long night!!!

Announcement: It is with huge regret that we advise that Grosvenor has lost the IKEA account (UK/IRL) in the recent tender process with effect from 01 May 2015.

We were confident that we had tendered at a most competitive rate but yet the decision was based on a lower price and is no reflection on the great customer service of our teams in all of the 11 IKEA stores across the UK and Ireland.

This is extremely disappointing but we want to reassure all who have worked in roles within the stores or in dedicated area management that their role will be protected under the Transfer of Undertaking legislation which protects the rights of employees. We will be in touch with you all in due course but if you have any queries or concerns about your own role, please contact the HR department.

Thank you to each and every person involved with the account for their commitment and hard work on the IKEA contract.

& On 8th and 9th November 2014 the above training was conducted by Angela Bradley at the Regional Office in Coleshill in Birmingham.

It was pleasing to see a good attendance for Angela who came over from Ireland specifically to carry out this training.

The training was split over two days with a mixture of Area Managers, Site Managers and supervisor and Operations Managers thrown in, attending.

I think most if not all of the people who attended would say that the training got them away from the sometimes mundane daily routine on their own contracts but all could not deny the training was worthwhile, well presented, informative and for some, reminders of how to clean the right way.

Our tutor was a mindful of information, giving us good ideas, lots of encouragement and was always willing to pass on what had worked in the past for her. The way she presented her lessons was at all times very professional and concise.

On a lighter note, most would say that they did not know they had the muscles they used, twisting, bending and stretching comes as an everyday experience for us all but how many of us do it in such a way to prevent injury? We just do it, as Nike says!

For those of you who are lucky or unlucky in some cases to own a dog, the smell of its food is somewhat off-putting at the best of times, especially when it is projected in front of you and it’s your turn to clean it. So when we came to practicing body spillages what better way of simulating the mess than by using a stinking tin of “chum” that smelt like it was five years out of date. Half of the class happy that they chose to perform vacuuming drills rather than “chum” spillage drills.

On a serious note, all present over the two days managed to convince our instructor that we knew enough to warrant passing the course and were rewarded with a certificate of competence.

All would like to thank Angela for her patience, time and efforts over the training days, it was much appreciated.

A massive Congratulations and Thank you to all of you who took part and assisted in the ICCA Awards this year.

The ICCA Industry Awards are a biannual event that celebrate the best the industry has to offer as members step out to commend the hard-earned achievements of the Contract Cleaning sector in Ireland and to recognise the fundamental contribution that contract cleaning & FM service companies make to the Irish economy.

They recognise the significant role staff have to play in providing professional and quality services to clients. The finalist and winners were as follows:-

Ops Manager

Area Manager

Site Supervisor

Cleaning Operative

Training & Innovation

Angela Bradley

NA

NA

NA

Swinford District hospital

Dympna Kildea

Catherine Mc Menamin

Tracy Hennessey

Angela Brennan

Aras ns Mac Leinn (NUIG)

Dympna Kildea

Ann Flaherty

Sanita Paula

Lucyna Maszka

Kildare Village Clare Aspil

NA

Pawel Sadlak

Daniel Juszkiewicz

St. Patricks Cathedral

Marie Bourke

Marie Bourke

Attila Galiger

Penneys Mary Phillip Storey St

Marie Bourke

Jason Kelleher

Viktorija Novokova

Croke Park

Clare Aspil

NA

Elena Costin

Adel Galiger

M&S Mary St

Carol Carey

NA

Greata Moulds

Tomasz Kula

IKEA Belfast

Iain Jeffray

NA

Greg Gora

Marisuz

Tara Building MIC

Diane Whyte

NA

Joanna Borowska

Agnieska Krieyzs

Extrusions Athlone

Dympna Kildea

Bernie Wykes

Michael Byrne

Edyta Stepasik

M&S Patrick St

Paul Molyneux

Caroline Downey

Marcin Klosowiak

Beata Kuznicka

Debenhams Patrick St

Paul Molyneux

Caroline Downey

Joanna Kowalczyk -Usarek

Akos Molnar

Debenhams Tralee

Paul Molyneux

Caroline Downey

Ramune Marcinkviciute

Aldona Pivoriene

Outstanding Achievement

Dympna Kildea

NA

NA

NA

Clare Aspil

!

Cleaner of the Year (Small Retail category): Aldona Pivoriene for Debenhams Tralee Supervisor of the Year (Large Retail category): Jason Kelleher for Penneys Mary Street Supervisor of the Year : Pavel Sadlak for Kildare Village outlet shopping Best Site (Hospitality/ Leisure category): Croke Park Best site (Small Retail buildings category): Debenhams Tralee

!

The ICCA Awards team in Kildare Village celebrate with their certificates of commendation

The ICCA Awards team in Kildare Croke Park celebrate with their certificates of commendation

The ICCA Awards team in Kildare Debenhams Tralee celebrate with their certificates of commendation

...

Andy Dowles (Operations Manager, Charter Security) and his wife Kellie who got married on Friday 10th Oct 2014.

We wish you many happy years together.

Speaking of weddings, on behalf of myself and Paddy I would like to say a very special “Thank You� to all of our friends and colleagues in Grosvenor.

As many of you know, myself and Paddy got married on Friday 19th Sept this year. We had the most incredible and memorable day but further to that, the support, the send-off, the well wishes, notes, gifts and everything else in between that we received from everyone in Grosvenor was really very overwhelming. Its something neither of us will ever forget and we are so very grateful for everything you did to make our day so special. A special thank you to everyone who joined us on the day to celebrate.

As promised I have included a few pictures from the big day!

This year the Christmas parties Kicked off in Skegness at the Grosvenor House Hotel on the 5th December where the evening began with Angie Fisher providing entertainment, with audience participation– from our very own Leckie Manville, Luke Bowles, Becky Harlock, Mark Willians and Kelly Walton who provided endless entertainment by dressing up, playing the trumpet and drums. Then the rest of the evening was spent dancing the night away. I think there were quite a few sore heads in the morning but by all accounts it seems to have been worth it!

Merry Christmas from Everyone in Grosvenor UK

Then in quick succession, following a week of banter, rivalry and competition like you wouldn't believe, the Irish contingent took to the Camden Court hotel on Friday 12th Dec for a night of dining, dancing and devilment. This year Dublin hosted the biggest Grosvenor Christmas party ever with over 60 attendees from offices all over the country and its fair to say.. It was the best yet!

Participants had to design a Christmas stocking and hang it on the chimney in Sandyford. Judging was based on a combination of Judges votes and public vote

1st Prize: ‘But first.. Let me take an ‘Elfie’!!

Designed and Submitted by Aoife Lambert

2nd Prize: Crochet Stocking Designed and submitted by Yvonne Mc Sweeney

/ Where do we start with the decorate my desk / office competition… we had the kidnapping of ‘Santos’, the Skegness divided support saga, the ‘Unveil’, and a whole lot more in between.. Essentially its been one headline after another and to say the least its been competitive!! But there could only be one winner and with 100000000% certainty, about 4 counts, a public vote coupled with a secret judging panel….

To see all the incredible efforts log on to the Hub (Social Page) THE WINNER WAS…..

All I say is‌ Thank god this is an annual event!!!

In fairness, a massive congratulations and well done to Alex Soikans, Lisa Kane, Phillip Storey, Marie Bourke, Mary Louise Boyne, Claire Quinn, Marie Kearns

‘

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As always Grosvenor has been exceptionally generous this quarter. On Friday 31st Oct we hosted the ‘Be a Hero’ Halloween fancy dress lunch fundraiser for the Laura Lynn foundation. I am proud and grateful to say we raised €246.

On Friday 31st Oct they hosted their own Halloween fancy dress fundraiser raising much needed funds for the Louth Search and rescue dogs. ‘

On Friday 19th Dec we hosted ‘The Teddy Bears Picnic’ Christmas Lunch fundraiser for 2 very worthy charities Pieta House and ChildLine. Thank you and well done to everyone who helped raise a very generous €380. coupled with our annual donation we will be donating a generous €2380 split betweem these 2 amazing charities.

Santa made an appearance, the winners of our competitions were announced and every teddy bear had a fantastic day.

&

To be in with a chance of winning €50 / £50 voucher simply complete the above ArrowWord crossword and all correct entries will be entered into a draw to win a voucher worth 50 euro / pounds.

Please send all completed entries FAO Marianne Lambert, 64C Heather Road, Sandyford Ind Est, Dublin 18 or email mlambert@grosvenor.ie ********Applicable to Ireland / UK entrants only—Apologies ********

Well Done to Laura, Winner of our September Arrow Word

On Wednesday 26th November, 12 members of the Louth Search Dogs were awarded the Public Appreciation Award for the incredible work they do. As you may be aware, our very own Amanda Whyte (HR Manager UK), is a proud member of the Louth Search dogs and she has said “I am more proud of this award than my MBA� and rightly so.

Grosvenor is proactive in supporting Amanda and all voluntary contributors to continue this voluntary community service within our CSR policy.

I would like to include a short excerpt from the citation, demonstrating the incredible work the volunteers at Louth Search dogs do on a daily basis:

Excerpt from the citation delivered at the Lincolnshire Police Awards ceremony >

This is an amazing achievement Amanda and we are very proud!

Congratulations and Well Done !! to all of our Extra Mile Award Winners.

Thank you for your hard efforts and keep up the good work.

August & September Ireland Ops / AdminUK Ops / AdminUK Cleaning Op 1UK Cleaning Op 2-

Clare Swan Lee Giles (IOM) Mohamed Guerfi (Primark Reading) Pedro Lopez (Bicester Village)

Oct Ireland Ops / AdminIreland Ops / AdminUK Ops / AdminIreland Cleaning OperativesUK Ops / Admin-

Martina Kelly & Mags Mc Girl (Payroll, Sandyford) Marie Bourke (Area Manager, Dublin Region) Darren Priest and Despina Soteriou (Charter Security) Monika Dubkowska (Mary Immaculate College) Emma Long (London Office)

Nov Ireland Ops / AdminUK Ops / AdminUK Cleaning Op 1UK Cleaning Op 2-

Lisa Halligan (Accounts, Sandyford) Aaron Lyttle Periera Saldanho, Flaviano, Bicester Herminia mota, Bicester

Well done to all who were nominated and thank you for your hard work -Remember there's always next month!

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of our new colleagues to Grosvenor.

Aaron Lyttle Area Manager— Northern Ireland

Rebecca Harlock Office Admin— Skegness

Sarah Russell Payroll—Skegness

Simon Mulholland Area Manager— Northern Ireland

<Ruth Gaston and Byron Crofton — BDMs, FM

Andy Dowles Operations Manager — Charter Security Ann Smith > Area Manager— UK

< Mark Clifford Area Manager— Northern Ireland

' Method

Ingredients

 200g marshmallows Melt the marshmallows and golden syrup in a  3 tbsp golden syrup pan, then stir in Rice Krispies. Working quickly,  100g Rice Krispies pack the mixture into  6 ice-cream cones ice cream cones and  500g icing sugar push a lolly stick into the middle of each one.  ½ tsp green food colouring Chill the cones for 1 hr  sweets and sprinkles, to until completely firm. decorate Mix icing sugar with green food colouring and enough water to make a thick icing. Dip the cones into the icing and decorate with sweets and sprinkles. Prop up on a wire cooling rack to set.

Please do continue to send us in your recipes and pictures of your version of our featured recipes.

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Meanwhile, crush the biscuits and Maltesers in a large bowl with a rolling pin.

Add mini marshmallows, dried cranberries and cake crumbs, then the chocolate and golden syrup. Mix well. Tip desiccated coconut onto a plate. Drop large spoonful's of mixture onto the plate, then roll them around, coating in coconut and shaping into balls.

Place on a baking tray and chill for 30 mins before serving. Sprinkle with edible glitter if you like.

Ingredients         

400g white chocolate, broken into pieces 100g rich tea biscuits 50g white Maltesers 50g mini marshmallows 50g dried cranberries 50g cakes crumbs (we used shop-bought Madeira cake) 3 tbsp golden syrup 100g desiccated coconut edible glitter (optional)

,

,

1. How long have you worked in the company?

Including my first incarnation at Grosvenor, I have been around for approx. 2 and a half years.

2. What did you want to be when you were little?

Growing up (and possibly still today) I always wanted to be Fileas Fogg. A world traveller, who was also a jack of all trades, able to turn his hand to anything. I haven’t done too badly though, with some travelling under my belt and many different jobs along the way. He was also rich and never seemed to work or have a job….who wouldn’t want to be that when they grew up.

3. If you could describe yourself in 2 words what words would you use?

Friendly, Capable

4. If you could be a fictional character who would you be?

I think I have already answered that when I said I wanted to be Fileas Fogg, rich and job free. I suppose second on my list would be Ironman/Tony Stark.

Yes…. A billionaire playboy. Bit of a trend developing.

5. Who would you get to play you in a movie about your life?

Personally, I would think Hugh Jackman or Gerard Butler most suitable ……I think however popular opinion would sway more towards Zach Galifinakis

6. If you could be anywhere in the world right now?

On the front veranda of a little restaurant on the beach in Koa Tao, Thailand.

Followed by a close second, Tully, Queensland, where I lived and worked on a banana farm for a time.

7. A picture that sums you up…

I like to think I am open-minded, that I listen and take into account the ideas and suggestions of others in what I do ….and with that ….Hmmmmm I suppose it could work.

To all Grosvenor staff, you can now avail of a 10% discount at Newline Sofas, Eastgate, Little Island, Cork.

All you have to do is produce your Grosvenor I'd badge.

Newline Sofas will deliver within 6 weeks they will also tailor make sofas as per your chosen design and material.

Like them on facebook today

Grosvenor Cleaning Services Dublin 64C Heather Road Sandyford Ind Estate Dublin 18 Ireland

www.grosvenorservices.com Skegness UK -

Birmingham UK -

10 Algitha Road

Quattro House, The

Skegness

Courtyard

Lincs, PE25 2AG

Roman Way,

Phone: +44 1790 754 580

Birmingham B46 1HQ Phone: +44 121 366 0560

Phone: +353 1 2954866 Fax:

+353 1 2954301

Athlone -

Cork -

E-mail: ireland@grosvenor.ie

Magazine Road,

Ground Floor

Dublin Stores-

Athlone,

Unit 28, East Gate Drive

Co.Westmeath

Little Island, Cork

Phone: +353 906 490 748

Phone: +353 21 435 5112

Unit C2, 14 Magna Business Park City West Dublin 24 Ireland Phone: +353 1 421 5082 UK StoresUnit 3, Hardwick Court, Alford, LN13 9JE Phone: +44 1507 466 388

Belfast Ground Floor, Unit 4, Building 9, Citylink Business Park, Belfast BT12 4HQ Phone: +353 906 490 748 If you have anything you would like to submit or anything you would like mentioned in the next edition of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grosvenor in the Knowâ&#x20AC;?, please feel free to send it directly to Marianne Lambert via email (mlambert@grosvenor.ie), fax (+353 1 2958119), or via post to the Dublin address above.