Denis Rawlins To Sponsor Cleaning Team of the Year Award 2018
Denis Rawlins Ltd, and the Association of Direct Service Providers (ABCD) are pleased to announce that the award of Cleaning Team of the Year (CTY) will be running again in 2018.
After the success of the award’s in 2017 in which Rochdale Council’s Town Hall Team took the main prize, organisers are hoping as many ABCD members as possible take part in the award, with the winners being announced at the AGM and event in April 2018 at the Cleaning Show in Manchester.
The Cleaning Team of the Year Award recognises and promotes team achievement and provides an invaluable opportunity for information to be shared with other Councils, recognising the hard work and dedication involved in delivering much needed and valuable services to communities.
The award is open to all Local Authority members of the ABCD
How to Enter
Councils in membership of the ABCD as at April 2017 are eligible to submit an application for this award in 2018. Each application needs to be based around a 1000 word response. Authorities may enter a maximum of two submission only.
- A one page Executive Summary
- Background to the service provided
- Evidence of improvements achieved and challenges overcome
- How the initiative links to your own wider council objectives
- Your targets for the future and the framework within which they operate
Also included in the 1000 word submission can be supplementary information such as a short biography of the team/employees involved (with digital/scanned photographs added to the body of the submission)
The submissions for Cleaning Team of the Year should show in all cases that the team as well as the points outlined above: –
- Deliver the best service possible
- Deliver in the spirit of continuous improvement
- Work as a team with other services and partners
Generally, successful submissions will: –
- Be clear, easy to read and well laid out
- Focus on content (pictures etc. can be used but content is paramount)
- Contain relevant, succinct appendices e.g. from partners or customers
- Include an Executive Summary
The judges will be looking for clear evidence that your team meets the above criteria and examples of excellence and targets exceeded to select the winning entries. They will also take into account any visible benchmarks of achievement such as independent auditor’s reports, achievement of IIP or ISO 9001 etc. Finally, the winning team should be able to demonstrate evidence of excellence in continually working to challenge internal/external benchmarks.
Presentation of Awards
Presentation of all the Award categories will be made at the ABCD Annual General Meeting and event at the Manchester Cleaning Show in April 2018
Do you think that your team fits the bill?
If so, make your submission by February 12th 2018
Finalists will be visited during March 2018
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Please do not hesitate to contact the Pat Wherton on 07766 110586 or gensec@abcdsp.org.uk if you require any further information regarding the awards.
Rochdale Win ABCD Cleaning Team of the Year 2017
Rochdale Council’s Town Hall Team are the inaugural winners of the Cleaning Team of the Year Award.
The award’s, which are sponsored by ABCD and Denis Rawlins, have been established to recognise and promote team achievement in the public sector and the judges said Rochdale showed ‘exceptional standards’ and were worthy winners.
The ceremony took place during the ABCD annual conference in Harrogate and representatives from Rochdale’s cleaning team were on hand to receive the award from sponsor James White.
There were awards also for the two runners up, Gateshead Council, for their Team of Supervisors, and Rotherham Council, for the Riverside House Team.
James White said: “ All three finalists are outstanding in their own right, but as there has to be a winner, the judges felt Rochdale should take it this year for the unique challenges they face daily. Their standards of cleanliness were exceptional, which is no mean feat when you consider they have to maintain a very old Victorian Town Hall, which is increasingly being booked for high profile and diverse events such as weddings, gin conventions, boxing matches, and other exhibitions.”
The team in Rochdale is led by Peter Gurney, and when asked by the judges what the secret is to keeping a Victorian era Town Hall in tip-top condition he replied modestly ‘common sense’.
James White told the assembled delegates at the ABCD conference that such a down to earth view epitomised the attitude at Rochdale, but added that it does take many years’ experience, training and knowledge, to be able to know how to apply ‘common sense’.
It’s the third year that Denis Rawlins Ltd has supported public sector awards in support of the Association of Building Cleaning Direct Service Providers (ABCD) and both sponsors commented on the high quality of applications they received this year.
Exhibitors and Visitors Hail Cleaning Show 2017
Almost 6,000 visitors from the cleaning and hygiene sector passed through the doors of the London Cleaning Show last week, making it the most successful show yet.
Attendance was 5% up on the last London show in 2015, with overseas visitors up by 9%.
More importantly, this year’s visitors had real spending power, with some 17% of attendees having an annual budget of over £1 million to spend on cleaning equipment and services.
Exhibitors reported making sales directly from the stands, as well as taking a number high quality leads. Many of them have already booked space at the next London show in two years time.
It was also a very successful show for the British Cleaning Council, who was celebrating its 35th anniversary with a larger stand than normal.
BCC Chairman, Simon Hollingbery, said: “after a long winter the sun finally came out, and so too did the cleaning industry! We were blown away with how many people there was in the hall, particularly during the second day. Our members where very busy engaging with visitors as they passed by our stand, and I’d like to thank everyone who helped out.”
The BCC had put a lot of preparation into this year’s seminar programme and were delighted to leran it had attracted over 1,000 people during the three days.
It was a special occasion also for the CSSA who held their inaugural awards during the show. The awards ceremony, held at the Bridge Restaurant at the Excel, was extremely well attended, with a number of worthy winners announced from across the UK cleaning Industry.
Many exhibitors booked stand space straight away for the Excel show in 2 years time, but the next cleaning event to look forward to will be next year’s Manchester Cleaning Show at Event City, 11-12 April 2018.
Cleaning Award 2017
The Cleaning Team of the Year Award 2017 has been launched to find the most dedicated and hard working cleaning teams in the public sector.
The awards are sponsored jointly by the Association of Building Cleaning Direct Service Providers (ABCD) and Denis Rawlins, and the aim is to recognise and promote team achievement.
ABCD General Secretary Pat Wherton said: “ the cleaning operative of the year award, which we ran previously, has been very successful, but both sponsors felt it was difficult choosing just one staff member for an award when it’s usually a team effort. This new award will highlight the level of commitment and hard work that is carried out on a daily basis to keep our public buildings clean, and I’m sure we will get a very high caliber of entry.”
Council’s in membership of ABCD are eligible to take part and must submit a written application by 12th February 2017.
The finalists will be visited during March, and the presentation of all award categories with be made at the ABCD AGM in Harrogate in May 2017.
BCC Brexit Statement
After months of campaigning the British people have decided that the United Kingdom should leave the EU. The British Cleaning Council took the decision some months ago to remain neutral, and that is still the case now we know the result.
However, with so much political and economic uncertainty around it’s important to reiterate that the BCC remains committed to its core values and will continue to champion the UK cleaning industry at every opportunity.
Whatever the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, Europe remains a very important market for the UK cleaning industry, and every effort should be made to make the transition to a non EU state as smooth as possible.
There are many EU nationals working in the UK cleaning industry and their hard work and commitment is extremely important for the buoyancy of the industry. The UK cleaning industry also has strong links to partners in Europe, and we are determined to keep those links strong, and we will be extending a very warm welcome to visitors from across Europe at next year’s Cleaning Show at the Excel Arena.
Cleaning Operative of Year 2016 Winner Announced
James White with June Manley
The winner of the Cleaning Operative of the Year 2016 is June Manley who works at Carr Mill Primary School, St Helens, Merseyside.
James White MD of Denis Rawlins Ltd made the announcement at the Manchester Cleaning Show, after the ABCD AGM.
Second place was Teresa Wheatcroft who works for Nottinghamshire County Council, and third place Tina Hodson from Hull.
James White said: ” The standard of applicants has been incredible again this year. We applaud all cleaning operatives up and and down the country who work hard, day in day out, to keep our public buildings clean.The three finalists are all worthy winners, but the judging panel felt that June was a very special case, and that is why she’s got the recognition this year.”
The head teacher at Carr Mill Primary School where June works said that she always goes the extra mile to make sure the school is clean, but she also has a very pleasant personality and has received several ‘best teacher gifts’ from the children.
June wins £250 of High Street Vouchers and of course, a huge congratulations from everybody associated with ABCD.
ABCD members urged to register online for Manchester Cleaning Show
With less than a month to go before the doors open at Event City for the Manchester Cleaning Show, ABCD members are being urged to register online to avoid the queues.
It’s set to be a busy time for the ABCD, as the AGM, and announcement of the Cleaning Operative of the Year, take place on the first day of the show on 6th April.
The new regional cleaning show, organised by the British Cleaning Council, and Quartz Business Media, looks set to be extremely well attended, with over 2,000 already registered to attend.
In addition to the special events for ABCD members, there’s a host of other attractions to enjoy. The BCC has organised a number of free seminars, and there’s the chance to browse the exhibition stands and have a drink and meal with friends and colleagues in one of the many food outlets at the venue.
To register, members need to go online to the special event website: Register for Manchester Cleaning Show
The cleaning industry left looking for answers after Building Futures Group closure
The sudden demise of The Building Futures Group has left people in the industry shocked and mystified as the organisation had given no indication it was in trouble.
BFG made the announcement with a brief press release on 14th Jan, saying it had ceased trading after ‘two successful years’, but offered no explanation as to why the end had come now.
Their statement has led to some confusion as it gave the impression the company was thriving when in fact the opposite was true.
The British Cleaning Council is now calling for the organisation to give a full and frank assessment of what went wrong, so lessons can be learned for the future, and help offered to those that have been affected by the shut-down.
A lot of people in the industry have been affected by BFG’s sudden collapse. Asset Skills was a well established training organisation before the merger. Also lost is Upkeep, a charity that trained young people about building maintenance, and there is no word also about the Young Managers Forum.
ABCD and BCC Chairman, Simon Hollingbery, said: “It’s never good to hear about a company closing, but the lack of information coming from BFG about the reasons for its closure is disappointing. The BCC and the rest of the cleaning industry needs to know what exactly went wrong, so that we can all learn lessons for the future.”
He added; ” I hope staff at BFG and others affected by this can find alternative employment at the earliest opportunity.”
ABCD AGM being held at Manchester Cleaning Show
Members can look forward to something a bit different in 2016, with the AGM being held during the new regional Cleaning Show in Manchester
The date for the diary is Wednesday 6th April, with the announcement of the Cleaning Operative of the Year to be made just after the AGM.
The Manchester Cleaning Show at Event City is being organised by the British Cleaning Council and Quartz Business Media, who run the show in London, and is being held in response to industry calls for a cleaning event in the north.
A number of big sponsors have already signed up, and there will be a host of keynote speakers, including Andreas Lill, Director of the European Federation of Cleaning Industries, who is opening proceedings on the first day.
Pat Wherton, General Secretary of ABCD, says she hopes members will come to Manchester for both days and enjoy the networking, product displays, seminars and, of course, the fantastic northern hospitality!
Cleaner of the Year picks up award at conference
School cleaner, Samantha Bucknall, picked up the Cleaner of the Year award at the ABCD’s annual conference in Chester, and admitted she was ‘gob smacked’ to have won it.
Samantha, from Lichfield in Staffs, was presented with an engraved glass trophy by Managing Director of Denis Rawlins Ltd, James White, who was part of the judging panel.
The awards scheme was created jointly by the Association of Building Cleaning Direct Service Providers (ABCD) and Denis Rawlins, who also sponsor the award.
James White said it was inspiring to meet so many cleaners in the public sector who often went above and beyond their core duties. He said it was agonising to choose between the three finalists, who all attended the event, but added that Samantha’s story really stood out, as she had single handily kept her school’s cleaning service going during a severe staff shortage.