It's my great pleasure to introduce (sadly for the last timemore on that later) another incredible edition of Target. The amazing work you do shines through every article and makes me proud to be part of this great group we have in Tayside Contracts.
I'm especially pleased that many colleagues’ hard work has been recognised, such as gaining national accreditations for Safety and Excellence (CHAS) and Cyber Essentials, and our success in the School Plates Awards Individual recognitions arequite rightly - featured in this edition, with Carolyn Macgregor’s success in the Cook of the Year Competition, Gary Chmiel achieving Assist FM Scholarship qualification, and our own Roddy Ritchie being invited to attend the Royal Garden Party!
I am genuinely sad to say that this will be my last Grapevine, as I will be stepping down at the end of May, after 42 years of public service with Angus Council, Perth and Kinross Council, and - for the last five years - Tayside Contracts
The professionalism, and selfless commitment you have shown to serve our communities in Tayside, and support each other, has been so inspirational to witness over the last 5 years, and meeting many colleagues ‘out and about’, and reading about your great work through Target, has consistently brightened up my working day. I also really enjoy reading about colleagues’ wider contribution to supporting others, particularly Susie's successful fund raising for breast cancer, and Angie's great work in her own time supporting one of our partners, Dundee Bairns. I’d like to remind colleagues that we have a volunteering policy - where employees give up a day of their own time (by taking annual or unpaid leave) to volunteer, they will be granted another day’s paid leave to volunteer.
I really want to thank all the contributors of these articles for bringing the work you do to life and sharing it with the rest of us I know how busy everyone is, and for you to take time, to write such beautifully crafted articles for Target is deeply appreciated
I wish each of you the very best for the future I leave knowing the organisation is in excellent hands with a highly capable Corporate Leadership Team. I’m especially pleased that Dougie McKay has been appointed as Managing Director, and I have every confidence that, by working together, you will take Tayside Contracts from strength to strength.
Thank you, sincerely, for everything you’ve done during my time with TC. I look forward to hearing about your continued successes in the months and years ahead.
Best wishes,
Announcement of New Managing Director
Tayside Contracts is delighted to announce the appointment of its new Managing Director, following the retirement of the current postholder, Keith McNamara.
Following a rigorous selection process, Dougie McKay has been offered, and accepted the post, and will start in his new role at the start of June
Dougie has been with Tayside Contracts for 23 years and is currently the Head of Operations, leading the large public facing services of Construction and Facilities. He has held several previous roles in the organisation as well as holding the role of Dundee Roads Maintenance Partnership Manager for 10 years.
Steven Rome, Convener of Tayside Contracts Joint Committee, and Chair of the selection panel said:
We are delighted Dougie has accepted the post. He brings a wealth of experience into this role, and this came across clearly during the selection process, as did his passion for delivering services for communities. I am certain he will continue to drive Tayside Contracts forward as its new Managing Director.
Dougie said:
“I’m proud and honoured to be given the opportunity to lead such a fantastic organisation and even more excited for us all to be working together to continue to make Tayside Contracts the success it has been for the last 28 years. I’m looking forward to working alongside our Council colleagues, to continue delivering our excellent services to the 420,000 residents in Tayside.”
School Meals Bronze ProVeg School Plates Award
As the launch of the brand-new primary school lunch menu 2025/2026 in April approaches, the Food and Nutrition Team are proud to announce that the menu has achieved the Bronze Award as part of ProVeg UK’s flagship programme, School Plates
School Plates is an evidenced-based, tiered awards system that awards school caterers across the UK with Bronze, Silver and Gold accolades as a prestigious recognition of their commitment to healthy and sustainable school menus
ProVeg works with schools to serve healthy, climate-friendly meals by increasing the quality, quantity, and uptake of plant-based food as well as promoting more plants and less meat on menus ProVeg has recently been recognised and short listed for the world’s biggest environmental award, The Food Planet Prize
In order to achieve the Bronze Award, a weekly Meat Free Day has been introduced to the primary lunch menu, incorporating a variety of pupil favourite vegetarian and vegan dishes. Dishes have been renamed to emphasize flavours and textures, moving away from the more traditional way of naming the dish around the meat content, or using the phrase ‘vegetarian’ to precede the dish name This will encourage young people to select dishes based on their appeal irrespective of the type of protein, normalising the consumption of plant based foods
A government campaign was launched in 2020 to reduce the amount of meat served in the public sector by 20%, which attracted widespread support from the industry, including the Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA) and ASSIST FM which is an association promoting and improving service delivery for public sector organisations delivering FM services throughout Scotland A recent study found that over 80% of public-sector caterers have committed to meat reduction, with 83% committing to increasing serving plant proteins by 20%.
Tayside Contracts is committed to creating sustainable, healthy, balanced lunches for young people, and continuously strives to reduce the impact of school meals on the planet.
Look out for this Bronze Award badge on the new primary lunch menu which will be launched in April!
by the Food and Nutrition Team
PUT YOUR BREAST FOOT FORWARD
By Susie Newton, Training and Development Adviser
So, I decided to set myself a challenge of “walk 100 miles in February” to raise monies for World Cancer Research Fund.
To make this more challenging I chose to do the walking out with my usual dog walks, so this would be additional to the miles that I clock up with my dog Roobs.
Also, at the same time a good friend of mine thought it would be a good idea to start a beginner running class to achieve “couch to 5k” in 8 weeks.
So, the challenge was set, Facebook pages and donation links sent out and out I walked and ran. I won’t lie it wasn’t easy working full time, walking the dog and then fitting in the challenge, but I am pleased to report that I achieved the 100 miles, and to top it all off on Wednesday 26 March I completed the run class 8-week programme and jogged the full 5k.
I’m pleased to let you all know that between kind donations from friends, family and work colleagues I raised £1091, and the campaign also raised an amazing total of £137,550.
Who knows maybe next article and challenge will be a half marathon or full one!!
The Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) is the UK’s rarest species of Newt and is an internationally important European protected species
Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.
Listed as a priority species under the UK Post 2010 Diversity Framework.
Listed as a European Protected Species under Anex IV of the European Habitats Directive.
They are the UK’s largest species of newt Females can grow up to 16 cm (63 inches) long. Its back and sides are dark brown, while the belly is yellow to orange with dark blotches
Males develop a conspicuous jagged crest on their back and tail during the breeding season.
Perthshire Wildlife, who are an environmental charity, have been monitoring a population of Great Crested Newts that they discovered near Pitlochry at Donavourd. Unfortunately, several of these newts became trapped in roadside gully pots If they fall in, they are unable to climb out due to the smooth sides of the pot and they will ultimately die.
At their request, Tayside Contracts have fitted British Herpetological Society (BHS) Amphibian Gully Pot Ladders to 18 gully pots at this location in advance of the newts waking from hibernation This will prevent them from being trapped in the future.
By Jon Hazelton, Project Manager
Tree Planting at Collace Quarry
Collace Quarry was consented planning permission in January 2024 to extend the quarry to the North releasing a potential 3 million tonnes of aggregate and extending the life by an expected 30 years. A condition within this consent was to complete some ecological mitigation works and one form of this was undertaking compensatory tree planting. This was to offset the loss of woodland and boundary features impacted by the quarries development.
As the development progresses a small area of woodland will require to be felled. For every tree removed as part of the felling process, 3 new trees will be planted resulting in over 5,000 new trees being introduced to the surrounding landscape of Collace; this will cover an area of 2.2 hectares, the equivalent of 3 football pitches, and will be a mixture of native broadleaves and pine along with seeding of wildflower within the vicinity.
The picture highlights the woodland to be felled and the area we will cover with new trees. This compensatory planting will form visual and physical connections with the existing woodland to the north and west.
The aim of the compensatory planting within the landscape restoration plan is to integrate the restored quarry with the surrounding landscape alongside strengthening local flora and fauna specific to the local area. All planting operations shall comply with BS 4043:1989 and BS 4428:1989 ‘Code of Practice for General Landscape Operations (Excluding Hard Surfaces) and BS 3936 Part1:1992.
Key: New Quarry extension boundary
New trees to be planted
Trees to be felled
by Greg Campopiano, Quarry Manager
Investors in People Employee Survey You Said, We Are Proposing
As part of our commitment to fostering a positive workplace culture, we're thrilled to introduce key elements from our Investors in People action plan in the article "You Said, We Are Proposing," where we have taken your valuable feedback and transformed it into actionable strategies and initiatives that focus on enhancing your working environment.
In this edition we focus on how we will improve our communication channels and make the organisation’s objectives clear, how we will encourage and motivate you to deliver against these objectives and help towards creating a more fulfilling and engaging workplace for everyone.
In our ever-evolving workplace, clear communication from our leaders and managers is paramount to ensuring that everyone understands our shared objectives We are committed to not just articulating these objectives, but also inspiring and motivating each of you to reach them together
The finalists in our Open to All awards, those nominated by colleagues and peers are:
Active Travel, which promotes walking, cycling, and other sustainable modes of transport, is essential for building healthier, greener, and more connected communities Dundee’s residents deserve safe, accessible, and enjoyable routes that encourage them to leave the car behind and embrace a more active lifestyle Our resurfacing works are paving the way quite literally for this vision.
Across various locations in the city, Tayside Contracts teams have been diligently upgrading footpaths to a high standard By focusing on materials that are durable and sustainable, we’re ensuring these pathways will serve the community for years to come. The improvements not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of the footpaths but also ensure they are safer and more accessible to all users, including those with mobility challenges
This project highlights the strength of partnership working By aligning our expertise in road and footpath maintenance with Dundee City Council Sustainable Transport’s strategic vision, we’re making strides in supporting the city’s Active Travel initiatives. Together, we are committed to reducing Dundee’s carbon footprint while improving the quality of life for its residents. The positive feedback we’ve already received from the community underscores the importance of this work
Tayside Contracts is proud to be at the forefront of works that enhance the way people move across Dundee. In collaboration with our valued partners at Dundee City Council, we have been hard at work resurfacing footpaths across the city, ensuring they are fit for the future of Active Travel.
Residents have expressed their appreciation for the improvements, noting how these upgraded footpaths make daily journeys whether to school, work, or leisure destinations more pleasant and efficient
Tayside Contracts looks forward to continuing our collaboration with Dundee City Council Sustainable Transport as we deliver infrastructure improvements that benefit both people and the planet.
Let’s keep Dundee moving one footpath at a time.
by Michael Colgan, RMP Manager
Donation Gifts
of
Over the festive period, we received several gifts from some of the suppliers that work with us, which is very kind, but presents a bit of a challenge to us as a public body. Therefore, we donate these to charity, and this year we donated these to Dundee Bairns. Genna Millar who accepted the goodies was delighted to accept these and use them as prizes in their ongoing fundraising efforts.
Hosted by Dundee City Council, in partnership with Angus Council, Perth and Kinross and the Supplier Development Programme. Businesses of all sizes were invited to this free in- person Meet the Buyer event, on 4th March 2025, at the Innovation Hub at the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc Ltd (MSIP).
The event was so well attended we were both kept really busy all day engaging with local and national suppliers. An excellent venue and successful day for everyone.
Annemarie Hannaway, Procurement Manager
Meet Buyer
the
As we know, an estimated one-third of all the food produced in the world goes to waste, and wasted food isn't just a social or humanitarian concern, it has a huge impact on the environment. When food is wasted, all the energy and resources it takes to grow, harvest, transport, package and prepare it is also wasted. Food waste produces methane, which is one of the biggest contributors to global warming
Sometimes there can be a significant amount of food waste generated through school meals, which we aim to reduce in line with our climate change agenda However, we cannot do this alone and need to work with young people to make them aware of the environmental benefits of reducing food waste, which will influence their behaviours in later life. In a bid to kickstart this reduction, we invited 4 schools in each of the council areas to work in partnership with us and take part in a Food Waste Pilot Project, from January to April 2025.
The pilot consisted of 3 phases each for the length of one 4 week menu cycle as follows:
Phase 1
School meal food waste was isolated and weighed
Phase 2
School engagement supported by teaching material provided by Tayside and recorded daily by Contracts Tayside Contracts catering teams
The appointment of 2 'Waste Warriors' in each school to highlight the environmental impact of food waste and promote reducing school meal food waste by encouraging an empty plate policy within their school
Waste Warriors worked in partnership with our catering teams to weigh and record the food waste at the end of service
If you feel you need or would like some free accessible independent advocacy support or advice, here are contacts for organisations in each of the three local authority areas.
69 High Street, Arbroath, DD11 1AN 01241 434413 enquiries@angusindadvocacyorg
01382 205515 admin@diasdundeeorg
As we step into spring and return to the annual ASSIST conference in Glasgow with colleagues from around Scotland's local authorities in May, we are delighted to have been successful in achieving a place in the final of the Scottish Local Authority Cook of the Year Competition.
On Friday 21st March, Carolyn Macgregor, Cook in Charge at Webster’s High School in Angus, attended Braehead Cook School in Kilmarnock to prepare and present her menu for the competition.
Each entrant had to prepare a three-course meal within 4 hours (+ 1 hour of prep time), incorporating seasonal, local or Scottish produce, demonstrating their menu’s sustainability and economically responsible purchasing Each course had to have the ability to be adapted to increase volume for a dining experience or large corporate event because the winning entries will be prepared and cooked by the award-winning chefs for the ASSIST FM conference dinner in May at the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow
ASSIST Scottish Local Authorit Cook of the Year Competition
Carolyn’s
Starter
River Esk Salmon Kiev served with Salad Leaves and Dill Drizzle Main
Angus Glens Venison with Honey Garlic Glaze, Fondant Potatoes and Local Vegetables Desser t
Tangy Lemon Mousse served with Shortbread Crumb, Angus Raspberries and Heather Honey Flapjack
Carolyn’s menu used local ingredients from Angus, with its rich agricultural environment which gave access to a fantastic larder of produce Over the last few months Carolyn has worked hard to develop her menu and dishes for the competition, carrying out several run throughs, with her colleagues providing feedback
The next step, saw Carolyn cook her full menu on Friday 21st March, competing against Cooks from seven local authorities for a chance to cook at the ASSIST FM Conference gala dinner.
Carolyn had a fantastic day, achieving first place for two out of three courses! Her starter and dessert will be served at the ASSIST gala dinner, with the overall winner to be announced at the ASSIST FM awards ceremony. Huge congratulations to Carolyn for her hard work and dedication to the competition, and we wish her all the best in the final stages.
by Caroline Cruickshanks, Catering Services Manager
