Tag: security

Westgrove Announce BSIA Nomination List!

Posted on March 28, 2023 by - Uncategorised

Westgrove are delighted to announce that we have put forward 25 nominations for this years 2023 British Security Awards for our Colleagues across the country.

The British Security Awards are a National Event that recognises the talent and commitment from the industry’s finest. The awards are organised by the British Security Industry Association and celebrate the achievements and bravery made by members of the Security Industry.

We were pleased to nomnate the following colleagues for a BSIA Award and would like to wish them the best of luck in the regional rounds!

BSIA Service To The Customer Award

Antony Yates & Christopher Ashley – Birchwood Park

Steve Allen – Haymarket Shopping Centre

Asa Abraham – Queens Square Shopping Centre

Damon Kosmalski-Pearson – Riverside Shopping Centre

Sandra Perry – Templars Square

BSIA Security Manager Of The Year Award

Muhammad Younis – Royal Priors Shopping Centre

Paul Lavery – St Johns Shopping Centre

BSIA Best Newcomer Of The Year Award

Jack Davenport – Templars Square Shopping Centre

Kyle Farrelly-Reid – Spindles Town Square

BSIA Outstanding Act Of The Year Award

Hameed Smith, Imran Younis, Jonathan Chandler, Owen Jarrett – Castle Quay Shopping Centre

Castle Quay Shopping Centre Security Team

Haider Hussian – Queens Square Shopping Centre

Damon Kosmalski-Pearson – Riverside Shopping Centre

Jason Baker, Tony Cairns, Brain Heeney, Jane Gerrard – Spindles Town Square

Kyle Sands – Telford Centre

Martin wain, Jack Davenport, Mohammad Ali – Templars Square Shopping Centre

Martin Wain, Sandra Perry, Nar Gurung, Darren Harris – Templars Square Shopping Centre

Rodney Gould – The Galleries Shopping Centre

Angela Crawshaw – The Moor Shopping Centre

Imran Hanif – The Moor Shopping Centre

John Whitford – Willow Place Shopping Centre

Ryan Griffin – Willow Place Shopping Centre

BSIA Best Team Of The Year Award

Ryemarket Shopping Centre Team

Templars Square Shopping Centre Security Team

Touchwood Shopping Centre Security Team

Westgrove Group becomes Living Wage Service Provider

Posted on March 5, 2019 by - Uncategorised

The Westgrove Group has been accredited as a Living Wage Service Provider.


Westgrove, which employs over 1000 security, cleaning and customer service colleagues across the UK will recommend to its Partners that those colleagues are paid the higher wage rate of £9.00 per hour.


Living Wage Foundation Director Katherine Chapman, said: “We are delighted to recognise The Westgrove Group for their on-going commitment to the Living Wage as a Service Provider.”


Claire McKinley Smith, Managing Director of The Westgrove Group, said: “We are proud to have been accredited as a Living Wage Recognised Service Provider.


“We believe strongly in the importance of looking after all our people from apprentices through to members of staff who have been with us for more than 20 years.


“Although we do not set the wage rates ourselves, we will be working with our Partners to recommend that they pay the living wage rather than the minimum wage. Our customers and suppliers value the fact that we are committed to the training and development of our people along with our commitment to our comprehensive range of products and our passion for customer service.”


The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. It is calculated according to the basic cost of living using the ‘Minimum Income Standard’ for the UK. The Living Wage enjoys cross party support, with public backing from the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. The principle behind the Living Wage is that work should bring dignity and should enable families to enjoy the essentials of life.


The Westgrove Group specialises in providing security, cleaning and security services in high footfall destinations from shopping centres, airports and corporate businesses to retail environments across the UK.


The Warrington based company, founded in 1998, has grown considerably in the past two years and is on target to turnover £40 million in the next five years.

Westgrove Group appoints Mental Health First-Aider

Posted on February 15, 2019 by - Uncategorised

We have appointed our first site based Mental Health First-Aider.
We are working with one of our key partners, Market Place Shopping Centre in Bolton, to champion awareness of mental health.
As part of the service to shoppers, the Centre was keen to ensure that they identified a mental health first aider, something which is being called for by many companies in the UK to be mandatory as part of the ‘Time to Change’ campaign
Following a very successful mental health awareness week in 2018, Changing Minds, the Centre and Westgrove worked together to train over 80 staff in mental health awareness.
Following the training, a member of the team, Paul Ogden, one of the Centre’s Guest Service Ambassadors, took on the role as mental health champion.
Paul is now available to offer support and advice to vulnerable customers visiting the Centre as well as to the Centre’s tenants.
As part of his training, Paul completed a mental health first aid course through St John Ambulance, the nation’s leading first aid charity, and a NCFE CACHE Level 2 certificate qualification in Mental Health Awareness.
Nikki Wilson-Cook, Centre Manager of Market Place said: “With mental health in the workplace being such a burning issue nationally, we are proud to be setting an industry precedent with the introduction of our first Mental Health First Aider at Market Place.
“Paul Ogden is equipped with all the skills required to help someone, be it a colleague or a member of the public suffering mental distress, which is all too common an occurrence today.”
The Westgrove Group, based in Warrington, specialises in providing security, cleaning and security services in high footfall destinations from shopping centres and corporate businesses to retail environments.
Claire McKinley Smith, Managing Director of The Westgrove Group, said: “As a company, we take mental health extremely seriously so we are very proud to be one of the first facilities management companies in the UK to appoint a mental health first-aider.
“We are fully on board with the ‘Time to Change’ campaign, supported by many UK businesses, to take mental health more seriously in the work place as we believe that mental health needs to be given the same weight as physical first aid.
“Since starting in the new role, Paul has rolled out his training to the Westgrove team onsite and to the tenants within the Centre.
“He has already identified a number of vulnerable customers and offered them advice and support. We will be looking to appoint mental health first aiders at many more centres across our UK portfolio during 2019.”
The Westgrove Group was founded in 1998 by Group Chairmen Simon Whittle and Steve Fives. Based in Warrington, North West UK, it employs over 1,000 colleagues across the UK and has an annual turnover of £25M.

Paul Ogden, the Westgrove Group’s first Mental Health First-Aider

Westgrove Group beats competition to win Birchwood Park security contract

Posted on November 15, 2018 by - Owner

The Westgrove Group has been chosen to supply security services to one of the North West’s most prestigious business parks.

Westgrove has been appointed by managing agents CBRE to provide the security for Birchwood Park in Warrington, the region’s leading out of town business location.

The destination, which today provides 1.1 million sq. ft. of office and warehouse space, is home to more than 165 companies and over 6,000 people from large blue chip organisations to SMEs and new start-ups.

The park is also one of the key sites in the Cheshire Science Corridor Enterprise Zone and is nationally recognised as the UK’s hub for the Nuclear Services industry.

High profile firms include Rolls-Royce Nuclear, Sellafield, Wood Plc and Atkins as well as international businesses including Ricoh, Müller, TATA and Dr Schär.

As well as celebrating the start of a new partnership, both Westgrove Group and Birchwood Park have celebrated their 20th anniversaries this year.

Westgrove started trading in August 1998 and Birchwood Park started life in March 1998 when MEPC acquired the 74-acre site from the UK Atomic Energy Authority. Since then the park – now owned by Warrington Borough Council – has almost tripled in size.

Westgrove Managing Director Claire McKinley Smith said: “We are delighted to win our third contract with CBRE, this time a prestigious local partnership.

“We worked hard to show Birchwood Park that our security knowledge and expertise aligned with our colleague centric approach is second to none.

“All our security colleagues are highly trained by one of the country’s leading senior police officers. We also provide bespoke real-time reporting and an intelligent patrolling system with our exclusive software, Sphere.”

Westgrove is a member of The British Security Industry Association (BSIA), the trade body representing the UK’s private security industry. The company’s security teams and security officers have won a number of awards for their bravery, use of technology and teamwork.

The Westgrove Group employs over 1,000 people in shopping centres, airports and business parks across the UK and works with major landlords and managing agents.

Other recent significant contract wins include The Galleries Shopping Centre in Bristol and St Johns Shopping Centre in Liverpool.

Birchwood Park in Warrington