The staff at RE:Group would like to congratulate Lab Manager Kira Allen and her husband Tim on the birth of their first child.
Benjamin was born on July 21st and both him and his mum are doing well.
We wish Kira all the best during her maternity leave.
Congratulations to Sarah Atkinson, Mark Hudson and Ross Vinegrad on taking part in a major fund-raising effort in aid of Hull Minster.
Parts of the recently rededicated church are more than 700 years old and the building is full of hidden corners. But Sarah, Mark and Ross can claim to know it from top to bottom after abseiling 80ft from the bell ringing chamber into the nave in celebration of the granting of Minster status.
Their effort, and that of others, has contributed to the Minster moving towards its funding target of a further £200,000 by the end of the summer on top of the £3.2m already raised.
Formerly Holy Trinity, it achieved lasting fame as being England’s largest parish church.
Now as Hull Minster it is becoming a community hub for the modern age, including a large space in the nave for many different uses.
We would like to welcome three newcomers to the RE:Group team: process technician Chris Moore, driver Mike Sawyers and yard operative Sam Tyson.
Following his electrician’s apprenticeship, Chris trained as a process operator at HCF Stallingborough and then joined road fuel suppliers Greenergy at Immingham. He has latterly been working as a helipad assistant on offshore rigs.
Mike has joined us from Hutchinson Transport having previously worked for Colt Industrial Services and ClearTech Environmental.
Sam was on the production line at food company Greencore before joining Asda for six years, firstly as a cleaner and then working in the café.
We are pleased to announce the appointment of a new member of our admin team. Chloe James joined us in September last year as part of an apprenticeship scheme from YH Training Services in Hull. Chloe’s administrative apprenticeship will last 12 months, and once qualified she will continue to develop her skills with advanced training in Business Administration within our commercial department. Chloe is proving an enthusiastic apprentice keen to learn and we look forward to assisting her career development in the years ahead with RE:Group.
Chloe is the second apprentice to join our team after Ross Vinegrad joined us as an engineering apprentice, December 2015.
In December we said goodbye to Janice Prescott, our credit controller, as she retired after 15 years of working at RE:Group. As a farewell to Jan we had a party at our office in Hull that was attended by staff, their partners and some of Jan’s family.
We would like to thank Jan for all of her hard work and we wish her a very happy retirement!
She will be dearly missed by all the staff at RE:Group.
Congratulations to our engineering apprentice, Ross Vinegrad, on receiving his certificate from HETA last week. Ross joined us earlier this year after spending four months with the training organisation.
We would like to wish him all the best for the rest of his apprenticeship with us.
For those of you who know me you may be aware that in 2008 I suffered a rare illness, Guillain Barre Syndrome – an acute condition affecting the peripheral nerves, in which the body’s immune system attacks the myelin sheath (insulating coating of the nerves). This leads to the short-circuting of the nerve signals which causes sudden weakness resulting in paralysis and loss of sensation, often but not always with severe pain. This left me paralysed and in hospital for a total of fourteen weeks. After months of rehabilitation, in the summer 2010 I participated in the London Triathlon and with the kindness and generosity of many people raised in excess of £23,000 for GAIN (Guillain Barre & Associated Inflammatory Neuropathies), who provide information and assistance, fund research and raise awareness of this illness (www.gaincharity.org.uk). 2016 marks the centenary of the first diagnosis of GBS and as part of this I, with Sam Havler and Mark Eggleston (who both got me through the Triathlon) as well as Mark’s brother, Richard, are running the Hull Marathon on 18th September. We are raising funds for GAIN and Matthew Good Foundation.
Matthew died five years ago whilst running the Humber Bridge Half Marathon. Matthew, along with his father, was a member of the Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club and both Mark and I had competed in sailing competitions with Matthew in Bridlington Bay. As joint MD of John Good & Sons Ltd, Matthew was well known within the local industry. The Matthew Good Foundation, set up in his memory, has spearheaded a project called the International Institute of Race Medicine (www.racemedicine.org). The goal is to improve safety standards in marathons, medical best practice and safety awareness among runners.
They have funded research with Loughborough University into the issues surrounding his death. The route of the Marathon passes over the Humber Bridge and we thought this a fitting time and way to remember Matthew.
We have an additional fund raiser in Mark’s daughter Lucy (the hare among the tortoises!) who, along with Mark, is participating in the Great North Run a week before the Hull Marathon. As Lucy is under 18 she is unable to join us in the Marathon.
For those of you that don’t know me, I will say that I don’t by any stretch of the imagination possess the physique of Mo Farah, so it is going to be a challenge.
Finally and most importantly the reason of course for this letter is to ask for your support in raising funds for two little known but extremely worthwhile causes. We are hoping to raise in excess of £25,000 and any donation no matter how small (or large!) is greatly appreciated.
If you would like to donate please visit our Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Four-tortoisesandahare (please remember to gift aid), we will of course keep you updated on our progress.
Thank you for all your support.
Kind Regards,
Paul Waine
Hull fuel manufacturer RE:Group is targeting top students.
The company is impressed with the high standard of University of Hull applicants for year-long placements, saying they bring extra dynamism.
And the students benefit from real-world experience, which enhances their studies and CVs.
Jacob Ward-Pike, the latest undergraduate to spend a year at the site in Air Street, Hull, is taking up a fulltime position in the RE:Group laboratories after finishing his four-year MChem Integrated Masters degree next summer.
The chance has come due to ongoing expansion of the firm.
He completed his paid placement by interviewing eight shortlisted candidates to take over from him.
Production director Robert Booth, himself a Hull graduate, said that helping select his successor was difficult for Jacob because they all had good credentials.
“The students have been of genuinely superb calibre. They’re as keen as mustard and obviously hard-working.”
The position has gone to Raimonda Globytė from Lithuania who joined her family in England in 2010 and studied at Hull College before starting her degree course.
The company’s relationship with the University and its Department of Chemistry could bring more job opportunities.
Mr Booth said that taking on an extra student each year was now under consideration.
“We start by training them to ISO 17025 which is the flagship standard for laboratories and crucial to our operations.
“We benefit from bright young students and the dynamism they bring. We give them the opportunity to gain experience they wouldn’t get on campus and the life skills to work with other people at all levels.
“They can take research and development projects through to full-scale plant trials. They are demonstrating why the University chemistry department has such an excellent reputation.”
Coming soon after the University was named in the national top 10 for graduate employability, it is another example of the close relationship it has with industry.
Dr Nigel Young, industrial placements officer and senior lecturer in inorganic chemistry, said: “Students going to RE:Group get the chance to do some real chemistry, dealing with contaminated oils. There is lots of problem solving and they learn new skills. In return, they offer an additional resource freeing up time in the business.”
Jacob Ward-Pike who is from Rhyl has set his sights on a future in Hull.
“RE:Group makes you a vital part of the team, not just another member of staff,” he said. “If you have an idea, they’ll take it as far as they can.
“I had the chance to study at Manchester, but when I came to Hull on an open day I was amazed by the University and the city itself. I hope I can stay in this area for many years to come.”
RE:Group is investing in the future through its new apprenticeship scheme.
It is hoped that Ross Vinegrad, who has joined us as an engineering apprentice, after spending four months with training organisation HETA, will be the first of many in the years to come.
Ross, who is from Hedon, was chosen from a strong candidate list, and has made a quick impression by passing a PAT testing course and starting the job of updating procedures in site.
His apprenticeship will last two years.
Auditors from UKAS (the United Kingdom Accreditation Service) have once again given RE:Group’s laboratory a clean bill of health.
During their annual inspection, after comprehensively checking, witnessing and reviewing everything the lab does, the three auditors confirmed the company’s accreditation to the ISO 17025 standard.
This was a one day ‘surveillance’ visit in contrast to the four-yearly root and branch review of the laboratory which lasts three days.
“Although we have been audited every year for many years it is always a happy workforce when we can say once again we have achieved accreditation for our high standard of operations,” says Paul Marsden, safety, health, environment and quality manager.
“I would like to thank everyone for their help and cooperation over the past 12 months.”
To maintain accreditation, there is also an annual assessment by global certification body NQA.
In between visits, RE:Group’s in-house team carries out regular internal audits of business processes and quality systems.
Paul says that all laboratories need to carry out an internal audit of their business processes to ensure delivery of a competent service.
“For our part, we are fully committed to maintaining a quality management system which meets the requirements of ISO 17025:2005.
“We are committed to continuous improvement. It is about providing an excellent service and giving customer satisfaction.”
Re:Group UK is also audited against BS EN ISO 9001:2008 and BS EN ISO 14001:2004.
