Exchange – Summer 2015 by i•creation

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Summer 2015

The magazine for First people in the Midlands

e v o l f o r u o lab e r o t to res

c i s s a l c SEVEN E G A P

MAJOR INVESTMENT IN NEW ECO-FRIENDLY BUSES &TECHNOLOGY See Group News PAGE SIX

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Gaining extra skills is a real win-win for employees By Managing Director

Nigel Eggleton

AT First we are extremely proud of our record for encouraging learning opportunities and equipping our people with the tools to better themselves. So it is great to see that in the Midlands OpCo we boast a whole host of facilities, initiatives and programmes which are continuing to put this into practice. In this issue of Exchange you will read, for example, about how employees are signing up in their droves for IT, Maths and English courses at our Lifelong Learning Centres, while our engineers are enhancing safety in the workplace through informative workshops designed and tailored to their requirements. All these extra skills not only benefit people in their day-to-day work in the company but can help them fulfil aspirations in their lives as a whole and boost confidence levels. I think you would agree it is a win-win situation. This issue of the magazine also looks at the way in which many of our people spend their spare time – such as restoring classic cars, supporting far-flung football teams and playing the “beautiful game” too. Many also spend their time helping others and we include a story about a blood donor who has given 90 pints of blood. If you analyse it, that is probably more than 10 times the amount her body holds at any one time – a remarkable achievement. Finally, I would also like to commend many of our drivers and other employees who are staying fit and losing weight through schemes such as the imaginative Potteries Phat Club and would also encourage those who are able to take advantage of our Cycle to Work scheme.

SUMMER 2015

Babs Jones with a poster appealing for blood donors.

Babs gives 90th blood donation OTTERIES Driver Babs Jones recently hit a milestone when she made her 90th donation of blood. Babs, aged 59, has been driving buses around the streets of Stoke-on-Trent for 25 years and has been giving blood for even longer. “I started donating because I had a friend who had leukaemia and she needed lots of blood transfusions. That made me realise just how important it was for hospitals to have blood supplies and I decided to become a donor. “I gave blood for the 90th time just a few weeks ago and I plan to carry on. I give three times a year, so it won’t be too long before I reach 100 donations.”

Babs said she would always encourage other people to become blood donors. “Giving blood doesn’t hurt and I don’t even find it uncomfortable. It’s something that takes just a few minutes to do and yet it saves people’s lives.” At any one time the NHS National Blood Transfusion Service has about one week of donated blood in stock to share out among hospitals across the country. Lives are saved by selfless volunteers who make regular blood donations for nothing more than a cup of tea and a biscuit, a pat on the back – and the knowledge that they are helping someone else in need.

Services tailored to customers needs A series of service changes have been introduced in the Potteries – and drivers are being asked to ensure they advise and liaise with customers as they get used to new routes, timetables and frequencies. The changes affect a raft of current routes across North Staffordshire and include the renumbering of Service 101 from Hanley to Stafford to become Service 10. They affect early morning, evening and Sunday journeys and reflect changes in how customers are travelling with First. They also include increased

frequency to Trentham Gardens and increased frequency on College Road, Shelton, to cater for students’ needs. Online information is available for customers and printed timetables have been produced highlighting the changes too. First Potteries Operations Manager Frank Parkes said: “These changes affect most of our existing services. “While customers get used to the changes we would urge drivers to work with them and help them get the very best out of our services which have been tailored to more closely meet their needs.”

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Driver is a (very) long distance supporter RIVER Lee Hill does not get to many of his favourite football team’s home games. In fact, the one and only time he saw them play was way back in 1976. But when you live and work in Leicester and your team is based 400 miles away, halfway up the east coast of Scotland, that is hardly surprising. Lee is an ardent fan of Arbroath FC – known as the Red Lichties – a passion which began during his days as a Royal Marine when he was on a ski training

exercise in the Cairngorms. Lee, aged 56, said: “During the training we were based at Arbroath and a couple of my fellow Marines suggested we should go to watch The Lichties play at Gayfield Park. “It was a great game and I really enjoyed it. I lost touch with the team over the next few years, but when computers and the internet became more common I started following them online. “Now I keep-up-to-date with all the team news through the

Leicester based Red Lichties fan Lee Hill.

website, Facebook and Twitter.” Lee, who has been driving buses for 25 years and buys a new Arbroath FC shirt every season, said he now hoped to make it to a Lichties game later this year. He said: “They will be playing a friendly away to Motherwell in

Volunteers help major Sikh festival

Awareness sessions to be staged by charity SPECIALIST representatives from Prostate Cancer UK are set to stage awareness sessions at depots, canteens and offices across First in the Midlands now the organisation is the group's UK Charity of Choice. They will be handing out information on symptoms, how to get a check up and how the condition is treated. The group is also producing a million credit-card sized Know Your Prostate booklets for staff to share with family and friends. It comes as First fundraisers gear up to help raise £1 million for men affected by prostate cancer over the next three years. The charity has created a fundraising toolkit with great ideas like bake sales, barbecues, runs and even sky diving. The latest charity link-up

August and I’m planning on flying up to Glasgow for that,” he said. “I’m also planning to get to a home game in the near future.” Arbroath FC play in Scottish League Two. Their ‘Red Lichties’ nickname refers to the red light which, in days gone by, used to guide fishing boats back into Abroath harbour.

Potteries Driver Jim Lee points to First’s latest Charity of Choice. started in April and follows previous successful partnerships with Save the Children and Macmillan Cancer Support. Katie Smart, FirstGroup CSR

and Community Manager, said: “With everyone’s help, we donated more than £1.1 million in cash and kind to Macmillan so let’s do the same with Prostate Cancer UK.”

BUSES manned by First volunteer drivers helped smooth the way for thousands of people taking part in a major Sikh festival in Leicester. The city centre was packed with onlookers and people taking part in the annual Nagar Kirtan parade in which Sikhs walk the five miles from the temple of Guru Nanak Gurdwara on Holy Bones, to Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdawara on East Park Road. First provided six buses to ferry walkers before and after the parade depending on where they had parked their cars. Two other buses were driven slowly along the route so that young children, elderly and disabled people, could take part in the parade without having to walk the full five miles.

SUMMER 2015

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Engineering Supervisor Bilal Mohamed is studying at the Worcester Lifelong Centre.

Partnership nominated for award EMPLOYEES have been praised after First’s three year charity partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support was nominated for one of the country’s top charitable awards. Third Sector magazine’s Business Charity Awards 2015 recognise the contribution made by UK companies to charities and social enterprises. During the partnership FirstGroup has given £1.1m in cash and gifts in kind to Macmillan Cancer Support. Katie Smart, FirstGroup’s Corporate Responsibility and Community Manager, said: “We’re delighted by the success of our partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support. Over the last three years, our employees and customers really got behind the partnership and we raised the fantastic sum of £1.1m in funds and gifts in kind to help Macmillan support those affected by cancer. Everyone should be very proud of what they have achieved.” First are up against companies such as Boeing, E.On, Keyline and Slimming World and will know if they have won later in the summer.

Fitter Greg Borecki brushes up on his maths in the Worcester Lifelong Learning Centre.

Vehicle Examiner Vince Barnett safely uses his mobile in the engineers break room.

FIRST employees can get free and confidential advice on a wide range of topics from a service that is easily accessible either by phone or online. EmployeeCare is there to offer advice and support and includes stress counselling, legal information, a bereavement helpline and health and wellbeing advice. All First Assist telephone counsellors are direct employees of the company who are trained to help people identify and achieve their own resolutions. For more information and to access EmployeeCare visit www.firstmyrewards.com or call 0800 404 9452 which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

SUMMER 2015

Lifelong Learning Rep Wayne Croxton, right, and Driver Wayne Behnke discuss Potteries Phat Club weight-watching recipes.

Lifelong learning courses

are changing lives ROM gaining new skills to losing weight – lifelong learning courses and clubs are helping people transform their lives. First staff at Worcester have been bitten by the education bug with dozens showing interest in new courses on offer at the depot’s Lifelong Learning Centre. In recent weeks a total of 47 people have signed-up for an IT course, while 28 want to take part in a maths course and another 27 are keen to improve their skills in reading and writing English. Lifelong Learning Rep Jamie Holmes said: “There’s a real demand for this sort of training. Virtually everything is computerised these days including phones, watches and even the vehicles we drive. “We all need to know our way around basic mathematics and the English course is aimed at people who didn’t do well in the subject when they were at school and want to be able to read and write better. “We’ve also got a few older guys who just want to improve their skills so they can be more confident when they read bedtime stories to their children and grandchildren, and then there are our ethnic minority

Free advice and support

Updates on how to cut risk SAFETY is paramount throughout First and staff in the engineering department at Leicester are getting regular updates on how they can help reduce risk. The latest initiative has seen a focus on the use of mobile phones and tablets within the workshops – with the rule being that if you need to use a mobile phone or other device you should only do so while standing still, in a safe place and well away from vehicles or machinery. Area Engineering Manager Carl Woolley said: “We all carry mobile devices and often have to use them as part of our work. But doing so poses a real risk. Simply remaining stationary in a safe area while using a mobile or tablet device will help to minimise that risk.”

Bargain bikes give incentive for staff to cycle to work

colleagues, including people from Poland and Portugal, who want to improve their spoken English.” Tutors from the Stourbridge campus of Birmingham Metropolitan College will deliver the courses. Jamie added: “Sometimes just a small change in people’s skills levels can make a big difference to their lives and that is what we are trying to achieve.” Meanwhile, Potteries LifeLong Learning Rep Wayne Croxton has set up a new club to help colleagues live healthier lives. He is part of a group of North Staffordshire drivers who have taken action after watching their waistlines expand because of too many unhealthy meals and snacks. About 12 Potteries drivers and two from neighbouring Newcastle-under-Lyme got together at the beginning of the year to form the Phat Club. So far it has proved a great success with every member losing weight. Wayne, who holds weekly weigh-in sessions for Phat Club members and sources healthy recipes for them to try, said: “When I hit 19 stone I realised I needed to do something about my weight and my unhealthy

Bid to win British martial arts title

Taking an IT course at Worcester are, left to right, Driver Trainer Andrew Eley and Trainee Drivers Mark Beardall and Harry Ryan.

lifestyle. Several of my colleagues also wanted help to lose weight so we set up the Phat Club to provide information and support. “We use the internet to search out healthy recipes and encourage each other in our efforts to lose weight. “You need to find the diet that works for you and your metabolism – there’s no one

GO green and get on your bike – that is the message going out to First employees across the Midlands as part of efforts to encourage more people to cycle to work. The company has signed up to Cyclescheme which allows employees to choose a brand new bike, hire it for an agreed length of time, then snap it up for a fraction of its original value. Monthly rental payments are deducted direct from the employee’s salary. At the end of the one-year rental period a small final payment – just three per cent of the original price of the cycle for bikes costing £500 or less – allows the staff member to keep the bike forever. HR Business Partner Katie Harding said: “This is a great scheme that fits really well with First’s drive to be as kind to the environment as we possibly can. “It makes buying a new bike an easily affordable option for people who want to cycle to work and leave their cars at home. We’d like to see more First employees take advantage of this offer and ‘go green’ for their journey to work.” Anyone who wants more information on how to get involved in Cyclescheme should speak to their line manager.

diet that works for everyone.” Club members also use a free smartphone app called MyFitnessPal which allows them to monitor the number of calories they consume each day. Using the Phat Club approach, Wayne has lost an impressive four stones in weight and reduced his chest measurement from 52 to 46 inches.

MARTIAL arts enthusiast and First Driver Tony Gouveia is set to take on all-comers in the Brazilian Ju Jitsu British Open. The Worcester depot busman, pictured above, discovered the unusual version of the sport two years ago and has been training three times a week since then. He is now looking forward to trying his hand in this summer’s open event and has stepped up his regime ahead of the competition. The Brazilian Ju Jitsu British Open is an annual event that sees up to 1,200 participants competing to establish themselves as the best fighters in the country. Confident Tony said: “I’m definitely looking to win – it’s one of the biggest semi-professional competitions in the country and I am really training hard.”

SUMMER 2015

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Engineering Supervisor Bilal Mohamed is studying at the Worcester Lifelong Centre.

Fitter Greg Borecki brushes up on his maths in the Worcester Lifelong Learning Centre.

Vehicle Examiner Vince Barnett safely uses his mobile in the engineers break room.

SUMMER 2015

Lifelong Learning Rep Wayne Croxton, right, and Driver Wayne Behnke discuss Potteries Phat Club weight-watching recipes.

Lifelong learning courses

Free advice and support

Bargain bikes give incentive for staff to cycle to work

Bid to win British martial arts title

Taking an IT course at Worcester are, left to right, Driver Trainer Andrew Eley and Trainee Drivers Mark Beardall and Harry Ryan.

SUMMER 2015

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New drive reinforces key safety value Checking passengers are safe before pulling away.

FIRST UK Bus people are being encouraged to take personal responsibility to make sure they, their colleagues and customers remain safe. It comes amid an increase in collisions and passenger injuries in most OpCos. There were fewer severe injuries but more minor injuries to passengers boarding and alighting. There is also concern that slips and trips during in 2013/14 led to an increase in staff lost time injuries. First UK Bus Managing Director Giles Fearnley said: “We need to address these

issues and we are working to encourage colleagues to take personal responsibility for safety.” A new system is being developed to help identify drivers’ training and support needs in relation to safety. It aims to provide a consistent approach to analysing driver data across the whole group, and identify the factors that are a risk to employee and customer safety. This tool will enable colleagues to discuss safety matters more accurately during professional development planning.

Micro Hybrid Streetlite Buses which entered service last year. First has ordered a further 183 of these environmentally-friendly vehicles, which now feature Euro 6 engines. UR announcement of a £77.7million order for new vehicles is fantastic news. It’s one of our biggest ever orders and reinforces improving performance, increasing passenger numbers and our continuing commitment to deliver our Better Journeys for Life promise. Investing in our fleet is absolutely key if we are to continue improving our product and attracting new customers. We should all be proud that we’ve invested almost £385million in vehicles over the last five years, replacing some 2,200 buses, almost a third of our fleet. The new vehicles will all come fitted with leather seats, CCTV and WiFi, providing customers with free internet access. In addition to the dedicated space for wheelchair users, extra space will be provided for pushchairs and we are trialling the installation of USB charging points on some vehicles. I’m also delighted that more than 90 per cent of the new buses will be fitted with environmentally friendly Euro 6 engines, the biggest investment in Euro 6 buses in the UK to date. To set this in context, Euro 6 engines have eight times less emissions than their predecessors, the Euro 5. As well as travelling in new buses, customers will benefit from improvements in new technology. For example: ● We will soon reveal improvements to our website including real time bus tracking and journey planning, alongside a trial of the same features in the mTicketing app.

Investing in future

success

● We’re also looking at new ways of paying for mTickets, including Paypal, and Apple Pay, as well as exploring new technologies to validate mTickets. Of course, we can only continue to invest by being successful as a business. We need to set the highest

SUMMER 2015

By First UK Bus Managing Director

Giles Fearnley standards in our operational performance whilst offering our customers excellent value. We are committed to continuing to build a more sustainable business. That means introducing cost efficiencies where possible and increasing revenues underpinned by continuing to grow our customer base. We know that the most effective way to deliver the best bus services for customers is through operators and local authorities working together in partnership, and we have a great track record of doing just that. We believe that there is much more that can be done through partnership and that calls by some Local Authorities for regulation of bus services is not necessary. We have made great progress in strengthening our businesses across the Division but regrettably in some of our towns and cities, particularly where the local economies are suffering, we continue to face significant challenges. The announcement of this investment, however, demonstrates again our strong commitment to our Better Journeys for Life promise.

VIPs to appear at ceremonies VIP speakers will appear at First UK Bus Excellence Awards ceremonies. Olympic gold medalist athlete Sally Gunnell is guest of honour at the South England & Wales ceremony in Reading, while Scotland rugby hero Gavin Hastings will address the gathering in Scotland. North England’s ceremony will be hosted by Harry Gration, who presents the BBC’s evening news programme Look North. Over 1,100 nominations have been received from colleagues for the awards launched this year to reward and recognise those staff who best display the company’s values and go the extra mile. Look out for reports in the next issue of your employee magazine.

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minutes with

MIKE EARDLEY, Adderley Green Driver, has been driving buses for 47 years. He explains why having a time machine would help him check historical facts for the novels he writes and why the original film version of Planet of the Apes cannot be beaten.

John Cornish with his restored 1977 VW Camper van, 1969 Triumph Mk1 2.5Pi and 1962 Austin A40.

Passion for the classics AR enthusiast John Cornish has turned his passion for motoring into a real labour of love. He collects and restores classic vehicles that have fallen into disrepair – saving them from a potential scrap heap fate. First Worcester Mechanic John has a collection of four classic cars. His hobby began 15 years ago with a 1977 VW camper van, which has since accompanied him on tours of Sweden and Italy. The line up also includes a 1969 Triumph Mk1 2.5Pi, a 1962 Austin A40 and his latest restoration project – a 1968 Rover P5. John said: “There are always cars that needed rescuing

– I just don’t like to see anything getting scrapped.” His current overhaul, the 1968 Rover, has been off the road since 1987 and needs a full restoration including bodywork rust removal, welding and a totally new engine. He expects to spend up to a year working on the car, dedicating his days to its restoration while working evening shifts at First. John said: “I’ve got a never ending list of classic cars I’d like to work on. I wouldn’t want to buy one that has already been done up by someone else – it’s just not personal, it wouldn’t feel like my car.”

What are the main challenges of your job?

What has been your proudest achievement?

With the current road conditions – congestion, delays and the poor standard of driving generally – I think the biggest challenge is to deliver a safe, comfortable travel experience for our paying customers. Fortunately, we are well-trained and monitored and schemes like the Smith’s safe driving help a lot.

Apart from family occasions like weddings and births, it would have to be seeing my novel on the shelves at Hanley library.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

For some reason, I always fancied the sound of the word architect, but that didn’t happen. Anyway, who says I’ve grown up? Which famous people, alive or dead, would you invite to a dinner party and why?

Bob Dylan, Mick Fleetwood, H.G. Wells and Edward, The Black Prince. If you had a time machine which era would you visit and why?

It would have to be the medieval period, the early to late 1300s. It’s a time that fascinates me and I wrote my novel, Letter From Poitou, about it. If I had a time machine I could check how accurate I was! Mike Eardley with a copy of his novel Letter from Poitou.

How do you relax?

Eating out, pottering in the garden, listening to the radio – I’m very easily pleased. But my boredom threshold is low. I don’t relax for long, according to my wife. What are your favourite books, films and music?

My all time favourite book is Lord of the Rings, but I enjoy anything historical. I’m just starting on Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall. Film: the original Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston. All the sequels and remakes did it a disservice. Music: I have a huge and wide taste for all sorts but Dylan and Fleetwood Mac are right up there. Where do you like to go on holiday?

Cornwall or the Lake District Best bit of advice?

My mum always used to say “Something will turn up” and 99 per cent of the time, she was right!

Onboard theme park ticket sales CREDIT card-reading machines have been installed on Service X32 buses bound for Alton Towers to assist drivers and customers. It follows a deal being struck between First and the theme park to sell discounted entry tickets on board the vehicles, which ferry visitors to the attraction from Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station. The reduced theme park tickets are also available at First travel shops for local residents to buy.

SUMMER 2015

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Claire is right LIGHTLY-BUILT and softly spoken Claire Jordan does not immediately strike you as someone who excels in a traditionally male-dominated sport. But Claire, who is a popular Driver based at Worcester depot, plays a key role in midfield for a top ladies football team. Claire joined First just six months ago and quickly acquired all the knowledge and technique she needed to become a driver. And her skills on the soccer field saw her snapped up by Droitwich Spa Ladies FC when the club was formed two years ago. Claire, 24, helped the team clinch top spot in the Herefordshire and Worcestershire County League in the 2013/14 season – and the success has continued with newly-promoted Droitwich Spa Ladies FC currently riding high in the West Midlands Regional League (Division 1 South). “I’ve played football for various teams since I was about 13,” said Claire. “I enjoy everything about the game and the friends you make

Claire Jordan shows her football skills. while playing and training.” Claire joined First from her previous job where she worked behind a bar. She added: “I’d always wanted a driving job and when I got talking to some people from First they encouraged me to apply. I love driving a bus.”

Marathon effort to raise £4,000 for children’s charity

Steve Zanker with his London Marathon 2015 medal.

SUMMER 2015

GENERAL Manager Steve Zanker clocked up a respectable sub-five hours in this year’s London Marathon – and was back at his desk in Leicester the following morning. Steve took on the gruelling 26.2 mile event with his friend Dave Cooper to raise cash for Wishes 4 Kids, a charity that helps make dreams come true for children with life limiting illnesses. Steve had not done any distance running before and the two pals both crossed the finishing line together with a time of four hours 56 minutes. Between them they have raised £4,000 for

the charity and Steve would like to thank the generous support from many of his colleagues at all depots who have contributed to the cause. Aged 55, Steve said he thoroughly enjoyed the London Marathon – but had no plans to repeat the experience. “It was hard work and the only thing that kept me going was the thought that there was no way I was going to give up in front of all those crowds of people,” he said. “The spectators were fantastic and there was a wonderful atmosphere of celebration which meant you couldn’t help but get a lift from it.”