Latest Dougland News

New Manager Appointed

We have a new manager joining our ranks who will be based at The Palace Gardens Shopping Centre, Enfield whose name is Gaynor Jones. Gaynor joined us on the 16th January, and is taking up this demanding role in what is a very busy shopping centre.

Joining us with a vast amount of cleaning and management experience, having worked in the service delivery industry for 10 years, we are particularly pleased to have been able to have recruited such an experienced person for this role and are sure she will be a success and have a long enjoyable association with Dougland.

Yet Another Casino Award For Rank

Dougland have again been awarded a new contract with Rank Gaming, at the G Casino Didsbury, near Manchester.  This location is a new build due to open in mid-February.  Contracts Manager, Colette Tomlinson, says she is delighted to be commencing this new contract, "the new club looks fantastic with excellent decor and a very welcoming feel about it and in a prime location". 

This now brings the total number of casinos and bingo halls to 116, with more planned to be added to the portfolio throughout the year, so our operations teams are looking at a very busy 2012.

New Contract Award

Dougland Support Services are once again delighted to announce yet another contract award being "The Atrium" at Camberley. Operations Director Peter Simpson says "this contract has been awarded on the strength of past and present performance showing that our client, Jones Lang LaSalle, have the confidence and belief in our ability to provide an excellent service delivery to its client base".

The new contract commences on the 20th February 2012, with a team of ten staff transferring over to Dougland under TUPE regulations. The location is a mixture of restaurants and leisure facilities on four floor levels, so will be a challenge which will as usual be met head on by the strong operations team we have in place who are certainly looking forward to the commencement and challenge ahead.

KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* Golden Service Awards 2011

Attended by over 600 professionals from small, medium and large contract cleaning firms and in-house teams were welcomed at the prestigious Golden Service Awards ceremony at the Lancaster London Hotel on Friday 4th November 2011, hosted by Chris Hollins (TV Presenter and winner of Strictly Come Dancing), to announce the finalists of individual categories for specific sectors of our business.

Dougland were nominated finalists out of 133 entries from across the UK and Ireland for both Service Delivery, Innovation of the Year and Best Cleaned Premises (Large Retail Establishment) for the Thistles Shopping Centre in Stirling, Scotland.

Congratulations to the whole team for their efforts and well earned accolade.

Loo of the Year Awards 2012

After yet another successful year for the company, we are proud to announce prestigious awards within the industry for National Winner - Attendant of the Year, Champions League and Category Winners - Loo of the Year, which have been awarded as a result of hard work and diligence shown by teams and individual cleaners in their place of work, truly an “Oscar” within our profession.

The award ceremonies were held at the Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth on 2^nd December 2011, hosted by the British Toilet Association with Sean Williamson (from Eastenders) being the after lunch speaker, for which we were awarded 13 x 5 Gold Star Awards and 7 x 4 Silver Star Awards on various sites throughout the UK.

On behalf of the Directors at Dougland, a big thank you and well done to all of those involved.

Mark Day joins us as the Operations Director for the Southern Region

Mark Day joins us as the Operations Director for the Southern Region. He has worked in some of the largest cities in England, setting up new divisions and building up client portfolios.

He has worked within the industry for over ten years, covering all aspects of the cleaning industry, from the commercial sector right through to the food sector.

During this time he worked along side some of the biggest blue chip companies and Facilities Management Teams.

His vast industry knowledge will help Dougland grow and develop the southern region, by building long term partnerships with existing clients and by using his wealth of experience to secure new contracts.

We wish Mark well in his new role.

New Shopping Centre Opening

Dougland Support Services have been recently awarded the new Parkway Shopping Centre in Newbury thus increasing our Standard Life portfolio even further, the centre boasts a number of very high profile and discerning tenants which will be demanding high standards which we are confident of achieving for our client and more importantly maintaining.

The centre opened on the 27^th October looking in pristine condition thanks to all the hard work and effort our “Special Projects” team supported by the on-site cleaning team and senior management put in working virtually round the clock to ensure a seamless handover to our client was in place. We are extremely proud to have been awarded such a prestigious centre and are striving to ensure that the ISO14001 (Environmental Management Systems) is accredited as early as possible by working closely with centre management says Operations Director Peter Simpson.

We are delighted to announce the promotion of Sonia Costa at our new contract The Parkway Shopping Centre Newbury, Sonia originally joined us as our on-site supervisor but very quickly established herself and made her mark in this role so much so that just as soon as the Centre Cleaning Manager vacancy became apparent it was obvious to us that she was the one to take up the challenge.

Sonia has taken on a very challenging role but I am sure she will be a great asset to us in her new role and judging by what I have seen so far she has already built a strong relationship with the centre management and her cleaning team and understands the need to take a very proactive approach to running this new prestigious location.

"I am sure you will all join me in wishing Sonia every success in her new role for the company" says Operations Director, Peter Simpson.

New Casino Addition - G Casino, Stockton-On-Tees

Dougland Support Services have added yet another new casino to their national business, located in Stockton-On–Tees, which should have opened on the 19th September. Patsy Kirk, National Operations Manager, and her team ensured that the club opened its doors looking absolutely pristine for our client the Rank Group and their new clients, although it took two attempts.

Patsy said, “Unfortunately, it did not go without a hitch on this occasion due to a burst pipe on the second floor causing extensive flooding throughout on the very day of opening night, but, thanks to quick thinking all round, the damage caused was minimal.  With teams quickly deployed from our  Swindon Special Projects Department and the management team on site working alongside other contractors, having to work throughout the night and day carrying out a cleanup operation which was very successful, there was virtually no damage to the new fabric and fittings caused. My team and I were a little shocked to say the least; we had finished and walked the building feeling proud of what we had achieved only for the the water to come gushing down on us from above.  My team worked flat out, basically starting again, but we got there in the end, although totally exhausted and a little wet!”

“Our Operations Director, Peter Simpson, was far from happy - he was on his way back to Southampton to watch his beloved football team, but there was no way I was going to allow him to do that and miss all the hard work required,” said Patsy, “and I don't think he has forgiven me yet.”

“Well Done to the Operations Team for an excellent effort all round for without this hard work and pulling on all our resources there was no way this Club would have opened so soon after the disaster.” said Operations Director, Peter Simpson.  “I'm proud of Patsy and her team for their hard work and efforts put in.  They are a credit to the Company.”

New contract wins at Dougland Swindon Branch

The last couple of months have been very successful for our Swindon branch with new business being awarded from Stonegate Pub Company & Glendola Leisure Ltd. Both these contracts are for supplying cleaning of the kitchen extraction systems and has added to the portfolio of high profile clients that include Mitchells & Butlers, Hall & Woodhouse, Wadworths & Co, Pub People, Bath Ales & Burger King. This new business continues the growth at Swindon in very difficult economical conditions, but everyone involved is looking forward to the challenges this new business will bring.

Two New Appointments

We have two new people joining our management team in different parts of the country, working from our Swindon Branch.

The first being John Richardson, taking up the role of Area Contracts Manager for Scotland, working on our national Rank Gaming portfolio.  John joins us with a wealth of cleaning experience having worked with one of our competitors in the market up there in Scotland.

Mike Kelly joins us at our Swindon Branch, as an Operations Manager, taking up responsibility for a number of key accounts with a remit to build our already growing business in the South and Southwest.  Mike also joins us with a cleaning background having been involved with a number of cleaning companies in senior management roles.

We are sure both new recruits will be a success in their new positions.               Photo from left to right:  Mike Kelly and John Richardson

Double delight as Quedam again scoops award

The Quedam Shopping Centre, Yeovil is celebrating winning the Environmental Award in the Western Gazette 2011 Business Awards for the second year running. The Centre retained this prestigious award for its recycling and energy savings schemes

The Centre recycling schemes - which are operated in alliance with Dougland Support Services (cleaning services) and Futur (waste and recycling services) - managed to recycle over 50% of the Centre’s waste and in fact the weight of recycled materials (91.3 tonnes) is about the same as 77 average sized cars!  The Centre recycles many materials, but the main ones are cardboard, polythene, food and paper.

In respect of energy, the Centre saved an amazing 92,645 units of electricity in the year ending 31 March 2011. This was done via a variety of methods but a major factor was the replacing a significant part of the Centre’s Christmas bulbs with LED lights, a change that both improved light quality and contributed to a 21% drop in power usage in December 2010

David Mills, Manager of the Quedam Centre, said “It was a big challenge to retain this award as we had some tough competition, but our strategy is to never be satisfied with what we have achieved and every year we will look to recycle more and use less energy”

David Mills was keen to also stress that the award have been won only because of a genuine team effort he said  "The key to recycling more and saving energy is to get everyone signed up to the concept. Without the efforts of every cleaner, security officer and shop on the Centre, we would not be able to do what we have. Our partnership with Dougland Support Services and Futur also plays a key role as all three organisations are committed to the same values regarding maximising recycling".


Attached picture shows David Lacey (Quedam Centre Operations Manager) and Wayne Morgan (Cleaning Supervisor - Dougland Support Services) with the award.

One more Shopping Centre

We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded the Central Square Shopping Centre in Birmingham, commencing 1st August.

We have quite a bit of work to do at the Centre but our management are confident that they can deliver a cleaning service the new Centre Manager, Anthony Roper, will be very pleased with in the coming months and, more importantly, maintain.

Octagon Shopping Centre

We are delighted to announce a further two year extension of the cleaning contract at The Octagon Shopping Centre in Burton-On-Trent.

“It is very pleasing to know that the client, Centre Manager, Peter Hardingham, has the confidence in Dougland Support Services to continue delivering a service  that fully meets the client and tenants expectations.  Our cleaning team do an excellent job on a day to day basis keeping the Centre in pristine conditions at all times and are a credit to the Company and the Centre.” says Operations Director, Peter Simpson.

This contract award means we have been providing services at the Octagon for 10 years.

New Contract Wins

The last two months have been very successful for Dougland in terms of new business.

In April we successfuly started Market Place Shopping Centre in Burgess Hill, The Martlets - Crawley, Renaissance 2200 in Basingstoke and the prestigious Winchester Guildhall.

May has already seen start ups at The Brunswick, London and the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Gloucester.

Peter Simpson's Hearts and Heroes Challenge

On the 14th May, Peter took part in the Hearts and Heroes Challenge that took place in Scotland.

The event is a 12-hour walking or running challenge across a 29-mile section of the picturesque Southern Upland Way. There are three finish points available - bronze (12 miles), silver (21 miles) and gold (29 miles), so that participants of all levels of fitness can aim for a target that suits them.

The challenge is held every year in aid of rugby charity Hearts & Balls and veterans’ charity, PoppyScotland. All funds raised will go to help injured rugby players as well as veterans and their families living in Scotland.

Peter achieved a bronze medal and completed the walk in 5 hours 18 minutes.

He says, "I have to say I seriously underestimated this challenge with no training or preparation in readiness to complete, but complete I did and I am very proud of my achievement, because it was very tough and painful to say the least!  It was more a case of mountain climbing as opposed to a walk, with blisters the size of golf balls and pain to contend with which I have never experienced before."

To see proof of Peter's achievement, please go to http://www.heartsandheroes.co.uk, where you will also see more information on the event.  We will also be uploading photos very soon.

There is still time to sponsor Peter to help him achieve his goal of £1000.  Please visit http://my.artezglobal.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=355910&langPref=en-CA.

Well done Peter!

Best employee at One Stop

We are delighted to announce that for the first quarter of the year, one of our cleaning team, Fazal Best, at the One Stop Shopping Centre, Birmingham, has been awarded the Customer Service Award for his efforts and help to shoppers and our client alike.

"This award was well earned by Faz, going that 'extra mile', which is particularly pleasing given the fact Security are also included in the opportunity to win this award and are more likely to be at the 'coalface' when it comes to dealing with customers to the Centre." says Operations Manager, Peter Simpson.

Our client, Centre Operations Manager, Mark Burbridge, also added, "Faz has come on in leaps and bounds this year and well deserves the award and recognition for his efforts to the Centre and Dougland Support Services."

Faz was awarded a certificate of achievement from the Centre and a £50 gift voucher is on its way as a "thank you" from the Company.

Award Winners at The Thistles, Stirling

We send our congratulations and thanks to Martin McAtee our Site Manager and Soner Akgul, Cleaning Operative, at The Thistles Shopping Centre in Stirling, both of whom won Employee of the Month Awards.

The awards were open to both Cleaning staff and Security staff, "To win two employees of the month was very gratifying knowing that this award is not only for cleaning but security as well.  It was our team that were recognised and stood out for their efforts and so have obviously made their mark." said Peter Simpson, Operations Director.

Martin won his award as recognition of his efforts as Site Manager since Dougland gained the contract in November 2010.  Soner's award was in recognition of his work and efforts in the car park which has never looked so good.  His hard work and dedication to duties in this area had not gone unnoticed by the client.

Barrie Richards, Dougland's Managing Director, and Peter Simpson both attended the Award Ceremony at the Centre on 5th May.

New Chas Accreditation

Dougland are delighted to announce that on 1st April this year we were successfully accredited within the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS) having demonstrated compliance with and sound management of current basic health and safety legislation. 

Environmentally Friendly

Dougland Support Services Ltd are currently assisting both The Thistles Shopping Centre in Stirling and One-Stop Shopping Centre in Birmingham in gaining their ISO14001 accreditations.

Both Centres are managed by Jones Lang LaSalle and, as their dedicated cleaning services provider and also a Company who has proudly gained our ISO14001 accreditation, JLL have asked Dougland to assist in the initial preparation leading up to the accreditation audits taking place in May.

There is a huge amount of work concerned at both Centres but by way of working together in partnership on the project, we should see favourable results later in the year.

 

Bournemouth to Aberdeen in a day

Ian McMillan, one of our operatives from Castlepoint Shopping Park, Bournemouth, will be hitch hiking from Bournemouth to Aberdeen in ONE DAY to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support.

He will be carrying out this rather challenging task on Tuesday 24th May.

If you are interested in sponsoring Ian for this very worthy cause, or just wish to send him an encouraging message, he can be reached on johnmason02@hotmail.com.

Perhaps you may even see a lone hitch hiker if you are driving that way?  If so, give him a lift!!

Please follow this link for more information.

http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Fundraising/Inyourarea/England/Dorset/Local_news/BournemouthtoAberdeeninaDay.aspx

10th Annual Managers Conference

Operations Director, Chris Dickens' Annual Managers Conference was held over 15th and 16th March this year and was the 10th annual conference to be held.

Assembled at the Botley Park Hotel in Southampton were approximately 25 of Chris' management team who took part in general discussion, presentations from various suppliers and also a team building exercise which involved dressing a 'mummy'.

Among the presentation winners were Lino Guinto, who was officially recognised for dealing with a particularly traumatic and sensitive incident that happened at the Bentall Centre earlier in the year.  Lino accepted the award on behalf of his team.

Other awards went to Sue Blackburn based at Vicar Lane, Chesterfield who had been given a special mention by our client there, Carlos Barreiros, National Archives, for long service and also Sharon Williamson, Area Manager, by special request from one of her Managers who asked that Sharon receive some form of reward for her help and support.  There were many awards and presentations throughout the conference and no-one went home empty handed.

Again, the conference was found to be beneficial to all and we look forward to the next conference next year. 

New Year's day at the 235 Casino, Manchester

The New Year started with another new cleaning contract for Peter Simpson's operations team. Peter and his team worked throughout the New Year's day Bank Holiday to mobilise the cleaning service for this state-of-the-art gaming venue. The addition of London Clubs International to our leisure portfolio represents significant growth in this niche sector.

Philip Neumann 24 August 1945 - 18 November 2010

Philip Neumann, who was employed by Dougland at Whiteley Village in Fareham, sadly passed away on the 18th November 2010.  He will be sorely missed.

Phil has worked for Dougland since October 1993, he was a hard working member of staff who was popular with his colleagues and held in high regard by our clients. He never missed a day.

Many braved what was one of our worst days of snow on 2nd December to attend his funeral and pay their respects.

Our thoughts are with his family: Marilyn, his wife, and sons, Jonathan and Matthew.

Dougland hit the ground running at The Thistles

New appointment

Two new Shopping Centres

One Stop Annual Charity Ball

Tidy Business Awards - Kingston

Stephen Williams

Grosvenor Casino Scarborough

Scottish Region

New Minimum Wage Rate from 1 October 2010

Farewell Olive

Willing to travel....

Maria Hantig, our Site Manager at St Anns Shopping Centre in Harrow, went over and above the call of duty recently when she found herself stranded in Romania during the recent airline disruption caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland.

Having taken leave to visit Romania, Maria was due back to work early Sunday morning but found herself 'grounded' when she tried to leave on Friday.

By way of alternative transport, Maria left Romania at 1200 on Friday, by coach, from there she travelled to Hungary, arriving at 2000, then onto Austria managing to get there at 0400 Saturday.  Maria went on to arrive in Germany at 1200 and Belgium at 1600 - all by coach! 

Once Maria arrived in France at 1800, she got a ferry across the channel arriving in good old England at 2100 Saturday.

After that marathon journey, Maria managed to turn up for work only 10 minutes late!!!

Well done Maria!! That's what we call dedication!

Carlos Barreiros and Janet Stephens win Manager of the Year Award

This years Manager of the Year Award saw joint winners, Carlos Barreiros from the National Archives and Janet Stephens from Victoria Coach Station.  Congratulations to you both!

Our client at National Archives were so impressed at Carlos' success that they ran an article in their in-house magazine.....

9th Annual Manager's Conference

On the 16th and 17th March we held the 9th Annual Managers Meeting for Chris Dickens' region.

24 Managers gathered at Botley Park & Country Club from as far north as Chesterfield, Yeovil from the west and Dartford in the east. 

The two-day conference included the Managing Director's address, a suppliers seminar, discussions with Head Office departmental managers, a quiz and annual awards to the staff including, Broken Disc Award, Loo of the Year Awards and Manager of the Year - joint winners: Janet Stephens and Carlos Barreiros.

"It is extremely important that we all get the opportunity to meet each other and be able to discuss matters that are important to us.  Sharing experiences and finding solutions to problems through discussion is just one of the benefits of this conference." said Operations Director, Chris Dickens.  "Dougland value our staff and realise that it is the people at the 'rockface' that make the Company as successful as it is."

"Looking around this room I feel immensely proud," said Managing Director Barrie Richards, "this is what it is all about - people with similar jobs and responsibilities, who would not normally get the chance to meet, sharing problems and helping each other out."

Next year will be the 10th Annual Meeting and Chris will be organising something special to mark the anniversary.

Extensions to contracts

Dougland's current cleaning contract at Brighton Marina, which commenced in March 2007, has just been extended further from its original term from the 1 March 2010.  Our Client there is "extremely happy" with our service delivery and stated that it was an "easy decision to make".

This recent success, comes hot on the heels of two other contract extensions.  At the very end of 2009 we were informed by Victoria Coach Station that our contract, which we have proudly held since January 2002, will be continued for a further period from January.

And more good news - our work at the prestigious National Archives, has been rewarded by a further extension of a number of years from April 1st.  We have now been carrying out cleaning services at the National Archives in Kew since 2000 and we are delighted to be able to continue our work there.

Well done to all our staff who have contributed in giving our clients the confidence in Dougland to continue to deliver professional and consistent service levels.

Trolley Management System at Castlepoint

On the 1st January 2010 Dougland will commence a new Trolley Management contract at Castlepoint in Bournemouth.  The contract involves 18 staff, including a Full Time Trolley Manager, who will be responsible for circulating the trolleys from around the various car park locations to ensure there are always plenty for customers in the trolley bays outside the stores in Castlepoint.  We will also be collecting 'stray' trolleys that have found their way to bus stops, housing areas, etc.
Another part of the contract will be the maintenance and repair of the trolley fleet so that visitors to the Centre will always be able to find a trolley for their shopping needs!

More new business...

Dougland are delighted to add the Sovereign Centre in Weston Super Mare to their portfolio as from the beginning of November.  Situated right in the centre of the town, the Sovereign Centre is a very busy shopping mall featuring some of the biggest names in the British retail scene.  Dougland are proud to provide the cleaning and related services to this Centre.

ISO 14001:2004 Certification

Dougland can now confirm that as from October 29 2009, our management system has been assessed and we are now fully certified as meeting the requirements of ISO14001:2004 for the following activities: The provision of cleaning and related services to shopping centres, airports, local authorities and industry.

Recommendation for ISO 14001:2004 (EMS) Certification

New Business....

New Shopping Centre Contracts

New Look Dougland

Site Manager's Conference

Gloria takes a well earned break...