Month: September 2021

As we emerge from what has been a very strange year, we are keen to ensure that our valued Partners stay up to date with what’s happening within our business.

We are delighted to present our first digital Newsletter.

In this edition:

• We hear from our Managing Director, Claire McKinley Smith
• Look back at an award wining start to the year
• Find out about the chemical free cleaning revolution
• See the latest innovations
• Hear all the latest news from Westgrove HQ
• And take a look at some CSR initiative

Click here to read Issue 1 of the Westgrove Digital Newsletter.

Shopping centre specialist Facilities Management company, The Westgrove Group, continues its growth in the sector with new contract wins in Kent and the West Midlands.

The company, which provides soft and hard services to centres across the UK, has been awarded new contracts at Broadway Shopping Centre in Bexleyheath and Ryemarket Shopping Centre in Stourbridge. 

Following a competitive tender process, Westgrove were awarded the cleaning and security contract at Broadway Shopping Centre, managed by property specialists Workman.  Located in the heart of Bexleyheath, Broadway spans 519,700 sq ft. and hosts 60 retail stores.

Westgrove will also provide the cleaning and security services to Ryemarket Shopping Centre, managed by Orbit Property Management Ltd.  Hosting 30 retail stores, this family friendly centre boasts a strong customer centric ethos, which aligns with Westgrove.  

These wins follow recent contract awards with The Piazza Centre in Huddersfield, The Arc in Bury St Edmonds and Novelis Recycling in Warrington as well as a contract extension with The Arcades Shopping Centre in Ashton Under Lyne, all adding over £2M of new business. 

Claire Mckinley Smith, Managing Director at Westgrove said “We are delighted to be working with the teams at Broadway and Ryemarket and it’s a pleasure to welcome new colleagues into our team.  We pride ourselves on the quality of our customer service and we’ll be supporting our new colleagues with training and development opportunities”.

Rai Holdstock, Centre Manager at Broadway Shopping Centre, said ‘We are delighted to be working with Westgrove who were chosen due to their commitment to rewarding their colleagues and demonstrable added value to the scheme at no extra cost.’

Aaron Powell, Centre Manager at Ryemarket Shopping Centre said, ‘We made the award to Westgrove due to their excellent tender which understood our priorities and objectives and showed how the contract could develop in the future’.

Westgrove provide security, cleaning, maintenance and customer service to shopping centres and mixed-use destinations, corporate offices, business parks, manufacturing and airports throughout the UK.  Following a successful 22-year history, the company expanded in 2020 to add hard services to enhance its well-established award-winning soft services provision.  The company, based in Warrington, was founded by Group Chairmen Simon Whittle and Steve Fives.

Last night, Shakespeare’s Underglobe Theatre in London played host to the Women in Security Awards 2021. These awards recognise and honour the contribution and achievements of women in the security industry.

We are pleased to announce that Denise Phillips from Market Place Shopping Centre in Bolton was the WINNER of the Frontline category.

Denise was nominated by Gillian Davidson, our Guest Services Manager for the contribution she has made to Market Place during her 23-year career. Denise is an inspirational female security officer; she shows so much loyalty to Market Place and her passion for her role shines through.

Fast growing facilities management company, The Westgrove Group, has secured a new million-pound total facilities management contract at Tata Technologies European Innovation and Development Centre, based in Warwickshire.

As part of a competitive tender process, Westgrove successfully retained their soft services provision for a further three years and also won the hard services contract (planned and reactive maintenance), to provide a new Total Facilities Management solution.

Claire McKinley Smith, Managing Director at Westgrove said, “We are delighted to continue our partnership at Tata Technologies and to have extended the cleaning and security provision to now provide the hard services as well.  This is testament to the hard work and dedication of our colleagues onsite and to our Technical Services Team”.    

Paul Booth, Technical Services Director at Westgrove commented, “This new award is fantastic news for Westgrove and I am personally very excited to be involved in this prestigious TFM contract.  Our soft service colleagues have set a very high benchmark with their excellent service standards to date at Tata and we are looking forward to following their lead and implementing engineering and service excellence from day one.”

Tim Brown, General Manager, UK Operations at Tata Technologies said, ‘Westgrove are always professional, and always provide the greatest level of care. The service that I receive is unmatched, and it is that which drove the decision to not only continue the soft services, but to include the whole FM package’.

The Westgrove Technical Services Team bring a wealth of facilities engineering experience to the company since the division launched in early 2020.  The team work across the UK covering a variety of sectors including retail, commercial and industrial.

Westgrove provide security, cleaning, maintenance and customer service to shopping centres and mixed-use destinations, corporate offices, business parks, manufacturing and airports throughout the UK.  Following a successful 22-year history, the company expanded in 2020 to add hard services to enhance its well-established award-winning soft services provision. 

The Westgrove Group has also recently secured a Total Facilities Management contract with Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull valued at over £10m. The company, based in Warrington, was founded by Group Chairmen Simon Whittle and Steve Fives.

Click here to find out more about Westgrove’s service offering.

Suicide is a preventable death, however, in 2023 there were 6,042 registered deaths by suicide in England and Wales,and it is still the leading single cause of death among 15–29-year-olds globally.

Having previously worked in Housing and Construction, I am aware of mental health illness and suicide prevention. However, I have never actually spoken to anyone who has had to deal with someone who has attempted suicide and how they personally managed the situation until I joined The Westgrove Group.

I decided it was time to educate myself further about mental health and suicide thoughts. To start with, I recently visited the Zero Suicide Alliance website to undertake the free 20-minute Suicide Prevention training. It is a great course which I would recommend to all our colleagues.

The training covers how to recognise and deal with someone who may have suicidal thoughts, and I particularly found the three stories (one with a stranger, the other with a colleague and one with a family member) interesting and helpful. Being able to talk about suicide could save someone’s life and taking the time to recognise that someone may be feeling depressed or having suicidal thoughts will help you to ask the right questions and start a conversation. It is also important to do your research about organisations that can help someone who may be suffering, so that you are prepared if you ever need to signpost someone to seek further help and support. For example, the Orange Button Scheme who are supported by the Market Place in Bolton.

Suicidal thoughts are often the result of an untreated mental health condition. It is important to understand and identify the warning signs and risk factors of suicide so that we can play a role in supporting others in crisis.

Would you be able to ask the person if they are thinking of ending their life?

What can you do in the event of a suicide attempt?

• Establish contact with the person and talk to them.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions about suicidal thoughts and feelings, but don’t get into a debate about the rights and wrongs of suicide.
• Always take any suicidal threats seriously.
• Listen, be accepting, and don’t judge, show the person that you care by being sympathetic, patient, calm and focused.
• Do not ever try to grab them, always keep yourself safe.
• Keep them safe by removing any potentially dangerous items from around the person, if possible.
• Don’t ever leave a person you are concerned about being at imminent risk of suicide alone. Being there for someone with thoughts of suicide is lifesaving.
• Encourage the person to seek professional help.
• Access help immediately.

Witnessing serious injury or death is a traumatic experience which is why it is important to remember that colleagues dealing with either a suicide incident or someone who attempts suicide, will need to be supported by their colleagues and Line Manager during and after an incident.  Additional support is available through the Retail Trust who offer free and confidential support to our colleagues after dealing with an incident either by telephone or in person counselling.

During a recent ISO Surveillance Audit at Westgrove the auditor highlighted several best practice initiatives including our mental health program and suicide awareness training. This is great recognition of the good work being undertaken by all our colleagues.

For more information, please visit the following websites and take the time to visit the Zero Suidice Alliance website to undertake the free 20-minute Suicide Prevention training.

Other sources of information include:

https://www.retailtrust.org.uk/

https://www.samaritans.org

https://www.healthierlsc.co.uk/OrangeButtonScheme

Written by Angela Crawford, Head of Health, Safety & Compliance, The Westgrove Group