Calor Life Final

CALORlife< Friday, 2nd August 1935 >FIRST EDITION

WOMEN OF CALOR 1 SALES & MARKETING CONFERENCE AWARDS 1 MEET THE TEAM

PRICE: ONE PENNY

NUTRECO JOINS THE SHV FAMILY FOLD!

AFTER SEVERAL INTENSE and exciting months of fact-finding, negotiating and creating rapport with shareholders we can finally welcome Nutreco to the SHV family. Not only does Nutreco bring us great exposure to a global industry that feeds the world, but its track record in sustainable innovation will be a source of inspiration to us all.

Read More on page 13.

TRAINING FOR A BETTER FUTURE

MEMORIES & HOPES

We look back in time to some of your favourite Calor memories from over the decades. ANDREW STOUT – Calor Centre Manager, ReadingMY FAVOURITE MEMORY of Calor is the unrivalled enthusiasm of ‘Calor people’, who when faced with challenges, make a real difference! The winter of 2010/11 was very challenging when severe snow made conditions extremely difficult, yet in true Calor spirit everyone pulled together making what should have been a tough time, thoroughly enjoyable. My hope is that in the next five years Calor adapts to changes, whilst not losing sight of its values.

Read More Calor memories on page 3.

Calor’s 80th Anniversary Issue

Tuesday 5th May saw the official opening of our shiny new training facility open to all Calor employees. AFTER 18 MONTHS in the making we welcomed Michael Kossack from our parent company SHV Energy to officially open the Calor Training and Development Centre in Stanton. Read the full story on page 7.

WHERE THERE’S A WILL THERE’S A CALOR WAY!

WE SHOW YOU how Customer Engineering get the job done as they take on one of Calor’s most ambitious projects to date. Tasked by the National Trust to install new underwater pipework to Derwent Island House, an 18th century Italianate House situated on Derwent Island in Cumbria, Chris Briggs and his team faced up to the challenge and got the job done in style, resulting in one very happy client.

Read More on page 9.

Training and Development Centre, Stoney Stanton. Stephen Rennie and guest Michael Kossak, SHV

THE MAGAZINE FOR CALOR PEOPLE 32

WELCOME

Welcome to the second edition of our newly branded CALORlife magazine, to commemorate Calor’s 80th anniversary.

This year we wanted to do something a little different and focus on you rather than the history of Calor alone.You have kindly contributed your memories of your time at Calor, though thankfully none of us have been here for the whole 80 years! We have dug into the archives and found examples of news we shared in older magazines to mirror what we do today, we hope you’ll like some of the blasts from the past and let us know if you see anyone you recognise!

With our push on innovation and sustainability this year, I want us to also look to the future. Some of you have been kind enough to send us your hopes whether personally within the company, or your hopes for the company moving forward together.

Honing in on our anniversary we have some features I would like to direct you to. The anniversary coincides with the opening of our brand new Training and Development Centre, let us take you through time to see how training at Calor has developed over the years. See more on page 6

Many of you may have read on COLIN that we have had our Business in the Community (BITC) award reaccredited this year. To support this we thought we would look back and see how women have contributed to our 80 years of success. Combined with our traditional ‘getting to know you’ piece, we are hoping you will be inspired as to where you can go at Calor, check out our Women of Calor on page 4

Also, welcome back to the Calor Caption Contest on page 18, not seen since the 1980’s we encourage you to submit your best captions for the chance to win £20 Love2Shop vouchers – let’s see what you come up with!

We hope you enjoy this bespoke edition of CALORlife, please stay tuned for some of our 80th anniversary celebrations around the business this August. Calor have made it to a whopping 80 years so here’s to 80 more!

Calor is helping the Woodland Trust achieve its long term vision of doubling native woodland cover in the UK

JAN TALBOT RECEPTIONISTOne of my fondest memories was from the 90’s when the switchboard relocated to a small office which affectionately became known as ‘The Cupboard’. Our new home quickly became a regular visiting place for staff and management alike, with a constant supply of biscuits cakes and cups of tea at the ready for all of the engagement/wedding/baby updates. This was one of the reasons why I loved ‘The Cupboard’ so much because it embodied what Calor is all about, true family spirit.

JUNE REEDER ONE-SHOP & SUPPORT TEAM LEADERI have enjoyed 18 wonderful years at Calor and amassed a number of amazing memories ranging from a speed boat trip across Lake Maggiore with the chairman of SHV to having dinner at the Fentener van Vlissingen family

home. I hope that in the next five years Calor continues to be a great place to work and that we have five years of bad winters and five extra hot summers!

JEFF PENFOLD AREA SALES MANAGERWhile I was working as a gas engineer, I had an appointment on the Suffolk coast where I was meeting an eel fisherman in Orford. We set off travelling over the fields to a deserted estuary along the coast and then boarded a small boat which took us to a tiny island where I repaired gas leaks to his larger fishing boat. On the way back I thought to myself, what a wonderful job I have as an engineer for Calor.

Not all days were quite as serene as my time in Orford. When I was a domestic salesman I made a sales visit to an old lady in Norfolk who owned a dog that I was told was the “perfect pet who loves strangers.” This was not the case.

Whilst walking down the garden path the dog attacked me taking a chunk out of my leg, but in true Calor spirit I put on a brave face and completed my survey only to be further embroiled in a dispute with her cat that caused a cup of coffee to be spilt all down my white shirt. Needless to say I successfully secured the sale and limped home with my calming memories of Orford in tow.

NICOLA ENGLAND CUSTOMER OPERATIONS AGENT, STONEY COCI have so many amazing memories from my time at Calor, but the main one that springs to mind is Calor’s 75th Anniversary celebration. It was held at Hinckley’s Green Kind Football stadium for all Stoney Stanton staff where we had a sports day with an Egg & Spoon race, sack race, human football table, bouncy castles, bucking bronco and so much more, I laughed so much it hurt!

Memories and HopesWe look back in time to some of your favourite

Calor memories from over the decades.

JOHN GREGORY INVENTORY MANAGER

My favourite memory is the 60th birthday celebration that was held in Appleton Park cricket field. Throughout the day there were various ‘Knock-Out’ type games, a marquee serving cream teas and refreshments, as well as the very impressive Calor hot air balloon.

In the next five years I hope that the need for investment does not tie Calor down and that the business continues to soar.

RAY BROOKS CYLINDER SALES MANAGER

Wow, where do you start with 31 years of memories? I have fond recollections of my days working at Birmingham Calor centre as a fresh faced young man, as well as working with the North West region team. Whilst I was working in this team I picked up several awards which gave my family lovely holidays that I will never forget, and I aim to do my best to pick up more awards whilst working with my current team.

My hope is that we can keep the Calor train running whilst continually growing our business so that all of our hard work has greater recognition. I am proud of Calor’s history and I hope that we will have an even brighter future for team Calor.

DENISE ESSER – LEGAL AND COLLECTIONS CONTROLLER

Some of my best memories of Calor are the Calor In The Community projects in the mid-nineties. One year we had to build a mud hut. It was gloriously warm day and it was so much fun slinging the mud at the willow frame hard enough to make it stick. I did get sun burnt with rather fetching white dots where the splats of mud had landed on me. The hut was so impressive that even the press turned up.


CALOR 80TH ANNIVERSARY

Women of CalorThis year we are celebrating our 80th year and what a way we have come! In a traditionally male-dominated industry, we want to look back at the journey women have taken in the last century and more closely at how women have played a key part in Calor’s success – as well as look to what the future may hold.

CHANGING FEMALE WORKPLACE In the first part of the 1900’s women predominantly ran the home with men being the bread winner. However, during the world wars (1914 – 1918 and 1939 – 1945) women had to step in to assist the war effort with many taking jobs which had previously only been done by men such as working on farms, in munitions factories and as drivers across a number of industries.

In the 1950’s many women returned to the home, with the average woman getting married at 22 and having 2 children. For the women that did work outside of the home, they would earn on average no more than £5 per week. The 1950’s turned out to be the transitional period between a rationing Britain and the revolution of the 1960’s.

Times were changing during the 1960’s although women still didn’t have the same rights they have today. In 1968 women went on strike for equal pay at the Ford Factory in Dagenham, paving the way for women’s rights in a professional environment.

WOMEN AT CALOR In our 80th year Calor can be proud to say that we are a modern business offering all of our people equal opportunity to engage with, develop within and contribute to Calor. Though the working culture was different in previous decades, Calor has invested in our female employees throughout the last 80 years. For example, in the 1970’s Calor sponsored Moira Leishman

through university so she could complete her Law degree. In the same decade Calor also sponsored an all-women’s football team, and it was the company’s decision to bring in equal pension benefits for women, a year ahead of the law that would enforce these changes.

Not only Calor but for all companies, women becoming a part of the work force was a learning curve and one which Calor has embraced with female employees represented within all roles and levels. In early 1977 Jane Gurney became Calor’s first Calor Centre manager at Newcastle Calor Centre and we appointed our first female computer programmer in 1974.

At Calor we encourage all of our female employees to aspire to be anything they want to be; be that in technical expertise or managerial/leadership roles. Calor has 3 of Heads of Department who are female in Geraldine Goddard (HR), Jane McCluskey (Customer Services) and Rowan Marshall-Rowan (Legal) and there are female managers and supervisors spanning the country and departments.

Not just looking into the past, we have looked at our present generation of female employees, and, through their eyes, the future for women at Calor. We have asked women around the business in a variety of roles to share their memories of their time with the company and their hopes, aspirations and plans for the future. We look forward to many more years of progress!

About 40 years ago I worked in an office but I was fed up and needed a change. Around this time there were government sponsored training courses which included HGV driving, and as driving is something that I enjoy, I applied and successfully completed the course. I was lucky that it was the same time that the Equal Opportunities Act came in which opened up opportunities for women in male dominated areas.

My career started off as a lemonade delivery lorry driver and then I moved on to the local Milk Marketing Board where I remained at the dairy for 26 years mostly on tankers. When the dairy industry changed and many people became redundant I decided to take my ADR certification to open up career possibilities which since led me to being hired by Calor direct. The rest is history!

The best thing about my job is the diversity of scenery I am able to see each and every day. When I’m not working I enjoy watching the football and nowadays I especially follow women’s football, particularly the top international teams!

WOMEN OF CALOR TODAY

I’ve worked at Calor for the last 26 years across various sectors, from Regional Management Accountant, Migration Manager and Financial Analyst – and everything in between. I now work as Calor’s Customer Service Manager which has its own challenges but I love it, and I’m motivated by knowing that what I do can help make a difference to the company and our customers.

I have so many fond memories from my time at Calor, it’s difficult to choose! One which springs to mind was a team building session organised by the then S & M director. There was a series of challenging activities culminating in individually climbing a 45 foot telegraph pole, walking along a platform and jumping off (attached to a harness and a counterweight of course). I hate heights and I didn’t want to do it, but I didn’t want any stick from the lads either! Thankfully they were all so encouraging and supportive and I felt such a sense of achievement. I wouldn’t have done it at all without the support of the rest of the team!

As my first job out of University, my career and journey with Calor is only just starting! I had always enjoyed maths as a child and have always been far more

interested in building things than playing with traditional toys. My dad is a structural engineering so I learnt a lot from him and decided engineering would be a good path for me.

I’m relatively new to the Calor family, but so far I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting many fun and interesting people and I look forward to meeting many more! I hope that in my time at Calor I will make a positive impact on the business and achieve my goals to become the best employee that I can be.

It’s been almost 25 years since I joined Calor where I originally started off as a multi-skilled salesman, and yes, we were called salesmen in that era. I still have my “Salesman of the Quarter Award” on my wall now!

During my time at Calor I have served in several roles, mostly in management and at times I found myself in the minority as a woman working in an area that was considered a ”man’s world”. Now, I feel encouraged by how times have changed and the progress that Calor has made by appointing and developing more women in senior roles within the company, and long may this continue …

In the future I hope to create a team of future award winners and talented sales managers who can take the business forward well into the future.

CAROLE BENNETT CYLINDER SALES MANAGER

I started working for Calor in April 2008, where I began as a Plant Operative filling the cylinders, fork lift truck driving and stock counting. It wasn’t until Charlie Bradley put me through my Shunt licence training that he then asked me if I was interested in doing my ADR, which I agreed to.

From here my role has changed from driving for Calor Direct, to Cylinder Delivery Driver, to a short stint working in accounts and as a Bulk Delivery

Driver. When the National Trunking Supervisor position came up I had no intention of leaving Bulk, but I saw the opportunity for progression and I have been in the position for 2 years. Now, I look after several different sites and supervise approximately 30 different drivers, as well as gaining my class 1 license and driver training for all sites.

In the future I hope to continue learning more about Calor and progress further.

JANE MCCLUSKEY CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER

ARIANE HAWKINS GRADUATE ENGINEER

MO WALLACE DRIVER

ANNE NICHOLSON NATIONAL TRUNKING SUPERVISOR

The 1970’s saw a huge leap forward for women’s rights with the following acts introduced to protect women in the workplace.

1970 EQUAL PAY ACT – this prohibited any less favourable treatment between men and women in terms of pay.

1975 SEX DISCRIMINATION ACT – promoted equality and opportunity between men and women.

1975 EMPLOYMENT PROTECTION ACT – made it illegal to sack a woman due to pregnancy and introduced statutory maternity provision.

With the technological boom of the 1980’s, economies grew and the roles available for women had changed. At the start of the 1900’s jobs for women were predominantly domestic service or ‘semi-skilled’ roles but by the end of the century women were in leadership roles; we even saw our first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.

2008 LONE PARENT INCOME SUPPORT CHANGES – conditions of eligibility for lone parent income support were changed.

2010 INCREASE IN STATE PENSION AGE FOR WOMEN - women now retiring later than previously.

In 1910 less than 10% of married women worked outside of the home, by 2013 this had increased to 72% of married or co-habiting mothers.

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Calor training over the yearsTraining has always been an essential way of life at Calor, whether sat at our desks, driving a truck or in the classroom, we are always learning and developing our skills and expertise.Over the last 80 years things have changed dramatically, for instance we no longer give you tips on how to woo a dealer – take note, don’t try to date his secretary!

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

It all began in 1948 when Calor made tracks with the Addlestone laboratories where the very first training courses were held for Calor staff and dealers. The courses were such a success that by the early 1950’s approximately 700 dealer principals and staff had undertaken training and received certificates for their new qualifications.

As Calor developed so did the need to invest in the workforce and during the 1950’s the sales man became a staple figure across many industries. Our salesforce became the smiling faces knocking at the homes of people across the country to find new opportunities and spread the Calor spirit further. To ensure that our salespeople were well equipped with the right skills to win a sale, the Trainee Representative Manual was Calor’s key to sales success.

The increased daily training implemented at Calor made it essential to keep a track of any course that was undertaken, and this was where the training log passport was born. Here employees could document their qualifications as proof of any new

courses that had been completed, as well as verification that each individual was fully capable of completing the job.

2007 saw the opening of the first dedicated training facility and the success of the centre spurred the demand for our newly opened Training and Development Centre in May 2015.

ONLINE LEARNING

In 2010 online learning was introduced and became mandatory for all members of staff to complete certain online courses, as well as having the option to undertake supplementary courses. In addition to this,

1940: ADDLESTONE LABORATORIES held the first training course for Calor staff and dealers – This training period was product focused and very technical.

1951: The TRAINING MANUAL was produced on a typewriter and hand bound for any new Sales rep.

1970: The range of training and development widened from here onwards as new markets such as DCH and Alfresco opened up. The need to keep up with changing legislation and the emphasis of developing people professionally in many roles became more apparent.

1980–1990: The TRAINING PASSPORT was created which was a staple for all employees and used throughout the 80s and 90s.

2004: The SALES ACADEMY was introduced.

2007: CALOR APPROVED TRAINERS (CAT’s) were introduced to ensure improved quality and control for staff delivering local in-house training.

2010: ONLINE LEARNING was introduced to all Calor staff.

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CALOR TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTRE OPENINGTRAINING FOR A BETTER FUTURE…Tuesday 5th May saw the official opening of our shiny new training facility open to all Calor employees!

After 18 months in the making we welcomed Michael Kossack from our parent company SHV Energy to officially open the Calor Training and Development Centre at Stoney Stanton.

Over recent years our investment in training and developing the skills of the people at Calor has grown rapidly. From the early days back in 2007 our original Training Centre hosted 2,500 visitors per year, running 200 courses and approximately 400 meetings in the facility. These figures showed us how important our training centre was to our employees and we decided it was time for us to make a change.

The Training and Development Centre has the latest AV equipment installed in all three training rooms, with a bespoke ‘Innovation Room’ that hosts state of the art video

conferencing equipment. The two main training rooms, ‘Development 1 & 2’ seat up to 16 people and can also be opened up for larger conferences, and we haven’t stopped there! Our ‘Technical Training Room’ also has access to the ‘Tank Farm’ and the ‘Technical Bay Room’ installed for practical training.

We would like to say a big thank you to all of you who have helped to make the Training Centre dream become a reality. There have been so many people who have offered their undivided attention and support, and it has been the immense team spirit here at Calor that has made it all possible.

We look forward to welcoming you at the Calor Training and Development Centre in the near future!

A TIMELINE OF TRAINING IN CALOR

the introduction of the TAPs team made in-house training easier than ever, from our invoicing systems to training us to use COLIN.

CALOR TRAINING TODAY

We now provide Calor training for everyone, whether you want to improve your computer skills, develop social skills or take part in a job swap, there are so many opportunities to expand on your skills set. Our training varies from Health and Safety courses to the use of Microsoft software and Customer Service skills, and we aim to provide something for everyone!

For in-house training, the Calor Training Calendar shows you everything that is on offer, and if you can’t see what you’re looking for, well we’ve got that covered too! If you and your manager feel that you could benefit from a course outside of what we already have on offer, please contact HR who will be able to look into booking this for you.

All course booking forms can be found on COLIN, in the HR section under ‘My Learning’. If you need any further assistance then please contact Abi Openshaw, contact details can be found on COLIN.

£450,000HAS BEEN INVESTED IN

TRAINING COURSES IN 2014

1730INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COURSE

PLACES FILLED BY CALOR EMPLOYEES

104 COURSES SCHEDULED PER YEAR

46 CALENDAR COURSES TO CHOOSE FROM!

22 EMPLOYEES CURRENTLY STUDYING A FURTHER EDUCATION QUALIFICATION

12 EMPLOYEES CURRENTLY UNDERTAKING THEIR ILM – INSTITUTE OF LEADERSHIP

AND MANAGEMENT QUALIFICATION WITH WARWICKSHIRE COLLEGE

ADDLESTONE TRAINING SCHOOL – OCT 1948

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTRE, STONEY STANTONSTEPHEN RENNIE AND GUEST MICHAEL KOSSACK, SHV

ABOVE: TRAINING PASSPORT, 1980sRIGHT: TRAINING REPRESENTATIVE MANUAL, 1950s




MEET THE TEAM CALOR TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTRE The opening of our brand new Training and Development Centre has been an incredibly exciting advancement for Calor involving 18 months of hard work from a dedicated team. Read on to meet the people who run the show and make your Calor development dreams come true.

I started working at Calor in 1977 – so I am now in my 39th year and over that time I’ve had a varied career, working in all areas of sales before I moved into my training role in 2004.

What I love most about my role is that I work with literally everyone at any level in Calor, I enjoy being able to make a positive contribution to developing Calor people and seeing how they progress within the business and themselves.

Outside of work I have a passion for playing the drums and I have done since I was 14. Although I don’t play live anymore I do have a ‘studio’ at my home where I still put in my hours of practice.

I’ve been with Calor for 5 years now and I can safely say that my favourite part of the job is the wide variety of people that I get to meet from all across the business – as you can imagine the training centre has lots of visitors!

I also love the team spirit at Calor and being able to get involved with so many different charity events such as the Commando Challenge.

I joined the Calor team in 2012 and since then it’s been a very busy time with the roll out of Driver CPC training and redesigning our DT training courses. I love being able to travel with my job delivering driver training in many different locations and meeting lots of new people so that I can ensure our drivers remain safe and legal.

One thing my colleagues may not know about me is that prior to joining Calor, I was in the Royal Air Force for 23 years and have had the pleasure of driving for the Queen – including transporting her Corgi’s from RAF Marham to Sandringham!

PHIL ANDERSON TRAINING CO-ORDINATOR

ABI OPENSHAW HR TRAINING ASSISTANT

SHAUN WILLIAMS DRIVER TRAINING CO-ORDINATOR

10 GRADUATES ACROSS THE BUSINESS IN SALES AND MARKETING, OPERATIONS,

ENGINEERING AND FINANCE

28,068 CUPS OF COFFEE DISPENSED!

91 DRIVER CPC COURSES RAN IN 2014 WITH 555 DRIVERS TRAINED. THIS YEAR WE HAVE

74 DCPC COURSES SCHEDULED FOR 2015

I’ve been with Calor for 18 years now, initially I started out as a HR Assistant dealing with company benefits and relocation issues during the transition of Head Office from Slough to Warwick. During my time here I’ve made so many great memories and being a part of the new Training and Development Centre has definitely been one of them. It’s been great to see the final product after 18 months of hard work from everyone and to know just how much people will benefit from such an amazing facility.

In my free time I enjoy running and earlier this year I completed the London Marathon.

SALLY OWEN HR MANAGER, TRAINING

8 APPRENTICES CURRENTLY STUDYING WITH THE SUPPORT OF MANCHESTER

COLLEGE AND WARWICKSHIRE COLLEGE

CARING FOR YOUR COLLEAGUES

Did you know that whilst we are all responsible for our own happiness and wellbeing, SHV encourages you to share any worries and concerns for your colleagues with Alertline? This service is our way of reaching out to you to ensure that the Calor family has a support group to turn to whenever you need help.

ATTENTION IS KEY

There are plenty of ways that we can help one another in the workplace to offer support both emotionally and physically. A little bit of attention goes a long way towards making people feel recognised and appreciated, and we all have the power to make a difference. All it takes is to simply pay attention to our colleagues, showing an interest at work and about their life at home.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH

We should be alert to both good and bad signals that we see, rather than wait for the bad news to reach us. Approaching a colleague and offering them support is the most obvious next step, but sometimes the best option is to share your concerns with your manager or HR who are trained to deal with such situations. Alternatively, you have the option of using our Alertline service, where you can always ask for support.

At SHV we believe that being a good colleague is about more than getting a job done together. We have a responsibility to look out for each other like a family, sticking together for better or for worse.

Where there’s a will there’s a Calor way!Owned by the National Trust, Derwent Island House is an 18th-century Italianate house situated on Derwent Island in Cumbria. In 1778 Joseph Pocklington bought the island, building a house, boathouse, fort and battery, and druid circle folly on the land. Pocklington often held regattas at which he fired off his cannon. Today Derwent Island House is leased as a private home, but is open to the public five days a year.

THE PROBLEM

The house had been suffering from the effects of a 50 year old underwater utilities and oil pipeline. The National Trust (NT) feared the aged oil pipeline could pose a threat to the lake and its wildlife, but had no idea how to solve the problem. In 2009 The National Trust approached Calor having already pursued options with several other companies that led nowhere.

THE SOLUTION

Going underwater, of course!

It has taken the last 5 years for the NT to agree to the plans, consult with and co-ordinate other utility companies, the house’s tenants, and most importantly to find the budget to do the work.

As you can imagine the process wasn’t easy either! Special brackets and concrete grout bags were designed and sourced to fix the utility pipelines to the lake bed. As well as training a dive team to complete the underwater work.

By April this year we managed to secure all of these elements. Gary Hartley, our Calor Customer Engineering’s Mains and Services Engineer spent a week completing the work, alongside his manager Chris Briggs the project lead Senior Gas Engineer.

The Installation was completed in 3 phases:

MAINLAND: Installation of vessels and pipework down to the lake

ISLAND: Installation of all pipework from the water to the house, including digging a receiving trench underground

LAKE TERRITORY: Installation of the pipe-work across the lake using divers to place and secure the pipework to the lake bed

Not only was the completion of work underwater a challenge but the required length of the pipe was also another obstacle for us to overcome, with the island being situated some 200 metres from the shore.

THE RESULT

The hugely passionate and enthusiastic client is delighted with the result – a very discrete, non-invasive pipeline that reduces the risk to wildlife and the environment. Whilst the tenant is obviously delighted that they can now enjoy the benefits of gas to the island, maybe they will consider a Calor BBQ to accompany that amazing view?

So all in all, not a bad switchover from oil, showing how Customer Engineering get the job done in style! Distribution are just relieved that they don’t have to find the budget for an amphibious vehicle!

CALOR NEWS

INSTALLATION OF PIPEWORK ACROSS THE LAKE

DERWENT ISLAND GARY HARTLEY AND HIS TEAM AT WORK

INVESTING IN PRODUCTIVITYWe are happy to inform you that the first delivery of our 20 new Minibulk tankers has arrived!

The new additions based on DAF’s 18-tonne Euro 6 LF 220 FA chassis are the first of their kind to pass through the whole vehicle type approval process – a great feat some might say!

The new vehicles bodied with a 17,000-litre LPG pressure vessel include pumping and metering equipment, as well as safety interlocks and devices offering an unladen weight of 9,750kg. That’s 500kg less than most comparable chassis and the advantage of this dramatic decrease in weight offers us scope to boost productivity.

We’ve also pushed the boat out and invested in 27 DAF LF 210 FA chassis vehicles at 15 tonnes gvw and 3 LF 150 FA 7.5 tonners. Each chassis are made from

Cartwright and these new additions complement over 90% of our 550+ fleet of vehicles.

Fundamentally, our investment was based on the appealing weight that the DAF Minibulk tanker has to offer. Meaning we can go further for less! Even more crucially than this, DAF has nationwide reach with the best aftersales support in the business. Something which is imperative to us based on the quantity of DAF trucks we now operate.

Fleet Asset manager David Brown, has been delighted with the decision to tender out to DAF as it is the first time in years the company has done so.


CALOR NEWS

MONEY MONEY MONEY!Your expenses system is having a complete makeover! Calor have recently signed a contract with Infor UK to replace Global Expense. Helping 73,000 customers in more than 200 countries, Infor are the ideal partner for delivering projects such as the Calor Gas Expenses Management Solution.

So you might be wondering, what does this mean for you?

No more envelopes!

Infor retains many of the great features already provided by Global Expense such as delivering daily payments and offering you the choice of which bank account or credit card to have your money paid into.

On top of this they have developed iOS and Android apps that you can use on-the-go via your smartphones or tablets. You can even take a photo of your receipt which can be uploaded directly from your phone onto the app, making claiming expenses a fuss free job!

Managers can also view and approve claims from their mobile devices, meaning that they save time and you get your money back faster. It’s

a win win situation! Another bonus is that you are able to email receipts to Infor, which will be automatically loaded onto your claim ready for you to input your specific expense categories. Yes it really is that simple!

Currently we are designing the system with Infor, so that it meets all of our Calor needs. Once we’re happy it does everything we need, we will move into user acceptance testing. The plan is to start the testing in September to ensure that the system works and fulfils our requirements and all being well, it should be available to use from early October.

We are planning a phased roll-out across the business between October and December, when our contract with Global Expense comes to an end. You will be notified when

you are due to make the change to ensure that the transition runs smoothly and you receive the best service possible.

We hope that these changes will make submitting your expenses easier and save you a lot of valuable time!

Nick’s impressive 45 day stint on Rockall has recently won him the title of English Adventurer of the Year 2015 and we are extremely proud and happy for him! Back in June 2014 Calor sponsored Nick by providing him with enough LPG to last him for his entire stay, as well as an LPG portable stove for cooking his meals. We caught up with him to hear all about his Rockall challenge from start to finish.

CONGRATULATIONS NICK ON YOUR TREMENDOUS ACHIEVEMENT! WE HAVE TO ASK WHAT MADE YOU UNDERTAKE THE ROCKALL CHALLENGE?

I’d been looking for a big challenge for a number of years and had decided to sea kayak from mainland Scotland to St. Kilda, when I came across a story about Spanish sailors being shipwrecked near Rockall. My gaze was drawn

west and I quickly decided I wanted to visit and attempt to break the two occupation records, set by Tom McClean in 1985 at 40 days solo and Greenpeace in 1997 at 42 days as a group.

COULD YOU TELL US WHAT DAILY LIFE WAS LIKE ON ROCKALL?

Daily life on Rockall was centred on routine after reading about an experiment simulating human travel to Mars. The ‘astronauts’ involuntarily slowed down their routines and fitted tasks to the time they had, rather than completing jobs concurrently. I managed to do this to a certain extent, for example lying in my sleeping bag for as long as possible each morning, spending an hour having breakfast, and having set times

Nick Hancock Conquers the island of Rockall Cast your mind back to our summer 2014 Pure Genius edition when we sponsored Nick Hancock to break the record for the longest time spent on Rockall, a tiny isolated island in the middle of the North Atlantic. Since then he has successfully managed to break not one, but two records, including the longest ever solo occupation and longest ever occupation on Rockall!

for lunch and dinner. I also tried to exercise as much as possible and I collected rock and water samples for St. Andrew’s University, invertebrates for the Hunterian Museum, and conducted a GNSS survey for OS to ascertain the true height of the rock.

WHAT PROCESSES WERE INVOLVED IN CREATING THE POD THAT YOU LIVED IN?

Initially, a friend of mine who is an architect created some pod drawings based on a smaller version of the one that Greenpeace used, and from here I had this priced by various specialist companies. All of the quotes were far too expensive and so I began hunting for a suitable object that I could modify which was when I came across a water bowser. From here I tracked down the manufacturer and thankfully I was in luck! Trailer Engineering had a proto-type of a new design that they let me have for free if I collected it before it was shredded and recycled. As you can imagine I jumped at the offer!

Once I got the bowser home this was where the real challenge began. I had to make various modifications such as sourcing yacht hatches, fitting plastic flooring to the base, and insulating the walls and ceiling with spray-on-foam before it would be suitable for life on Rockall.

WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT LIFE ON ROCKALL?

One of the things I enjoyed most was the solitude of the island, I would often watch the Minke whales and seals for hours on end and see sunsets that no-one else on earth had experienced from this angle.

HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU REALISED YOU HAD BROKEN BOTH THE SOLO & GROUP RECORDS?

When I eventually broke both the solo and group records, on days forty one and forty three, there was no sense of elation, the Force 9 storm had knocked that out of me! I was just happy to still be attached to Rockall and able to raise my miniature bottle of fizz to the sea gods. I was also pleased to have raised £10,000 for Help for Heroes, and relieved as day 45 arrived at the prospect of returning home safely as promised.

We would like to thank Kilda Cruise’s for capturing the moment and providing us with Nick’s ascent up Rockall.

NICK HANCOCK CELEBRATING HIS RECORD STAY ON ROCKALL

NICK’S POD ON THE ISLANDROCKALL ISLAND

INFOR UK EXPENSES APP


CALOR NEWS

WELCOME NUTRECO!We are delighted to announce that Nutreco have officially joined the SHV family fold!

After several intense and exciting months of fact-finding, negotiating and creating rapport with shareholders we can finally welcome Nutreco to the SHV family. Not only does Nutreco bring us great exposure to a global industry that feeds the world, but its track record in sustainable innovation will be a source of inspiration to us all.

WHO ARE NUTRECO?

Based in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, Nutreco has activities in more than 35 countries, and SHV will welcome 11,000 new colleagues to its family of companies. Like other SHV companies, Nutreco serves a niche market: it produces, sells and distributes nutritional products for feeding fish, shrimp, poultry, pigs, cattle, sheep and other livestock animals. The company has a history similar to SHV’s, with its origins in family-owned businesses (the oldest established in 1899) which over many years were shaped to form one group.

FEEDING THE FUTURE

Nutreco’s ambitious mission is Feeding the Future. This is not a hollow phrase, but a quest with a much deeper meaning. As the world’s population grows to an estimated nine billion in 2050, it is becoming an even greater challenge to feed all these mouths. By that time, an estimated 70% of the world’s population will live in urbanised areas, meaning more people will depend on fewer farmers.

The rise in income levels for individuals is another contributing factor to sustainability and as a result more people are consuming meat and fish. As

such, livestock production and fish farming have to keep up with soaring demand, which poses a challenge: how do we feed all these animals, safely and efficiently, without wasting precious resources?

CREATING SUSTAINABLE METHODS

Nutreco provides solutions by turning basic raw materials into the best feed for healthy animals, a job which comes with great responsibility and faced with many difficulties. Scarcity of resources, food safety, animal welfare, pollution, climate change and the loss of biodiversity are just some of the challenges that Nutreco are up against, but they are not discouraged by this. Instead, they aspire to be a front runner in sustainability and practice what they preach by implementing their strategies from within the company.

The business of feeding both humans and animals is anything but basic. Nutreco employs 400 experts working in 11 research facilities worldwide to find and create a solution to the problem. Their work is complemented by over 60 long-term research collaborations with universities and research institutes across the globe. This innovation programme allows Nutreco to deliver more from less and supports their passion for progress.

SALES MANAGER OF THE YEAR STEVE MINGO

Steve Mingo, Sales Manager, has successfully kept the Cylinder Sales Manager role evolving with the introduction of the salesperson’s iPad. His strong negotiating ability motivates his team to ensure that Calor customers always receive the highest attention.

CALOR CENTRE MANAGER OF THE YEAR WILLIAM NICOL

William Nicol juggles the responsibilities of managing both Glasgow and Ayr Calor Centres as well as the direct cylinder business operated out of Grangemouth’s filling plant. He is a well-liked and respected Manager with his staff happily going the extra mile for their boss.

COMMERCIAL BULK SALESPERSON OF THE YEAR:

GARY BATTISSON Gary capped off a fine sales year in which he won one quarterly award and was nominated for another by winning the coveted national title.

Despite a year framed by low oil prices Gary still managed 34 oil to LPG rollovers and delivered 209 tonnes of new volume through his networking and territory knowledge. He is a committed representative to the Calor Company Council, and his award is a reflection of all his hard work. Well done Gary, a nice way to start your 35th year with Calor!

DOMESTIC BULK SALESPERSON OF THE YEAR

IAN DIGBY He’s no stranger to appearing at the annual awards and 2014 saw Ian pick up the Domestic award again. His impressive performance continued with 147% over target in domestic new business, 196% over target in Direct Debits and 103% over target in boiler sales. His drive is never ending and he strives to meet the customer’s expectations in everything he does.

CYLINDER SALESPERSON OF THE YEAR AND SALESPERSON OF THE YEAR

LINDA TALL Linda consistently performs at a high level demonstrating her wealth of skill and expertise not only in her own territory but across the business nationally. Linda’s sales performance in 2014 was outstanding and she deservedly won both the National Cylinder Sales Award and the highly prized Calor Salesperson of the Year Award.

SALES & MARKETING CONFERENCE AWARDS

MALCOLM BEACHAM CHARITABLE GIVING AWARD

DANNY HUDSON Danny’s award reflects his continued commitment to raising money for various worthy causes including, the Charlie Hebdo Unity Run and The Outlaw Triathlon. What a well-deserved award for Calor’s action man! The £2000 charity donation was split as Danny decided to donate to The National Autism Society and Mind who were both over the moon to receive the donation.

TEAM OF THE YEAR SOUTH EAST COMMERCIAL TEAM

The team, headed by Jeff Penfold, was faced with tough oil targets set in January 2015. To meet these targets they set up regular dedicated oil days to meet goals, which resulted in the team achieving half of all commercial oil rollovers in 2014.

CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD ELLAND COC

Congratulations to Norma Jagger and her Customer Service team at Elland COC, who took over 29,000 calls in 2014 and this year saved an impressive 86% of their domestic threat to terminates. The number of complaints they received as a percentage of their customer base fell by 50% and increased their compliments almost five fold.

TELESALES AGENT OF THE YEAR HANNAH ROWE

Congratulations to Hannah Rowe, who won the Telesales Agent of the Year award for 2014. Hannah’s award is a result of her focus, drive and determination, with targets reached and exceeded in every quarter throughout 2014. She has generated more customer compliments than the telesales team has experienced before. We certainly are proud of her, well done Hannah!

A night of Haka Warrior dancing and awards This year’s Sales & Marketing Conference returned to Celtic Manor on 19th March to celebrate the success of 2014 and to look at what’s to come in 2015. The conference kicked off with Stephen Rennie who gave an update from SHV and talked about the themes of winning and retention. Closely followed by Andy Brotherton and the marketing team who talked us through the rationale behind the re-branding “Put some Calor in your life” and how our new image had been reinforced within the company thus far.

The day was split into three main sections, Rural Energy, Innovation and The Customer. Alastair Lovell headed up the Rural Energy section and spoke about how we can positively engage with the ever evolving rural communities. The innovation section was facilitated by Professor Clarence Stanton-Island (AKA Steve Doggrell) with presentations on new appliances, Biopropane, AD Biogas, transport and mCHP. Stewart Woolley wrapped up the day, he was joined by a range of presenters who covered themes across bulk and cylinders, honing in on the

customer and the strategy going forward.

As a keen advocate for Autogas, Quentin Wilson was this year’s surprise guest speaker, and he proved to be an enlightening entertainer. This year’s conference coincided with the BBC’s internal investigation into Jeremy Clarkson, needless to say he had some interesting experiences of working with Jeremy to share with a captivated audience.

Now it wouldn’t be a Calor conference without a small injection of fun would it? So after lunch the delegates were re-energised by a performance by Maori Haka Warriors, who managed to get the conference on their feet to perform the Haka themselves! There were a few promising performances but let’s just say no one should give up their day jobs!

The conference concluded with the Sales awards and the evening provided an opportunity to honour Steve Sulley who was retiring after an impressive 37 years of service.

WILLIAM NICOL – CALOR CENTRE MANAGER OF THE YEAR

GARY BATTISSON – COMMERCIAL BULK SALESPERSON OF THE YEAR LINDA TALL – CYLINDER SALESPERSON AND SALESPERSON OF THE YEAR


CALOR’S 2015-2017 SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY

The start of a new year means the beginning of new resolutions and in 2015 we’ve done just that! Our new sustainability strategy is the most ambitious Calor has ever been, with 5 sustainability sections, 16 target areas and 25 KPIs.

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT

We wanted to make sure that our next three year strategy was relevant, meaningful and transparent, so we assembled key stakeholders to discuss the direction of our sustainability strategy. Together with a materiality exercise, we gathered quantitative and qualitative data on the issues that are important for the business and our stakeholders, and centred our new targets around these results.

So that we can continue our sustainability success and fulfil our new strategy, each target has been given an owner. This will ensure that annual progress reports are created and relayed to all stakeholders to inform them of our progress.

We would like to invite everyone to read Calor’s 2014 Sustainability Review. You can find it on the Sustainability Section on COLIN or on Calor’s website: www.calor.co.uk/sustainability

If you would like to provide us with feedback or propose new projects which you think can make Calor even more sustainable, email [email protected]

SUSTAINABILITY MEMORIES & HOPESMY FAVOURITE SUSTAINABILITY MEMORY

CALOR’S FIRST CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY INDEX SUBMISSION

In 2012 I joined Calor’s Communication graduate programme, where my first job was to deliver Calor’s first Corporate Responsibility Index submission. This involved conducting a detailed 500 sample questionnaire about Calor’s sustainability management.

After four long hard months, I developed a sound understanding of Calor’s sustainability management, and our strengths and weaknesses.

Since then, Calor has obtained a clear and direct vision of the projects needed for us to become a sustainable business. Currently, we are on track to strengthen key areas and we now have an ambitious sustainability strategy with 25 KPIs that we want to deliver by 2017.

The Corporate Responsibility Index not only marked a very important step in Calor’s sustainability journey, but also instilled within me a sense of dedication to make Calor a more sustainable business.

MY SUSTAINABILITY HOPE

INCORPORATION OF SUSTAINABILITY INTO ALL BUSINESS PRACTICES

To most people sustainability is often seen as a buzzword and to most academics a concept. I would personally like to use it as an adjective.

In five years’ time I want to be able to describe Calor as a sustainable company that integrates the concept of sustainability in all its processes, and throughout its whole value chain. It needs to be a concept that is integrated in the DNA of Calor’s corporate culture, and entrenched in the mind-set of every employee.

I would like Calor to be fully committed to finding new lower carbon and renewable fuels for our customers to reduce our production of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. In turn, this would allow Calor to make a positive contribution to society in the community, workplace and marketplace, but more importantly in the environment.

Calor launches its most ambitious Sustainability Strategy to date!CALOR HAS A CLEAR VISION: to be recognised as the Sustainable Energy Company of Choice for rural Britain.

Back in 2011 Calor set the first sustainability strategy and 2014 saw the culmination of this three year plan. In total, we set ourselves 18 targets in the areas of environment, innovation,

community, workplace and marketplace. You will be glad to know that we successfully achieved 12 out of 18 targets – a big thank you to everyone who helped us reach these targets!

CALOR SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability updateRead on for the all the latest news and updates in support of our commitment to sustainability and responsible business…

Make it Last As a family company SHV also takes a personal approach when looking at sustainability. The current generation of shareholders aspire to pass the company on to the next generation in a better shape than when they inherited it.

So, this year more than ever before, SHV is going to focus on innovations that result in more sustainable production and operations.

In order to achieve this, SHV’s ambition is to devise new, innovative processes, procedures and product development that will lead to concrete benefits for our businesses without damaging the environment around us.

The ‘Make It Last’ campaign aims to inspire all business units on sustainovation (sustainability + innovation) and to look at ways that we can all contribute to make positive changes. Over the coming months you will hear more about this campaign and how you can get involved, so stay tuned…

CALOR’S NEW AREAS OF FOCUS

CALOR’S KEY ACHIEVEMENTS FOR 2011-2014

6.7% carbon footprint reduction

9.2% fleet size reduction

793 total volunteering days

80% in the 2013 Business In The Community Corporate Responsibility Index

£121,000 raised for Calor’s corporate charities

84% engagement score in Calor’s Employee Engagement Survey

‘Big tick’ for Calor’s fuel poverty programme ‘FREE’

Become a Sustainability Champion!No strategy is successful without implementation or champions who live and breathe our sustainability values. So, we are looking for passionate individuals who would like to get involved in championing targets at local sites, and get involved in strategy development.

Have you been a secret sustainability champion for all this time? Speak out and help lead and influence the sustainability change Calor needs.

Email [email protected] if you are interested.

Sustainability WeekDuring 15th-19th June we celebrated Calor’s new strategy with a week full of quizzes and idea generators. Thank you to everyone who took part, the day was a great success and there was a great sense of team morale shared by all!

The winners were announced on COLIN earlier this year, well done to everyone who took home their love2shop vouchers!

CAROLYN GARDNER, CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY EXECUTIVE


CALOR REWARDS

FOR HIS ‘EXCEPTIONAL CONTRIBUTION’ ADAM ROE, CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENT, STONEY STANTON Nominated by Kelly Stone, Customer Services Agent, Stoney Stanton.

Adam was nominated in recognition of all of his hard work during the time that the Customer Service Team Leader was absent. He was always in early and ready to help throughout this particularly busy time and managed the team fantastically. Adam not only continued to complete his own work but also took it upon himself to manage the responsibilities of a Team Leaders role.

FOR HIS ‘EXEMPLARY CUSTOMER FEEDBACK’ ANDY BUCKNALL, CUSTOMER ENGINEERING Nominated by Jeff Penfold, Area Sales Manager.

Andy has been awarded a Calor Star after completing an installation which exceeded the customers’ expectations. He was commended by the customer for being a wonderful advocate for Calor Gas who took pride in his job throughout the entire installation.

FOR THEIR ‘RESILIENT ATTITUDE’ BRIAN RUST and PAWEL SENDEROWSKI, ABERDEEN CALOR CENTRE Nominated by Susan Patterson, Team Leader, Aberdeen Calor Centre.

Brian and Pawel have both received Calor Star’s for both their ability to overcome any obstacles put in their way, and their enthusiasm to rise to a challenge. This award highlights their determination after satisfying all deliveries in the face of being short staffed, and a vehicle down over a local bank holiday.

FOR HIS ‘EXCEPTIONAL ENTHUSIASM’ MO MUGHAL, PLANT MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN, PORT CLARENCE Nominated by Paul Smith, Senior Engineer, National Engineering, Tachbrook Park.

Mo has been nominated for a Calor Star after his exceptional energy and enthusiasm during a busy period with the National Engineering projects where he fabricated new breakaway coupling supports. Mo assisted in the isolation and de-commissioning for the piping works, and designing the platforms for drivers loading bays. As well as the fabrication of the cover for the new pump!

FOR HER ‘EXCELLENT MANAGEMENT’ CLAIRE ZIOBRY, NATIONAL TRUNKING ADMIN, IMMINGHAM Nominated by Martin Riman, Senior IT Support Analyst, Tachbrook Park.

Claire’s Star comes after she has helped immensely by managing IT at the Immingham site. Immingham is our core supply location and without the working systems that Claire manages we would be vulnerable in our ability to keep operational locations supplied with propane and butane.

FOR HIS ‘OUSTANDING KINDNESS’ JAMES POOK, ELLESMERE PORT Nominated by Derek Middleton, Distribution Team Leader, Ellesmere Port.

James received his Star for helping a driver get out of a precariously placed vehicle after going off the road in severe snow conditions. James looked after the driver keeping them safe and warm until they were collected by a family member. His behaviour exemplifies the Calor Star qualities of showing commitment and going the extra mile and of being approachable and friendly. This selfless act led the driver to comment that James had restored her faith in human kindness. What a hero!

FOR HIS ‘GO ANYWHERE ATTITUDE’ NOEL LOUGHREY, ELLAND Nominated by Tahir Sajawal.

Noel exemplified the Calor Star ethos of “being committed and going the extra mile” after he completed 68 deliveries across two caravan parks in one day. Noel’s commitment to his role shone through after off road and supply issues meant that he completed these deliveries single-handedly just to ensure customers got their gas.

FOR THEIR ‘ABOVE & BEYOND WORK’ MANDY THOMPSON and POLLY WALSH, PAYROLL OFFICERS TACHBROOK PARK Nominated by Sarah Woodward.

Mandy & Polly both receive Calor Stars after consistently going above and beyond to deliver deadlines that ensure the team are paid correctly, on time and completing the required documents for these payments. This award highlights their tremendous team work which makes them so good at what they do.

FOR THEIR ‘TEAM WORK’ NIGEL GEORGE, MARK PYPER, MARK HOLYLAND, ANNE NICHOLSON, MARK KIDD, MARTIN COOK, PHIL BROOKS, ANDY ALLAN Nominated by John Chambers, National Trunking/Cap, Stoney Stanton.

The team received a Star after working tirelessly to ensure our supplies were maximised during a difficult period where we were faced with a shortage. Their commitment and positive attitude is a result of consistent hard work, great planning and a willingness to go the extra mile with a 24/7 approach to their responsibilities, individually and collectively.

FOR HIS ‘WILLINGNESS TO GO THAT EXTRA MILE’ NIGEL HEALDON, DRIVER, NEATH COC Nominated by Michele Twomey, Customer Services Team Leader, Neath.

Nigel receives his Calor Star after accepting a call at 4:30pm on Christmas Eve when a customer ran out of gas due to a faulty gauge. He was the only driver left in the yard and offered to go back out to make the delivery to a customer who was expecting family over from America to spend Christmas with them.

FOR HER ‘OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION’ SARAH THORNING, CYLINDER SALES SUPPORT, PLYMOUTH Nominated by Chris Pipe, Cylinder Sales Rep, Aberystwyth Calor Centre.

Sarah was nominated for this award after her continual ability to get the job done without questioning. She has had a critical involvement with several projects and has successfully juggled her daily workload alongside three separate sales team areas. Sarah completes all her work with a smile on her face and is an invaluable asset to Calor.

FOR HIS ‘COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMER SERVICE’ ALAN BRIDGE, CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM LEADER, SAXHAM Nominated by June Reeder, One Shop and Support Team Leader, Tachbrook Park.

Alan’s Calor Star was nominated to commend his hard work for completing a customer order for the delivery of a mobile heater in his own time and car.

FOR HER ‘INTUITIVE ABILITY’ SARAH WIELAND, CUSTOMER OPERATIONS AGENT, ELLAND COC Nominated by Rowena Sheard, Customer Engineering Administration, Elland COC

Sarah was nominated for a Calor Star after impressing Sales Professional Rob Benson, with her ability to identify when action needed to be taken to prevent a customer terminating their contract with Calor. Sarah continually aims to provide the best possible service to our customers and her award is particularly well deserved!

FOR HIS ‘ADMIRABLE PERFORMANCE’ RICHARD KING, DRIVER, ELLAND Nominated by Tahir Sajawal, Distribution Team Leader, Elland.

Richard receives this award after demonstrating professional and diligent behaviour when he was called upon to attend an emergency. Morrision’s management team were extremely complimentary in the media coverage following the incident and presented Calor in a favourable light.

FOR HIS ‘FIRST CLASS ATTITUDE’ LAURENCE CHAPMAN, PLANT SUPERVISOR, SAXHAM DIRECT Nominated by Carolyn Gordon, Transport Supervisor, Saxham Direct.

Laurence was nominated for a Calor Star for his outstanding contribution to Calor after responding to an emergency situation on a Sunday evening with a first class attitude and commitment to the job.

FOR THEIR ‘REACTIVE SAFEGUARDING’ MICHAEL DALES, ELLEN HAWKINS, MARY HAWKINS, ROB WOODS, READING CALOR CENTRE Nominated by Lynn Burford, Health and Safety Advisor, South West.

This team receive a Calor Star for their ability to act quickly and professionally, implementing emergency arrangements in a situation with a bonfire that could have been lethal to the neighbouring site.

FOR HER ‘NOTHING’S TOO MUCH TROUBLE MENTALITY’ LOUISE KERSHAW, CALOR CENTRE ASSISTANT, STONEY STANTON Nominated by Anthony Darlow, Calor Centre Customer Assistant, Stoney Stanton.

Louise has been nominated for a Calor Star after she recently trained three new members of staff as well as acting as a mentor for them. She ensured that in the face of this additional responsibility her primary role continued to be completed to an exceptionally high standard.

Brightest Stars!A huge congratulations to this year’s Calor Stars who have gone above and beyond in the name of Calor…

TALK THE TALK WITH TALKBACKYou’ve been a busy bunch since the last edition of CALORlife having received 82 new ideas, with a total of 8 having been accepted for adoption across the business.

However, the most exciting update is that we have now awarded quarterly winners for 2014! Please join us in congratulating the following…

ANDREW STOUT DAVID PUGH & LEO PUGI STEPHEN READ RACHEL HEYES

QUARTER 1

1ST PLACE – BACK ORDERS – Andrew Stout. IDEA: If a cylinder order cannot be fully delivered, another order should be automatically generated on E1 for the remainder. RESULT: Improves customer service, increases sales and reduces paperwork.

2ND PLACE – TANK TRANSFER – Dave Edwards. IDEA: When undertaking tank ‘transfer in’ visits, engineers should communicate back to transfer team/engineering whether the tank has a bottom check lock. RESULT: Improves tank transfer process as it is completed much quicker. As a result more installs will be completed and crane aborts can be avoided when they attend site and are unable to pump over the gas.

3RD PLACE – STATEMENTS FOR DIRECT DEBIT CUSTOMERS – Theresa Crane. IDEA: Put a note on the bottom of Direct Debit customer’s statements stating ‘‘You do not need to do anything as you pay by direct debit’, this will stop confusion when they see the remittance advice slip at the bottom of the statement. RESULT: Improves customer experience, reduces number of calls coming in and stops complaints.

QUARTER 2

1ST PLACE – PORTABLE HAND PUMP FOR FLOODED UNDERGROUND TANK – David Pugh and Leo Pugi. IDEA: Using hand held pumps to bail out flooded turrets on underground tanks, instead of trying to use various receptacles and failing. RESULT: Avoids aborted deliveries, upset to customer, saves on fuel, driver’s wages, and wear and tear on vehicle.

2ND PLACE – NON DELIVERY NOTES – Ben Parker. IDEA: Adapt the OBTC to print out non delivery receipts to put through customer’s doors, with details of the driver, reason for non-delivery and depot details that state the delivery will be rearranged for the next local delivery day. RESULT: Improves customer service, keeps the customer up to date, saves time and money on needless phone calls.

3RD PLACE – GAS LEAK DISCOVERY & CUSTOMER ADVICE – Des Broom. IDEA: Amend the delivery wallet to leave space for drivers to record details of any reported gas leaks to the emergency line, with safety instructions and the next step listed for the customer. RESULT: Improves both driver and customer safety awareness, increased professional communication with our customers whilst avoiding the chances of dissatisfaction.

QUARTER 3

1ST PLACE – INTERNET ORDERS IMPROVEMENT – Stephen Read. IDEA: Add an additional line to internet orders to allow customers to state if there are vehicle access issues to their property or special delivery instructions. RESULT: Improves our chances of successful deliveries to first time customers.

2ND PLACE – STICKERS – Nicola Jackett. IDEA: Produce green and white stickers to mask off old stickers on customer’s tanks when they transfer in. This provides us with a clear surface to place the ‘Calor’ sticker. RESULT: Improves Calor’s image creating a more professional look of the tank for the customer.

3RD PLACE – WAKE UP CARDS – Fiona Smithson. IDEA: Arrange for automatic letters to be generated after the wake up card is updated and returned to Calor. RESULT: Improves customer service, so that they don’t have to ring us to make sure we have received the returned wake up card.

QUARTER 4

1ST PLACE – CAGE CODE – Rachel Heyes. IDEA: Give cylinder cages a code which is picked up on paragon, the driver will then see on their load sheet that they need to leave enough room on the vehicle for the cage. RESULT: Reduces the chances of the vehicles being overloaded, whilst allowing for a cage delivery record.

2ND PLACE – BULK GAS ORDERS – Kath Watson. IDEA: Allow the speed order entry screen to show the gas use code, so that it is possible to tell by an address if a bulk gas order has priority. RESULT: Improves customer service, distribution costs (less likely that a divert will be needed).

3RD PLACE – INTERACTIVE BILL – Norma Jagger. IDEA: Provide an interactive bill on Calor Account online to provide a full explanation to the customer. RESULT: Improves customer experience as they can understand their bill.

STAY TUNED FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF ‘IDEA OF THE YEAR’

WHICH WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON COLIN IMMINENTLY…


HUMAN RESOURCES

18

Pension Update“A generous pension and a financial education programme help to keep Calor Gas’ staff motivated.” For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Pensions Insight Magazine, then this was the headline summary from their recent interview with Calor FD Adam Thompson in the May/June edition of the magazine.The interview looked at the recent pensions freedoms brought in by the government for defined contribution schemes, and the likely impact on both the company and its employees. Some of the changes include enabling more freedom for retirees to do what they like with their pension pot, rather than just buying an annuity as has traditionally been the case.

Over 1,100 of you are members of the Scottish Widows Pension Scheme, thanks to the CART group, and over the coming months and years they will continue to keep your best interests at heart. This includes looking at the best way to communicate the options available to you

when you reach retirement. They are also keen to ensure that there is advice available whenever making financial decisions for the future, so that you are not vulnerable to any pension scams.

If you are going through the process of retirement and have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Pensions Team in HR or an advisor at CART. Keep an eye out for communications by post, on COLIN and in future editions of CALORlife concerning pension’s updates.

NEW STARTERSPlease join us in welcoming the latest new starters to the Calor fold.

MATTHEW HICKIN Sales & Marketing Director Tachbrook Park

THOMAS HOWARD Vehicle Maintenance Technician, Immingham

NATHAN MCGREGOR Administration Assistant Tachbrook Park

DARREN ROE Calor Centre Service Assistant, Sittingbourne

LEE CRELLIN Calor Centre Service Assistant, Kendal

LYNDA ADAMS Customer Ops Agent Coryton Direct

ALEXANDER BRIGGS Driver, Home Heat

MARK DIXON Driver, Elland Direct

PAUL SYKES Driver Stoney Stanton Direct

ANTHONY BELL Driver, Saxham Direct

DARREN REAR Plant Controller Stoney Stanton Direct

SIMON HANFORD Plant Controller, Neath

NADINE PARSONS Telesales Agent Lv1 Tachbrook Park

SHAUN BARTLETT Sales Professional, Home Based

DYFED JONES Cylinder Salesperson Home Based

LOUISE LOWNE Driver, Saxham Direct

EVAN EDWARDS Calor Centre Service Assistant, North Wales

RICHARD POTTER Driver, Saxham Direct

MARTIN BATTEN Gas Service Engineer – Multi, Home Based

CRERIE COURTNEY Administration Officer Canvey Island

JAMIE PRICE Gas Network Engineering Assistant, Home Based

MICHELLE PHILLIPS Customer Service Agent, Coryton Direct

ARANDEEP AUJLA Vehicle Administrator Tachbrook Park

ALEX SALT HR Assistant - Business Support Tachbrook Park

ASHLEY PAYNE Sales Professional – National Accounts Home Based

EMMA BONIFACE Customer Support Agent, Tachbrook Park

JOHN-PAUL MURPHY Calor Centre Customer Assistant Port Clarence

RICHARD WARREN Driver, Saxham Direct

RUSSELL DAVIES Project Engineer Home Based

MICHAEL HODGES Gas Service Engineer – Multi, Home Based

STEPHEN DARBYSHIRE Calor Centre Service Assistant, Blackpool

KARL PASSEY Calor Centre Service Assistant, Manchester

MARK BURLEIGH Calor Centre Service Assistant, Cranbrook

SEBASTIAN SLAPA Calor Centre Service Assistant, Barnsley

PAUL EVANS Vehicle Maintenance Technician, Neath

ROB SAMS Paralegal Tachbrook Park

GARY NICHOLS Plant Controller Plymouth

LISA CARTER HR Manager – Reward & Payroll Tachbrook Park

WILSON KATIE HR Advisor – Development & Resourcing Tachbrook Park

RACHAEL URWIN HR Manager – Development & Resourcing Tachbrook Park

STEVEN NOON Calor Centre Customer Assistant, Liverpool

DEE JACKSON Calor Centre Customer Assistant Stoney Stanton Direct

COLIN FREEBURN Plant Controller Grangemouth Direct

GARY BATTISSON, 45 YEARS’ SERVICE

CHRIS LAZENBY, 35 YEARS’ SERVICE

LONG SERVERSHere at Calor we appreciate dedication and loyalty so please join us to congratulate our latest long servers – pictured here and overleaf.BullsEye

CALOR REWARDS

Yet again the Bullseye team has seen an increase in submissions for the lead generation scheme, it seems as though more of you are being challenged to spot competitor LPG tanks or cylinders, and we couldn’t be happier! As you may know by now, the Bullseye scheme is a simple way of earning extra money by submitting any sightings of LPG or cylinder tanks that belong to our competitors. Lead generation is a huge focus for Calor and we’ve been promoting the scheme at both the Sales and Marketing Conference and more recently in Stephen’s blog on COLIN.

FROM JANUARY TO APRIL 2015 WE’VE SEEN:

466 submissions in total

255 of which were bulk

211 of which were cylinder

300 were successful leads – which is a brilliant pass rate of 64%

A total of £1200 has been paid out to over 30 employees

Five employees have spotted over 10 successful leads each – one of these employees has spotted over 100!

Sounds like something you want to get involved in but you’re not sure how to access the Bullseye website?

Links can be found on COLIN in the quick links bar at the top of the home page or alternatively on the Strategy team page.

You can also access the webpage from your own smartphone, tablet or computer. It’s even accessible outside of the Calor network to make submitting your spots even easier.

Simply go to: www.calor.co.uk/bullseye to fill out the details.

Terms and Conditions for the scheme can be found on COLIN on the Bullseye page.

LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES FOR CALOR ACCOUNT ONLINEWe are delighted to tell you that 2015 has got off to a flying start with the Calor Account Online Incentive scheme, and after six months you’re all still on a roll! With so much success from the incentive you can imagine we have a lot to update you on, so let’s get cracking!

Firstly we were happy to welcome the Customer Engineering team to the scheme in February who made a great start by submitting customers straight away. Keep up the hard work guys!

After winning the End of Year team prize for 2014 Neil, Norma and the team at Elland spent an evening at a local restaurant filled with food, drinks, laughs and live music. By the looks of things a fantastic time was had by everyone – well done again, you really deserved it!

2015 welcomed a second prize spot for each quarter so now there is even more chance for you to win some fantastic prizes!

In quarter one our first place winner for 2015 was Carrie Mainwaring at Fawley, who opted to take £300 in Love2Shop vouchers as her prize. Our second place winner was Tim Leahy at Elland who won £50 in Love2Shop vouchers. Well done both!

In the second quarter we rewarded Sheila Rayner at Elland with the first prize of £300 vouchers and Sian Cardy at Fawley won the second prize of £50 Love2Shop vouchers. Congratulations!

As we move into Q3 we are keen to see this competitiveness continue!

We are happy to re-introduce the caption contest which hasn’t been featured in a Calor magazine since the 1980’s. We have rummaged through the archives and found some old Calor photos, if you see anyone you know, please get in touch!

For your chance to win a £20 LOVE2SHOP VOUCHER please send your captions and contact details to [email protected] to enter. Good luck!

CALOR ACCOUNT ONLINE

Bulletin

CALOR CAPTION CONTEST

ROY DODD, 10 YEARS’ SERVICE

HUMAN RESOURCES

JASON VENTON Vehicle Maintenance Technician Coryton Direct

BEN CASBON Engineering Assistant Home Based

TREVOR TULLOCH Plant Controller Grangemouth Direct

RICKY MILLS Driver, Saxham Direct

DANIEL MORGAN Plant Controller Stoney Stanton Direct

MOVERS & SHAKERSCongratulations go to the following promoted colleagues:

INDERDIP GAKHAL Senior Analyst Programmer Tachbrook Park

JAMES PERRY Senior Gas Engineer Home based

ROSS GREGG Distribution Analyst Tachbrook Park

RACHEL HOOKER Credit Control Team Leader, Tachbrook Park

MARK KIRBY Calor Centre Team Leader, Kendal

JOHN MURRAY Relief Calor Centre Manager, Home based

MARK YEOELL Lead Project Engineer – North, Home based

STEVE SAUNDERS Lead Project Engineer – South, Home based

COLIN CRANE Lead Project Engineer – Development Home based

HENRY PRICE Assistant Business Accountant Tachbrook Park

GARY EVANS Calor Centre Team Leader, Caernarfon

BRAD MOSEY Customer Engineering Operations Manager Home based

VICKY WALSH Functions Finance Manager Tachbrook Park

MARY YALLOP Assistant Accountant Tachbrook Park

KATIE WOODS CSC Agent Tachbrook Park

JESS WHEELHOUSE HR Advisor – Employee Relations Tachbrook Park

For their recent secondments we wish good luck to:

LUKE BOOKER Legal Accounts Coordinator Tachbrook Park

LYDIA POWELL Credit Controller Tachbrook Park

ROSS WARNER Calor Centre Team Leader, Truro

ANDREA PELLING Assistant HR Advisor & PA to Head of HR Tachbrook Park

Congratulations goes to the following colleagues for their secondments that have been made permanent:

GINA ROCHE National Accounts Manager Home based

MICHAEL MULLANEY Terminal Controller Canvey Island

STUART BICK Installations Team Leader Tachbrook Park

Good luck also goes to the following colleagues for their recent transfers:

NEIL PRESTON Calor Centre Manager Potteries

ROBERT VAMPLEW Electrical Technician Coryton Direct

CLARE VARNEY Customer Service Agent Tachbrook Park

SARAH HARRIS Operations Projects Supervisor Tachbrook Park

JESSICA CHEUNG Operations Project Analyst Tachbrook Park

JOANNE BURTON Business Accountant Tachbrook Park

SAM YEOMAN Calor Centre Team Leader Wandsworth

GREGOR DALGLEISH Commercial Bulk Sales Manager, Home based

PHILIP CLAYTON Pump Operator, Cranbrook

WAYNE HANCOCK Senior Gas Engineer Home based

JOHN WILLIAMS Calor Centre Service Assistant, Caernarfon

IAN COLLINS Customer Operations Manager, Stoney Stanton Direct

GULNAR GOVANI PA to Operations Director Tachbrook Park

MOLLY QUIRKE Telesales Agent Tachbrook Park

SACHA NAGRA Telesales Agent Tachbrook Park

JORDAN TREE Plant Manager Stoney Stanton Direct

JOSEPH TAYLOR Internal Auditor Tachbrook Park

MARC PHILLIPS Cylinder Salesperson Home based

HARJIT JOHAL Training Coordinator Tachbrook Park

JOHN NICKLIN Project Engineer Tachbrook Park

SOPHIE SEWARD Supply & Logistics Analyst Tachbrook Park

SAMIRA WARSAME Assistant Accountant Tachbrook Park

JOHN WILLIAMS Calor Centre Service Assistant, Caernarfon

ANDREW WALLING Financial Planning and Analysis Senior Analyst, Tachbrook Park

VICKY WALKER HR Advisor – Development & Resourcing Tachbrook Park

RETIREMENTSWe would like to say many thanks and best wishes for the future to the following for their service over the years.

STEVE SULLEY Senior Sales Project Role, Tachbrook Park

BOB SMITH Calor Centre Manager Potteries

ALBERT WALKER Distribution Manager Budget Gas

PETER NOTTON Financial Controller Tachbrook Park

DAVE EVANS Fleet Maintenance Manager, Neath

OBITUARIESOur thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends of our past Calor Colleagues.

SHEILA HUNT Retired in 1991 from Slough

HARRY MOUNT Retired in 1987 from North West Regional Office

PETER ALLEN Retired in 1987, Marketing

ALAN LONG Retired in 2004 from Claydon Transport

NIGEL COLE Retired in 1996 from Plymouth

EVELYN STEWART Retired in 1989 from Perth, Calor Centre

JAMES ROBSON Retired in 1989 from Edinburgh, Calor Centre

MICHAEL FORD Retired in 1997 from Borough Green, Engineering

RODNEY HAMMOND Retired in 2004 from Southern Region

ROBERT PERRY Retired in 2003 from Grangemouth Direct

JOSEPH GRANT Retired in 1982 from Manchester

FRANK DILLON Retired in 2001 from Stoney Stanton Direct

DOUGLAS JONES Retired in 1992 from Ellesmere Port

ROBERT SCOTT Retired in 1994 from Northern Ireland

GEORGE CHRISTIE Retired in 1989 from Perth

ANGUS GREGOR MACGREGOR Retired in 1990 from Slough, Technical Services

ALAN EWALD Retired in 2003 from Fawley

PETER WALLACE Retired in 1992 from Saxham Direct

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NICK SMETHHURST, 25 YEARS’ SERVICE

COLIN CONNELLY, 25 YEARS’ SERVICE


BOB SIMMONDS, 20 YEARS’ SERVICE ALAN DODSON, 10 YEARS’ SERVICE

DOMINIC HALPIN, 10 YEARS’ SERVICE RUBY AUTWAL, 10 YEARS’ SERVICE LEE WORSLEY, 10 YEARS’ SERVICE

LAWRENCE FEVRIUS, 10 YEARS’ SERVICEROY PASSE, 10 YEARS’ SERVICE JENNY GELDHILL, 10 YEARS’ SERVICE


CHARITY

Alzheimer’s Society – latest update2014 was a successful year fundraising on behalf of our corporate charity Alzheimer’s Society, and the first 6 months of 2015 have seen a continued immense effort from you all.

As many of you relate to the Alzheimer’s Society, we are proud to see so many employees taking the plunge to make a difference and help us reach our three year goal of £100,000.

DEMENTIA AWARENESS CYCLE RELAY

As part of Alzheimer’s Awareness Week in May, we helped increase awareness across the business by hosting a virtual relay. The event was held across both COC’s and Tachbrook who decided to take on a huge challenge and cycle around the UK depot to depot. This totalled 1008 miles if we cycled the most logical route.

In essence, this meant each depot would have to cycle 112 miles each whether they cycled to work, had gym equipment in the office or went on a bike ride. Completing their challenge over the week of 18th May they set the bar high, all exceeding their total. All depots beat the 112 target, with most actually more than doubling. The COC’s managed to cycle 1226 miles between them, completely smashing their target and, by the looks of things, having a lot of fun on their way!

IN TOTAL £2039.00 WAS RAISED FOR ALZHEIMER’S SOCIETY

Initially, Tachbrook were set to spend two days with two spin bikes and aim to double the 112 mile target. However with such great success across the depots, the challenge was on to double the highest total so far, resulting in a 600 mile challenge ahead.

We are pleased to announce that Tachbrook completely surpassed their target completing 780.33 miles. This total was racked up from a combination of people cycling to work, bike rides outside of work, and a two day stint in the office where people were challenged to peddle as fast as they could throughout their hour long slot.

A HUGE congratulations goes out to everyone who contributed their time and energy to the cause. Collectively we have cycled 2046 miles and I think it is safe to say that Calor have really pulled together to raise awareness and money for such a great cause! To celebrate all of your efforts we will be making a corporate donation of £1023 to equate to 50p for every mile that was cycled!

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TOUGH MUDDERMay was a huge month for our corporate volunteering, and we wrapped it up with the Midlands Tough Mudder event on the 31st May. In 2015 we decided to take on a new corporate sponsored event and Tough Mudder seemed like a great challenge which focuses on teamwork, going the distance and getting very muddy.

In total 10 employees undertook the challenge, with everyone making it to the end with only a few aches. We hear that the team pulled together and helped each other through the lows and highs of the course, a great example of Calor comradery! In total the team have raised £4,053.50 towards our fundraising goal. Well done everyone who participated, and got down and dirty in the name of charity! Now let’s see how the Coryton boys do in the next issue!

PICTURED ABOVE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT INDY GAKHAL, ROB CHAPMAN, JAMES CAVE, TOM DILLON, ADI GUNN, SUZI SPENCER, TERESA WAFER WITH JOE TAYLOR AND BRENDAN O’REILLY BELOW.

DEMENTIA FRIENDS is a national initiative run by Alzheimer’s Society, and aims to improve people’s understanding of dementia and its effects. Alzheimer’s Society is working with lots of volunteers and other organisations to achieve this goal and create more dementia friendly communities.

People with dementia sometimes need a helping hand to go about their daily lives and feel included in their local community. Dementia Friends is giving people an understanding of dementia and the small things that they can do that could make a difference to people living with dementia.

HOW CAN YOU BE A DEMENTIA FRIEND?

Being a Dementia Friend can benefit you not only in your personal life but also at work by increasing your awareness of the condition and how this could affect colleagues and customers alike. By identifying certain key indicators you can change your tone, maybe speak a little slower and be a little more patient.

With numbers of diagnosed cases of dementia increasing year on year at some point we will all come into contact with

someone affected by dementia. With an increased understanding of dementia, we can assist people in the right way and provide targeted customer service to suit that individual.

HOW DO WE HELP ALREADY?

The Customer Engineering Team have been working closely with Dementia Friends over the last year running sessions for some of our customer facing staff. The feedback has been fantastic with many saying it has added value to their role.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Colleagues in England and Wales can find further information at www.dementiafriends.org.uk, and www.dementiafriendsscotland.org for those in Scotland.

GIFT OF THE GASGift of the Gas is a league we hold between our Calor Centres. When a customer returns an empty cylinder without their deposit slip we donate that £5 to our corporate charity, Alzheimer’s Society. The Calor Centre who is able to raise the most money for Alzheimer’s wins!

2014’s Winners for Gift of the Gas were announced in this spring’s Employee Forums:

FIRST PLACE Stoney Stanton Direct

SECOND PLACE Saxham Direct

THIRD PLACE Potteries Calor Centre

Congratulations to Stoney, Saxham and Potteries who saw over 2,300 cylinders returned to Calor in 2014 via the scheme, with over £11,500 donated to our corporate charity.

As we are now over half way through the year the 2015 league is well underway, so get promoting the scheme and make sure your site finishes in the top 3 this year!

BY Q2 THIS YEAR WE HAVE ALREADY BEATEN THE 2014 TOTAL RAISING ALMOST £20,000 YEAR TO DATE!!

WELL DONE CALOR CENTRES! YOU ARE SMASHING IT THIS YEAR!

CALOR SUCCESS AT TOUGH MUDDER, MIDLANDS 2015

5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DEMENTIA

In the same way that we would look at someone with diabetes or cancer and see them as a person before all else, people living with dementia are also still people. They experience emotions and hold interests like anyone else.

It is possible to live well with dementia. People with dementia can still work, drive and have relationships. What they can do and how long they can do it for will depend on their particular circumstances.

Dementia can also affect thinking, communication, inhibitions and everyday tasks. As a result people may exhibit different behaviours and capabilities.

Dementia is an umbrella term for a set of symptoms that might be exhibited by people living with one of any number of diseases. Dementia is caused by physical changes in the brain.

Dementia is not an inevitable part of getting old and does not happen to everyone.

RAISED IN 2014 OVER A SIX MONTH PERIOD

£25,719.46TOTAL RAISED BY THE END OF Q1 2015

£45,000+

DENISE FICARRA & NICOLA BRERETON, TACHBROOK DAVE EDWARDS & SAM BRITTAIN, TACHBROOK

NEATH BIKE RIDE

CHRIS JENKINS, CORYTON

STEVE & GARETH, PLYMOUTH VEHICLE WORKSHOP

MARGARET COOPER, PLYMOUTH

NICK SMETHURST, FAWLEY

1Dementia is not a natural part of ageing

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When someone becomes forgetful or confused, friends are often quick to reassure them that this is just ‘what happens when you get older’. Some of us do struggle with our memory as we age or during times of stress or illness. But dementia is different. Lots of people momentarily forget a friend’s name – someone with dementia may forget ever having met them. They usually experience a range of other symptoms alongside memory problems and will begin to struggle with daily life. Dementia is not a normal part of ageing. It’s caused by changes to the structure and chemistry of the brain.

Dementia doesn’t just affect older people. Over 40,000 younger people in the UK have dementia. This is called early-onset or young-onset dementia.

Help and supportIf you are worried about your memory, or about someone else, the first step is to make an appointment to see the GP. The GP can help rule out other conditions that may have symptoms similar to dementia and that may be treatable. These include depression, chest and urinary infections, severe constipation, vitamin and thyroid deficiencies and brain tumours. The earlier you seek help, the sooner you can get the information, advice and support you need.

For more information on the help and support available, visit alzheimers.org.uk or phone our National Dementia Helpline on 0300 222 1122

Around 850,000 people in the UK have dementia.

The chance of developing dementia increases with age.

One in 14 people over 65 – and one in six people over 80 – has dementia.

It’s more common among women than men.

2Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain

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The word dementia describes a group of symptoms that may include memory loss, difficulties with planning, problem-solving or language and sometimes changes in mood or behaviour.

What causes dementia? Dementia occurs when the brain is damaged by a disease. There are many known causes of dementia. The most common is Alzheimer’s disease. This changes the chemistry and structure of the brain, causing the brain cells to die. The first sign is usually short-term memory loss.

Other types of dementia include vascular dementia, mixed dementia (Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia), dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia (including Pick’s disease). Each of these diseases affects the brain in slightly different ways. For example, Alzheimer’s disease tends to start slowly and progress gradually, while vascular dementia following a stroke often progresses in a stepped way.

Everyone’s dementia is differentWhatever type of dementia a person has, everyone will experience the condition in their own way. How it affects a person over time is also unique to the individual – their own attitude, relationships with others and surroundings will all have an impact.

For more information, visit alzheimers.org.uk/aboutdementia

3It’s not just about losing your memory

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People often associate dementia with memory loss. And it does often start by affecting the short-term memory. Someone with dementia might repeat themselves and have problems recalling things that happened recently – although some people easily remember things from a long time ago. But dementia can also affect the way people think, speak, perceive things, feel and behave.

Common symptomsDementia often causes difficulties with concentration, planning and thinking things through. Some people will struggle with familiar daily tasks, like following a recipe or using a bank card. Dementia also makes it harder to communicate. For example, a person with dementia might have trouble remembering the right word or keeping up with a conversation. Many people have problems judging distances even though their eyes are fine. Mood changes and difficulties controlling emotions are common too. Someone might become unusually sad, frightened, angry or easily upset. They could lose their self-confidence and become withdrawn.

As dementia progressesDementia is progressive, which means that symptoms gradually get worse over time. How quickly this happens varies from person to person – and many people stay independent for years.

There’s no known cure for dementia, but there are ways to help with symptoms and make life better at every stage. The more we understand about the condition, the more we can do to help people stay independent and live the life they want for as long as possible.

4It’s possible to live well with dementia

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Scientists and researchers are working hard to find a cure for dementia. In partnership with people with dementia and their families, they are also looking into its causes, how it might be prevented and diagnosed earlier, and how to improve quality of life for people living with the condition.

Until we find a cure, there are drugs and other therapies that can help with some of the symptoms, so people can lead active, healthy lives and continue to do the things that matter to them most.

Drug treatmentsThere are medications available that may help with some types of dementia and stop symptoms progressing for a while. This is one reason it’s important to go to the doctor as soon as you suspect there’s a problem. It can feel like a big step to take, but a diagnosis can open up many opportunities to help overcome problems and find better ways of coping.

Non-drug treatmentsPeople with dementia can also benefit from approaches that don’t involve drugs. For example, life story work, in which the person is encouraged to share their experiences and memories, or cognitive stimulation, which might involve doing word puzzles or discussing current affairs. Keeping as active as possible – physically, mentally and socially – can really help. It can boost memory and self-esteem and help avoid depression.

Find out more about our research at alzheimers.org.uk/researchFor information on treatments, visit alzheimers.org.uk/treatmentFor information about living well with dementia, visit alzheimers.org.uk/livingwell

5There’s more to a person thanthe dementia

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Living with dementia is challenging. When someone is diagnosed, their plans for the future might change. They may need help and support with everyday tasks or to keep doing the activities they enjoy. But dementia doesn’t change who they are. With the right support, it is possible for someone with dementia to live well and get the best out of life.

See page 15 for details of help and support available.

‘It’s important to carry on doing the things you enjoy, and not sideline yourself from your friends and family. We still go to the pictures and to the theatre. We keep in touch with family and friends. We still go on holiday. We still go out together and do the things we always did.’ Brenda, whose husband has dementia

‘The art classes, choir and Memory Café are all brilliant for boosting my confidence. I’ve come away from my art classes and choir practice feeling like I’ve really achieved something. The choir has helped with my speech and memory too – I’m amazed that I can remember all the songs.’Linda, living with dementia

‘Mum still does the things she used to do regularly – she still takes the dog to the woods like she used to. If she does something regularly and carries on doing it, she doesn’t normally forget it. Routine is really important.’Pip, whose mother has dementia

Getting to the heart of itOur Calor colleagues have been offering a helping hand

in their local communities again so we caught up with the team to see what they’ve been up to…HUMAN RESOURCES

THE FINISHED SUMMER HOUSE ABI OPENSHAW AND CHRISTINA HOLLEYHEAD MARZENA HAYES, ABI OPENSHAW AND ALEX SALT

The HR team joined forces with Age UK to help out at The Claremont Centre in Rugby where they rejuvenated the outdoor space to create a more sensory and pleasant environment for visitors to enjoy.

The team set to work painting the fence, garage, benches and summer house in a variety of vibrant colours, whilst the borders also received some TLC with a mixture of lilies, lavender and jasmine. The garden was decorated with brightly coloured butterfly and ladybird wall ornaments, along with six new turquoise chairs which all helped to create the desired sensory experience.

The Claremont Centre provides a community space for elderly people with dementia to participate in social activities such as quizzes, singing and exercise classes, and our Calor volunteers extended their help here as well. Some members of the team got stuck in giving manicures and taking part in card games, quizzes and singing; creating a lovely atmosphere throughout the whole centre.

Linda O’Sullivan from Age UK was thrilled with how well the day went: “Thank you seems too small a word to say how I feel, you guys really have made a massive difference… the team were a joy to be around.”

Calor Life Final

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