Two years ago we introduced three core values to the business: Passion, Responsibility and Engagement.  As part of the Employee Satisfaction Surveys, we again asked employees to nominate their colleagues under each of the core value categories.

As a result of these nominations, four individuals were selected for exemplifying our core values within the workplace and acknowledged on 24 November at the Staff Christmas party with an award and gift voucher.

Passion – Simon Pinto, Binnegar Quarry Manager

Simon has been with the business for 11 years, having started as a plant operator.  He has worked his way up through the company and most recently, stepped up whilst Felicity Breuning is on maternity leave.  In this time, he has overseen the relocation and installation of the new wash plant on site.

Simon’s colleagues have praised his managerial skills and described him as being very professional in the way he communicates with both staff, subcontractors, customers and the local community and that he has a lot of respect from the site team.

Responsibility – Annmarie Read, Senior Site Technician

Annmarie has been with the business for two and half years, having supported the sites and grown her team in this time.  Annmarie has been described by her colleagues as a hard worker and passionate about about making sure the company works to very high standards.

Engagement – Wayne Read, Fortis IBA A303 Processing Facility Assistant Site Manager

Wayne has worked with the business for seven years and was this year promoted from Plant Fitter to Assistant Site Manager for Fortis.  Wayne has been described as always looking for ways to improve both operations and the business.

Overall – Vanessa Smith, Shift Manager at the A303 Materials Recovery Facility

Vanessa stood out across all areas with a remarkable number of nominations.  She was also nominated last year and was the winner of the Responsibility Award.

Vanessa has been described as being very helpful and wanting to progress and develop site staff whilst putting safety first.  Employees have said that it is a privilege to work with her and that she is:

“A very experienced manager with great people skills, very health and safety conscious and always looking for ways to improve.”

“She is always very helpful to everyone, takes care of details and always gets the job done in the best possible way.”

Raymond Brown are delighted to announce Don Coates as the group’s new Chief Executive Officer.

The appointment is a key part of Raymond Brown’s future growth strategy, which will see Don steering the business through its growth and expansion plans.

Don commented: “Raymond Brown is a well-respected business and I am excited to be joining at a key time in the Group’s development when there are many great prospects.  I will ensure that we remain committed to our employees, customers, local communities, health and safety and improving the environment, which underpins our core values.  I look forward to supporting the senior team in leading the group through this next phase.”

Don has 30 years’ experience in manufacturing, working across a variety of sectors, and has led several businesses as CEO in both private and public company environments, including 17 years with DS Smith Plc, where his responsibilities included running the UK’s largest waste paper recycler.

Don will be working closely with Chief Operating Officer, Steve Clasby, Chief Financial Officer, Wayne Roberts, and the management team.

Steve Clasby commented: “On behalf of the Raymond Brown team, I would like to welcome Don, who we are thrilled to have on board.  I very much look forward to working with Don to make the most of the opportunities ahead as we continue our success into the future.”

Raymond Brown took their new sign written grab lorry to Smannell and Enham Primary School, accompanied by Sean Warren (Business Development Manager), Alix Kerr (Assistant Transport Co-ordinator) and Martin Brown (Driver). The children from Smannell and Enham school had taken part in Raymond Brown’s lorry competition to design posters around recycling and the winning children were given certificates, goody bags and book vouchers for their efforts in taking part and were also able to sit in the lorry cab.

The children learnt about the importance of recycling and how Raymond Brown are addressing the issue through educating children through their links with local schools.

All of the children from Smannell and Enham School were very excited to see the new lorry and promised the driver they would wave at him if they spot the lorry on the roads.

An archaeological assessment has revealed how Binnegar Quarry near Wareham was the site of an underground hideout for the secret Auxiliary Units, Britain’s wartime resistance in waiting.  Andrew Joseph Associates Archaeology Services, working under contract to Raymond Brown, recognised the significance of the site as unusual, on a quarry site that also contained Bronze Age barrows and Battery Bank, a boundary marker and scheduled ancient monument.  Experts were called in to assess the site from Historic England, the County Archaeologist and specialist Auxiliary Units research group, Coleshill Auxiliary Research Team (CART).

The Auxiliary Units were set up in 1940 in case of a Nazi invasion. Their role was to hide underground while the first wave of an invasion passed by and then emerge to sabotage supplies, transport and communications to hamper the German forces and allow a counter attack.  Made up of six to seven men in a patrol, drawn from local civilians, they were taught demolition and issued large quantities of explosives and weapons.  Each patrol had an underground hideout where they could rest and store their supplies.  It would be carefully disguised against discovery.  The men were told their life expectancy after invasion was just a couple of weeks.

The expert review revealed that the bunker was partially collapsed and heavily damaged.  As it was not in a fit state for preservation, it was agreed that it would be fully recorded by archaeological investigation prior to its deconstruction. This was done in stages over 18 months from 2017 and 2018.  CART volunteers lead the project with specialist archaeological support from Ian Meadows from Andrew Josephs Associates and the New Forest National Parks Community Archaeology Service.  Raymond Brown provided plant to assist the excavation and transport to the remote site and local residents were kept updated throughout by Councillor Barry Quinn who attended regularly to review its progress.

Very few such underground bunkers have been excavated in this way. The dig found a sturdy Nissen hut-like main chamber with an entrance shaft at one end and a short tunnel and escape exit at the other.  It revealed that it had been intentionally collapsed in the 1970s, with the centre of the roof removed and the interior filled with sand, however, some elements of its wartime use remained.  At the base of the shafts were found remains of the hatch mechanisms including a heavy concrete counter weight.  These were used to vertically lift a heavy soil covered hatch that disguised the shaft.  The dig revealed an extensive ventilation system, made from over one hundred four inch glazed earthenware pipes brought in from the Midlands.  This relied on warm air rising through pipes set in the roof which drew in fresh air through other pipes running to the bottom of the bunker.  In the base of the tunnel were found numerous inert trap switches. These had been deliberately deactivated by whoever had discarded them, the empty boxes they came in being found nearby.  Other similar devices had been found as part of an extensive metal detector survey of the surrounding area indicating that the men had been training nearby.  This survey also found a metal first aid splint and a .50 calibre bullet, evidence of the US Army who were briefly based in nearby Binnegar Hall prior to D Day.  Other finds included discarded tin cans from a meal eaten by the men who built the bunker, found in backfill outside the bunker walls.

A full report will be lodged with the County Archaeologist in due course and it is hoped to stage an exhibition of the findings in the local area next year.  Raymond Brown have donated the finds to CART to be exhibited as part of their public displays explaining the history of Auxiliary Units.  It is planned to erect a pair of memorial benches constructed from blocks salvaged from the bunker, to remember the men who received no recognition at the end of the war, due to the secrecy of the organisation.

One of Raymond Brown’s newest Grab Lorries was branded yesterday at the traditional Cart Marking Ceremony in the City of London.  The lorry, which was designed by Foxhills Junior School in Southampton was driven by Mark Attwood and is the fourth Raymond Brown lorry to have been branded in the annual ceremony.

This year the Carmen will celebrated their 501st anniversary and the annual Cart Marking Ceremony took place in Guildhall Yard commencing at 10.35am on Wednesday 18th July 2018. Vehicles were marked between the Master Carmen, Patrick Marsland-Roberts TD, The Rt.Hon The Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Charles Bowman and the Master Glover, Alvin Seth-Smith.

The ancient tradition of cart marking dates back to the 16th century when all carts operating in the City of London were required to pay five shillings for the right to ply for hire in the City and have their axles branded – an early form of vehicle licensing.