Visit by Her Majesty The Queen & Princess Royal 17 July 2013
WELCOME There may be no obvious connection between Remembrance Day poppies, Selfridge’s shopping bags, picture framing, fireproof adverts on the London Underground, archival boxes for precious artefacts in the Museum of Modern Art, composite structures in next generation Aircraft and electromagnetic shielding for Electronics, but in fact all of these products are made from bespoke papers and non-woven veils manufactured in England’s Lake District at a mill that was established in 1845 by James Cropper, great-great-great grandfather of the current chairman Mark Cropper. Vision has certainly been key to James Cropper’s success, along with innovation and reinvention. In its earliest years, the paper mill was at the forefront of new technologies, becoming one of the first paper mills in the world to make coloured paper from the first synthetic dyes. Over the last century and a half James Cropper PLC has evolved from a small provincial mill into a world-class specialist paper-maker and advanced materials group manufacturing in the UK and USA with an operational reach in over 50 countries. It has three subsidiaries Speciality Papers, Converting & Technical Fibre Products, which together export to over 50 countries. James Cropper Speciality Papers remains focused on a strategy of bespoke premium papermaking that is unrivalled. To achieve and maintain this position the company has invested heavily in its continued modernisation. The James Cropper Converting side of the business started in the 1970s with contracts for laminating and sheeting products for other paper mills. A separate division was formed in 1987 and subsequently became a stand-alone business - the world’s only picture mountboard factory integrated with a paper mill. In 1986 research into non-cellulose fibre led to the formation of Technical Fibre Products (TFP). This was without question the greatest departure for the company in its long history, not only in terms of technology but also products and new markets such as aerospace, automotive and defence. The new reclaimed fibre plant facility which was inaugurated on 17 July 2013 by Her Majesty The Queen and The Princess Royal represented a very proud day for us all. We were greatly honoured that Her Majesty joined us on this important occasion. This investment sits at the heart of our sustainable vision and is the latest in a long history of innovation that has kept James Cropper ahead of the game for nearly 170 years. We are pleased to have the opportunity to share more about this special day.
Phil Wild, CEO
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OUR HERITAGE 1845 1868
James Cropper acquired the lease of the Burneside & Cowan Head mills
Housing built for mill workers
1874 1886
The first horse drawn tramway built
Burneside Mill destroyed by fire
1921 1973
Electricity supply for Burneside
New dual gas / oil fired boiler plant installed
1986 1987
Formation of Technical Fibre Products (TFP)
Formation of James Cropper Converting
1995 Celebrating 150 years of fine papermaking
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17.07.2013
Continuous investment & improvement
Grand opening of a brand new reclaimed fibre recycling plant here at James Cropper plc. Another bold and essential step forwards on our journey
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OUR HERITAGE 1845 1868
James Cropper acquired the lease of the Burneside & Cowan Head mills
Housing built for mill workers
1874 1886
The first horse drawn tramway built
Burneside Mill destroyed by fire
1921 1973
Electricity supply for Burneside
New dual gas / oil fired boiler plant installed
1986 1987
Formation of Technical Fibre Products (TFP)
Formation of James Cropper Converting
1995 Celebrating 150 years of fine papermaking
2000
17.07.2013
Continuous investment & improvement
Grand opening of a brand new reclaimed fibre recycling plant here at James Cropper plc. Another bold and essential step forwards on our journey
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PEOPLE Mark Cropper represents the sixth generation of the Cropper family involved in the business. The family commitment to the company is matched by a tradition of long service by its employees, many from local families who have worked at the mill for generations too, providing labour, technical skills, craftsmanship as well as stability, independence and long-term vision. Hard work, resilience, support of each other and a degree of determination helps to deliver the company’s management charter which outlines the key attributes for our success which include openness, integrity, confidentiality and respect for others. With 500 employees, James Cropper is the largest private sector employer in Cumbria, and invests £17 million into the local economy annually. We are very fortunate to have a very talented and dedicated workforce and we continue to invest a considerable amount in training. Over recent years have introduced a number of apprenticeship schemes across various disciplines at the mill, just one example of how we are passing our craft down the generations.
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PEOPLE Mark Cropper represents the sixth generation of the Cropper family involved in the business. The family commitment to the company is matched by a tradition of long service by its employees, many from local families who have worked at the mill for generations too, providing labour, technical skills, craftsmanship as well as stability, independence and long-term vision. Hard work, resilience, support of each other and a degree of determination helps to deliver the company’s management charter which outlines the key attributes for our success which include openness, integrity, confidentiality and respect for others. With 500 employees, James Cropper is the largest private sector employer in Cumbria, and invests £17 million into the local economy annually. We are very fortunate to have a very talented and dedicated workforce and we continue to invest a considerable amount in training. Over recent years have introduced a number of apprenticeship schemes across various disciplines at the mill, just one example of how we are passing our craft down the generations.
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COMMUNITY The mill has been a central part of the community for almost 170 years. A significant number of our employees are long-serving, and in many cases generations of the same family have worked for the company. Although we now have production facilities and offices scattered across the globe, in fact 90% of our employees still live within a 20 mile radius of the company’s headquarters. Many employees make a valuable contribution to the fabric of life in Burneside and South Lakeland, whether in education, sport or charitable activities. Our connections with local schools are many and varied and include school visits to help pupils with interview skills and practice, work experience placements and support of charity fun days.
range of community organisations to help deliver a sustainable long term future.
The company is also involved in schemes such as CREST, Britain’s largest national award scheme for project work in the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) for 11-19yr olds, by engaging students from local secondary schools and setting up projects that will directly impact their future learning and development.
As a corporate member of the Cumbria Community Foundation we sponsor the foundation’s work to tackle poverty and disadvantage and improve the quality of life for the people of Cumbria.
Beyond the site boundary we work closely with suppliers, customers and also with a
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Over the last 10 years the company has supported a number of local schemes with charitable donations, this has been primarily support for Nature Reserve Improvement Projects.
As the company continues to build sales and manufacturing locations in other strategic markets, the company philosophy will continue to be embedded.
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COMMUNITY The mill has been a central part of the community for almost 170 years. A significant number of our employees are long-serving, and in many cases generations of the same family have worked for the company. Although we now have production facilities and offices scattered across the globe, in fact 90% of our employees still live within a 20 mile radius of the company’s headquarters. Many employees make a valuable contribution to the fabric of life in Burneside and South Lakeland, whether in education, sport or charitable activities. Our connections with local schools are many and varied and include school visits to help pupils with interview skills and practice, work experience placements and support of charity fun days.
range of community organisations to help deliver a sustainable long term future.
The company is also involved in schemes such as CREST, Britain’s largest national award scheme for project work in the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) for 11-19yr olds, by engaging students from local secondary schools and setting up projects that will directly impact their future learning and development.
As a corporate member of the Cumbria Community Foundation we sponsor the foundation’s work to tackle poverty and disadvantage and improve the quality of life for the people of Cumbria.
Beyond the site boundary we work closely with suppliers, customers and also with a
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Over the last 10 years the company has supported a number of local schemes with charitable donations, this has been primarily support for Nature Reserve Improvement Projects.
As the company continues to build sales and manufacturing locations in other strategic markets, the company philosophy will continue to be embedded.
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ROYAL CONNECTIONS James Winstanley Cropper, great-grandfather to our current chairman, received The Queen the first time she visited the region in 1956, and so we are especially proud to host Her Majesty nearly 60 years and 3 generations later at the inauguration of our pioneering reclaimed fibre facility. We’re proud that our rich history and heritage has been seen on the national stage and that The Queen and Princess Royal had the opportunity to see first hand the result of three years of development work and £5 million investment in our state-of-the-art recycling plant. This most important Royal visit also coincided with the announcement that after 46 years, Sir James Cropper KCVO will retire from the company Board and will become its first
Honorary President and remain its figurehead. Sir James has also had the privilege to serve The Queen and the local community as Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for Cumbria, a role he has chosen to step down from after an exceptional 18 years of service. Sir James has handed the baton of Office over to Mrs Claire Hensman, a member of the Council of the High Sheriffs’, and a long-standing advocate of charitable projects, education and healthcare in the local community.
THE QUEENS VISIT IN 1956 James Winstanley Cropper, Lord Lieutenant of Westmorland, welcoming Her Majesty The Queen on her arrival at Oxenholme Station on her first visit to the county
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ROYAL CONNECTIONS James Winstanley Cropper, great-grandfather to our current chairman, received The Queen the first time she visited the region in 1956, and so we are especially proud to host Her Majesty nearly 60 years and 3 generations later at the inauguration of our pioneering reclaimed fibre facility. We’re proud that our rich history and heritage has been seen on the national stage and that The Queen and Princess Royal had the opportunity to see first hand the result of three years of development work and £5 million investment in our state-of-the-art recycling plant. This most important Royal visit also coincided with the announcement that after 46 years, Sir James Cropper KCVO will retire from the company Board and will become its first
Honorary President and remain its figurehead. Sir James has also had the privilege to serve The Queen and the local community as Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for Cumbria, a role he has chosen to step down from after an exceptional 18 years of service. Sir James has handed the baton of Office over to Mrs Claire Hensman, a member of the Council of the High Sheriffs’, and a long-standing advocate of charitable projects, education and healthcare in the local community.
THE QUEENS VISIT IN 1956 James Winstanley Cropper, Lord Lieutenant of Westmorland, welcoming Her Majesty The Queen on her arrival at Oxenholme Station on her first visit to the county
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THE ROYAL VISIT Her Majesty The Queen and Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, visited Burneside Mills on the 17 July 2013 to officially open the state of the art Reclaimed Fibre Plant. We were greatly honoured that Her Majesty The Queen and The Princess Royal joined us, and took the opportunity to take a tour of the paper mill. There is no more fitting way to celebrate this pioneering development. The Royal party was accompanied by Mrs Samantha Cohen, Assistant Private Secretary to Her Majesty; The Lady Susan Hussey, Lady-inWaiting to Her Majesty; Lieutenant Colonel Charles Richards, Equerry; Mr David Hett, Equerry; Mr Peter Hensman, Deputy Lieutenant; and the new Lord-Lieutenant of Cumbria, Mrs Claire Hensman.
A WARM WELCOME Mark Cropper, Chairman, welcomes Her Majesty The Queen and The Princess Royal
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THE ROYAL VISIT Her Majesty The Queen and Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, visited Burneside Mills on the 17 July 2013 to officially open the state of the art Reclaimed Fibre Plant. We were greatly honoured that Her Majesty The Queen and The Princess Royal joined us, and took the opportunity to take a tour of the paper mill. There is no more fitting way to celebrate this pioneering development. The Royal party was accompanied by Mrs Samantha Cohen, Assistant Private Secretary to Her Majesty; The Lady Susan Hussey, Lady-inWaiting to Her Majesty; Lieutenant Colonel Charles Richards, Equerry; Mr David Hett, Equerry; Mr Peter Hensman, Deputy Lieutenant; and the new Lord-Lieutenant of Cumbria, Mrs Claire Hensman.
A WARM WELCOME Mark Cropper, Chairman, welcomes Her Majesty The Queen and The Princess Royal
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A DEMONSTRATION OF PAPERMAKING Her Majesty The Queen meets the technical team and then starts a tour of the paper mill
A WARM WELCOME The Royal Party are introduced to the Director’s of James Cropper PLC. Pictured below left; left to right, Patrick Willink, Martin Thompson, John Denman, Nigel Read, centre front, Phil Wild
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A DEMONSTRATION OF PAPERMAKING Her Majesty The Queen meets the technical team and then starts a tour of the paper mill
A WARM WELCOME The Royal Party are introduced to the Director’s of James Cropper PLC. Pictured below left; left to right, Patrick Willink, Martin Thompson, John Denman, Nigel Read, centre front, Phil Wild
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WATCHING THE MAKING OF ROYAL BRITISH LEGION POPPY PAPER Her Majesty The Queen meets the production team and continues the tour
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WATCHING THE MAKING OF ROYAL BRITISH LEGION POPPY PAPER Her Majesty The Queen meets the production team and continues the tour
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A TOUR OF THE EMBOSSING DEPARTMENT The Royal Party are introduced to the embossing team and continues the tour
A DEMONSTRATION OF THE AUTOMATED PACKING PROCESS Her Majesty The Queen watches a demonstration by laser guided vehicles and views a picture of this department in 1953 during the week of the Coronation
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A TOUR OF THE EMBOSSING DEPARTMENT The Royal Party are introduced to the embossing team and continues the tour
A DEMONSTRATION OF THE AUTOMATED PACKING PROCESS Her Majesty The Queen watches a demonstration by laser guided vehicles and views a picture of this department in 1953 during the week of the Coronation
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INAUGURATION OF THE RECLAIMED FIBRE PLANT Her Majesty The Queen meets the engineering and project team and opens the new plant
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INAUGURATION OF THE RECLAIMED FIBRE PLANT Her Majesty The Queen meets the engineering and project team and opens the new plant
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INAUGURATION OF THE RECLAIMED FIBRE PLANT Her Majesty The Queen starts the plant and signs the visitor book alongside Sir James Cropper
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INAUGURATION OF THE RECLAIMED FIBRE PLANT Her Majesty The Queen starts the plant and signs the visitor book alongside Sir James Cropper
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A FOND FAREWELL Her Majesty The Queen is presented with a posie by a pupil from the local school
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A FOND FAREWELL Her Majesty The Queen is presented with a posie by a pupil from the local school
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ENVIRONMENT At James Cropper environmental considerations are part of the fabric of our organisation. As a manufacturer in the beautiful countryside of the English Lake District, nature conservation is a central tenet of our business philosophy. We integrate best practice with continuous improvement on a day to day basis in our efforts to minimise our impact on the environment and our carbon footprint. As a bespoke manufacturer we enable our customers to make environmentally responsible choices, whatever their requirement. We work closely with our suppliers to ensure the safe use of our raw materials and products. Our products are compliant with REACH legislation, we do not use any raw materials composed of or containing any Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). James Cropper has been investing for many years in low-carbon energy solutions to reduce the carbon intensity of our emissions. As a signatory to the paper sector Climate Change Agreement (CCA), James Cropper has committed to increasingly stringent energy use and has already achieved a reduction in primary energy consumption of more than 24% between 1997 and 2012.
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ENVIRONMENT At James Cropper environmental considerations are part of the fabric of our organisation. As a manufacturer in the beautiful countryside of the English Lake District, nature conservation is a central tenet of our business philosophy. We integrate best practice with continuous improvement on a day to day basis in our efforts to minimise our impact on the environment and our carbon footprint. As a bespoke manufacturer we enable our customers to make environmentally responsible choices, whatever their requirement. We work closely with our suppliers to ensure the safe use of our raw materials and products. Our products are compliant with REACH legislation, we do not use any raw materials composed of or containing any Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). James Cropper has been investing for many years in low-carbon energy solutions to reduce the carbon intensity of our emissions. As a signatory to the paper sector Climate Change Agreement (CCA), James Cropper has committed to increasingly stringent energy use and has already achieved a reduction in primary energy consumption of more than 24% between 1997 and 2012.
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A SUSTAINABLE
VISION Sustainability is taken very seriously by James Cropper, both because of its physical setting next to a national park – one of the UK’s areas of outstanding natural beauty – and its utilisation of finite natural resources in paper-making. Responsible use and sourcing of our natural raw materials is something we have been committed to for generations, we work hand in hand with Natural England and the Environment Agency to promote the protection and future of species in our local environment.
Our environmental stewardship encompasses all aspects of the business, from sustainable fibre sources in Scandinavia, Spain and Portugal, production efficiencies, investment in alternative energy to waste management. The nature of its business means that Technical Fibre Products contributes to sustainability in a slightly different way – this includes supporting the development of a variety of alternative energy applications ranging from wind turbines to fuel cell and battery technologies, addressing the EU End of Life directive in automotives by providing the unique capability to process recycled carbon fibre, and providing solutions for more efficient means of fuel economy. It is one of James Cropper’s guiding principles is to be a global environmental leader. The coffee cup recycling plant opened by Her Majesty The Queen represents another investment to achieve this vision.
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A SUSTAINABLE
VISION Sustainability is taken very seriously by James Cropper, both because of its physical setting next to a national park – one of the UK’s areas of outstanding natural beauty – and its utilisation of finite natural resources in paper-making. Responsible use and sourcing of our natural raw materials is something we have been committed to for generations, we work hand in hand with Natural England and the Environment Agency to promote the protection and future of species in our local environment.
Our environmental stewardship encompasses all aspects of the business, from sustainable fibre sources in Scandinavia, Spain and Portugal, production efficiencies, investment in alternative energy to waste management. The nature of its business means that Technical Fibre Products contributes to sustainability in a slightly different way – this includes supporting the development of a variety of alternative energy applications ranging from wind turbines to fuel cell and battery technologies, addressing the EU End of Life directive in automotives by providing the unique capability to process recycled carbon fibre, and providing solutions for more efficient means of fuel economy. It is one of James Cropper’s guiding principles is to be a global environmental leader. The coffee cup recycling plant opened by Her Majesty The Queen represents another investment to achieve this vision.
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RECLAIMED FIBRE PLANT Paper is inherently a recyclable material, and is recycled far more in reality than other recyclable materials such as plastics. The WRAP figures show the UK recycling percentage for paper is 80%, while the figure for plastic is 24%. 40% of new wood fibre is always needed to keep the global fibre cycle going, as recycled fibres degrade after several uses. However, with paper and print being one of the few materials which is able to be completely recycled, the key to sustainability is to keep waste fibre in the loop, significantly reduce landfill, and maximise the use of recovered fibre in appropriate paper grades. Like many paper mills, James Cropper has always recycled its own waste, but found that external sources of high quality recycled fibre were limited. In its search for a recycled fibre with the attributes of a virgin fibre pulp, the company discovered high quality fibre in the form of the burgeoning waste from the UK’s paper coffee cup industry, and so decided to develop technology to recycle the fibre from this mixed waste product. Until now, the plastic content of cups has made them unsuitable for use in papermaking. In the UK alone, an estimated 2.5 billion paper cups go to landfill. James Cropper’s recycling technology separates out the plastic incorporated in the cups leaving an extremely high quality hardwood fibre that can be used in the highest quality papers. As such, this development has enabled us to secure a ready supply of a waste material that may otherwise have been sent to landfill and convert it into a suitable pulp substitute.
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RECLAIMED FIBRE PLANT Paper is inherently a recyclable material, and is recycled far more in reality than other recyclable materials such as plastics. The WRAP figures show the UK recycling percentage for paper is 80%, while the figure for plastic is 24%. 40% of new wood fibre is always needed to keep the global fibre cycle going, as recycled fibres degrade after several uses. However, with paper and print being one of the few materials which is able to be completely recycled, the key to sustainability is to keep waste fibre in the loop, significantly reduce landfill, and maximise the use of recovered fibre in appropriate paper grades. Like many paper mills, James Cropper has always recycled its own waste, but found that external sources of high quality recycled fibre were limited. In its search for a recycled fibre with the attributes of a virgin fibre pulp, the company discovered high quality fibre in the form of the burgeoning waste from the UK’s paper coffee cup industry, and so decided to develop technology to recycle the fibre from this mixed waste product. Until now, the plastic content of cups has made them unsuitable for use in papermaking. In the UK alone, an estimated 2.5 billion paper cups go to landfill. James Cropper’s recycling technology separates out the plastic incorporated in the cups leaving an extremely high quality hardwood fibre that can be used in the highest quality papers. As such, this development has enabled us to secure a ready supply of a waste material that may otherwise have been sent to landfill and convert it into a suitable pulp substitute.
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RECYCLING PROCESS RECYCLE & REUSE James Cropper can not only recycle the fibre content in cup waste but also recycle the plastic coating, giving a sustainable solution to the global problem of disposable cup waste. Disposable cup waste is made up of around 12-13g of very high quality fibre and 1-2g of polyethylene (plastic) coating. The process we have developed involves softening the cup waste in a warmed solution and then separating the plastic coating from the fibre. The plant can strip 99.7% of the polyethylene from the waste material, this plastic is skimmed off, pulverised and then reused as a very clean burning fuel. Impurities are filtered out in the process, and the extracted ‘cake’ is used as an agricultural fertisliser and animal bedding. What remains is water, which is cleaned and reused, and a high grade pulp suitable for use in luxury papers.
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RECYCLING PROCESS RECYCLE & REUSE James Cropper can not only recycle the fibre content in cup waste but also recycle the plastic coating, giving a sustainable solution to the global problem of disposable cup waste. Disposable cup waste is made up of around 12-13g of very high quality fibre and 1-2g of polyethylene (plastic) coating. The process we have developed involves softening the cup waste in a warmed solution and then separating the plastic coating from the fibre. The plant can strip 99.7% of the polyethylene from the waste material, this plastic is skimmed off, pulverised and then reused as a very clean burning fuel. Impurities are filtered out in the process, and the extracted ‘cake’ is used as an agricultural fertisliser and animal bedding. What remains is water, which is cleaned and reused, and a high grade pulp suitable for use in luxury papers.
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COPYRIGHT & CREDITS First published in Great Britain in 2013 by James Cropper PLC Copyright in this publication ŠJames Cropper PLC 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publishers. Presented by James Cropper cropper.com jamescropper.com jamescropperconverting.com tfpglobal.com Photo credits and copyright All works courtesy of James Cropper ŠJames Cropper PLC 2013 Printed and bound in Great Britain. Printed on papers made in the English Lake District by James Cropper. Papers used in this publication are from wellmanaged forests and are FSC certified. Paper Book Cover *Vanguard Cobalt Blue 300 micron laminated to *Vanguard Red 300 micron Text Pages *Vanguard Marine Blue 200 micron Photo Pages Zen 150 gsm
*Vanguard colours contain RCF fibre
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Material contained is for general information and guidance purposes only.
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