Employees’ News

SUMMER 2016

Employees’

NewsRetired

Photo results See the shortlist and other entries for the photo competition.

Finance update Budget changes and new State Pension arrangements.

Special pull out20th anniversary of the Second Severn Crossing

2 John Laing Retired Employees’ NEWS

Main news

CONTENTS

Company news 3 Round up of top stories from John Laing.

Catching the boat bug 4How Tony went from digging to rigging in

retirement.

Engineers get together 5 The annual reunion is bigger than ever.

Team Spirit Past 6-9Snippets of news from 25 and 50 years ago.

Avoiding scams and cons 10-11The biggest scams targeting older people. Mini finance update 12Budget update and new State Pension.

Second Severn Crossing 13-16Marking 20th anniversary of a landmark project.

Photo competition results 17-19The full results.

Readers’ news 20-21Correspondence and news.

Club news 22-23All the updates and latest information.

Your anniversaries 24-25Two pages of special anniversaries.

News for the Third Age 26 Budget changes and legislation affecting wills.

In Memoriam 27

Don’t be conned - it is always about theft!AS a cub reporter we covered a story in Bedford some 30 years ago whereby local businesses were conned out of thousands of pounds.

The conmen put a neat, handwritten sign on the nightsafe outside the Natwest Bank which read: “The nightsafe is broken, please leave your deposits with the security guard.” Beside the sign was a man we now know to have been a criminal dressed up as a security guard, politely accepting the day’s takings from various businesses.

Con artists have always looked for ingenious ways to separate people from their cash – but arguably technology has afforded them even more opportunity. The average age of victims these days is 72. An officer from the Met police has shone a light on the latest scams to watch out for, this is featured on pages 10 & 11. In fact, as we went to press one gang which had been using some of these cons had been sent to jail. However, there are many more out there, so be on your guard. It is also worth making sure you are up to date with the latest financial situations following the Budget and changes to the State Pension - see page 12. While you are about it, there is an interesting item on page 26 regarding the possibility that your water company owes you money.

Talking of water, this year sees the 20th anniversary of the Second Severn Crossing and the centre pages feature a special pull-out marking the occasion. Thank you to the people from all parts of the project who sent pictures and gave behind the scenes glimpses of how they pulled it all together - see pages 13 - 16.

People working together for others is certainly the main motivation for those who give up their time and effort to run the retirement clubs around the country. Every two years members of various committees get together for a discussion. These raised some very interesting new possibilities this year - see pages 22 &23.

There is plenty more, including congratulations for 65th wedding anniversaries; the former digger driver who found a whole new world in retirement; the results of this year’s photographic competition and readers’ news.

There is the worrying new trend of being addicted to brake fluid. Sadly one of my friends suffers from this, but believes he can stop any time! (Credit: Tony Edwardes)

So, a woman returns from shopping to find her husband painting the lounge. She can’t believe how well he is doing, but the sweat is dripping off him. She says: “Why are you wearing a leather jacket and a Parka?” Her husband turns to her with a wearied expression and says: “It says clearly on the tin;‘for best results, put two coats on.’”

Alex Finkenrath

RETIREd EMPLOYEES’ NEWSAlex Finkenrath, 5 Harpenden Close,

Bedford, Beds, MK41 9RG. Tel: 01234 313055 Mob: 07921 831780Email: [email protected]

Please address other correspondence to:John Laing Welfare dept, 33 Bunns Lane,London, NW7 2dXTel: 020 8959 9683Printed by: White Hart Press, Bedford.

COVER SHOT: The Second Severn Crossing as the bridge celebrates its 20th anniversary. See special pull out on pages 13-16.

AUTUMN DEADLINE: OCTOBER 31, 2016

ConTenTS

CoMPAnY newS

John Laing Retired Employees’ NEWS 3

First phase of groundbreaking $2.2bn USA rail project opensThE first stage of the Denver Eagle P3 project - the first major public private partnership (PPP or P3) railway project in the US - has successfully entered into operation.

At a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday 22 April 2016, the Regional Transportation district of denver (RTd) declared the 23 miles of the University of Colorado A line open.

The inaugural journey began at 8.30am local time, when the first train rolled out of Union station carrying passengers to denver International Airport.

Over 80,000 people used the new track during its first two days of operation.

denver Eagle P3, as part of the RTd FasTracks programme, is a transformative infrastructure project for the denver metropolitan area, delivering best-in-class transport links that will ease congestion and cut travel times to the region’s airport and across the denver metro area.

Post construction, the consortium will manage and maintain the transit system for a period of over 28 years until 31 december 2044.

The Consortium behind the ground breaking project consists of John Laing Group plc (45%), Fluor (10%) and Aberdeen Infrastructure Inv (45%)

Olivier Brousse, Chief Executive Officer of John Laing, said: “We are pleased to see the first phase of denver Eagle P3 reach completion on time and on budget. denver is a world class city and commuters and air travellers here deserve a world class rail network. This is a shining example of the benefits of P3 in delivering complex infrastructure projects and helping American cities address their infrastructure challenges”.

denver Eagle P3 builds on John Laing’s long track record of investing in and delivering rail solutions around the world. The Company is currently an investor in the ALTRAC Light Rail Consortium

that is building Sydney’s Light Rail network in Australia, and is also part of the £4.5bn Intercity Express programme, the UK’s PPP transport project to replace, maintain and provide rolling stock on the Great Western and East Coast main rail lines.

denver Eagle P3 is one of John Laing’s largest investments in the US, with other investments including the $2.3bn I-4 Ultimate Highway Project in Florida.

The US is an important market for John Laing where demand for P3 delivery know-how and large scale infrastructure experience are increasingly sought after, and where the need for investment in infrastructure continues to grow.

JOHN LAING CEO Olivier Brousse was among a select group of people to receive France’s highest honour from the president himself.

Oliver received the Legion

d’Honneur from President François Hollande to mark his contribution to the world of business, in particular within the sphere of infrastructure.

President awards CEO France’s top honour

First Phase of the Denver Eagle P3 rail project with the Rockies in the background

MAKInG BoATS FoR A HoBBY

TONY Dixon had no idea what retirement held for him when he left the Company in the early 90s. he popped in to a model show at Windermere Steam Boat Museum – just for a change - and hasn’t looked back since.

Whilst there he was transfixed by a model of two men rowing a boat which was chugging across the water and decided on the spot that he wanted to make model boats. Nearly 25 years later he still has a remarkable fleet of classic sail boats – each a perfect scale model of the original to the finest detail and ‘seaworthy’.

“I had never done anything artistic before,” said Tony. “I enjoyed my work and like to think I did it well, but art was the last thing on my mind.”

Tony joined Windermere Model Boat Club (where he is still member) and discovered the best way to begin his hobby was just to dive in. He did not start small – he bought scale drawings for a French Schooner called the dauphin; got himself a piece of wood; started with the keel and built

forward and upwards.Teaching himself the tricks

along the way, with help from his new modelling chums, it was clear that he had some natural ability. By the time he got round to building a scale model of the SS Great Britain for a model boat show in Bristol, he was good enough to win best in show.

“I don’t build modern military

ships and I choose ones which I like the look of or have some history to them,” said Tony. “The SS Great Britain was the first propeller driven ship and is a lovely vessel.”

Tony even built his own steam engine for the ship which cuts quite a dash as it sails or races on the lakes at weekends – or

some of his other boats. It is all a bit more relaxing than the 19 years with the Company - including 18 months in Poland.

There were not many staff plant drivers and as a result Tony would sometimes be sent to far flung places at short notice.

“I remember one Sunday night I received a call telling me that I needed to be in Echt for work

the next morning,” he said. “We had to look it up on a map and discovered it was miles up in Scotland.”

On another occasion he was sitting in the pub after a hard day’s work and spotted his JCB being driven off on a low loader to his next destination – wherever that might be!

These days he has a lot more control over his boats and his destiny, although there are still some surprises.

“After a while of building boats, I had quite a collection. They took up a lot of space and were heavy to carry around,” said Tony.

“A friend told me that there was demand for buying these full working models of famous boats and that there was an auction coming up in the Autumn.”

It turned out that the auction was Christie’s and that they were only too delighted to add Tony’s boat to the sale. He was amazed when it was given a guide price of £1,250 – and in shock when it sailed past that.

It was also a pleasant surprise for wife Audrey as the couple went to Paris as a result of the sale.

Each boat takes around nine months to a year to build. A large part of the hobby is seeing the boats in action and Tony races them on the lakes every Thursday. He still has about eight boats at home – each one a piece of art worthy of the hundreds of hours of work which has gone into them.

doug’s workshop is filled with models in progress, lengths of wood including flexible lime; walnut and mahogany. However there is one special shelf reserved for Audrey to keep her flowers.

AS one of just a few staff plant drivers for EPL, Tony Dixon was very much a creature of the land. So it was a surprise when he suddenly decided in retirement that he was going to build boats - and that he would be so good at it.

From digging to rigging

Tony pictured with some of his fleet below, and his homemade steam engine for the SS Great Britain above.

Tony and Audrey



ARCHITeCTS AnD enGIneeRS ReUnIon

ThE Engineers and Architects reunion grew once again following the bumper attendance in 2015. They do say maybe it was the “luck of the Irish” on this occasion as it coincided with St Patrick’s Day. Who’ll know…now let’s have a bit less of the blarney and move on to the reporting of this popular event!

It was a particular privilege to welcome on the day Gerry donnelly from County Wicklow. Gerry took the opportunity to come and join the occasion and meet up with old colleagues and friends whilst over visiting his son.

The event was brought to order with the use of the Shillelagh, an Irish cudgel. (It’s still kept at the bottom of the bed to this day).

The event continues to be enhanced with the addition of more new retirees and the open invitation to past colleagues and friends of the Engineers and Architects. The use of the description “family of Laing” that has accompanied many of the retiree outings and club events reported through Retired Employees News applies to this event.

The event brings employees from all the various activities of the former Laing Group. The informality of the day provides a lovely atmosphere that embraces the many varied conversations that abound. Observations such as “shared lots of happy memories”, “I looked around the room at one point and there were smiles all round - quite an achievement for a room predominantly full of grumpy old men”.

“It was another GREAT do” and “such a lovely day”.

The beautiful “Spring-like” day gave us the opportunity to have an outside photo. For the readership this will give you the opportunity to look through the faces and endeavour to identify past friends. To help along here is a listing of the attendees. In alphabetical order with no seniority intended, although it’s noticeable that Ainsworth comes tops! Well, how about that!!!

The Maccabi London Brady Recreational Trust (formally Laing Sports Club in Elstree) provided an excellent lunch. Great credit goes to Marta Ghermandi and Velina Stoyanova for all the preparation and hard work they put in.

As expected, a number of our colleagues were unable to attend but wished to be remembered on the day.

John Clark

IN ATTENDANCE... Bernie Ainsworth, Dave Airey, Peter Allcroft, Colin Bateman, David Betterton, Eddie Blackburn, John Boland, Ronald Brooks, Steve Clapp, John Clark, Nigel Clark, Alan Coakley, Peter Coles, Brian Collins, Iain Connor, Nick Cook, Steve Cunliffe, Keith Dawson, Christopher Day, Debbie Dix, Peter Donaldson, Gerry Donnelly, Bob Dunkley, John Eggle, Mignonne Ellis, Paul Firth, Dave Fisher, Christine Foster, Gordon Foster, Martin Foster, Les Frost, Duncan Gandy, Maurice Gatfield, Norman haste, Mike hooper, Don hussey, Ian Jarvis, John Keeton, Neil Kitchener, Thomas Lai, Alec Luxon, henry Macejewski, Charlie Novis, Alison Orton, Wally Paterson, Ron Pearce, Terry Pendril, Derek Pollard, Phil Rendle, Alan Rhodes, Mervyn Richards, David Scott, John Sharp, Andy Smith, Brian Starkey, John Stevens, John Tarbox, John Taylor, Malcolm Tucker, Marianne Tunnell, Chris Urbanowicz, John Vignoles, Mervyn Ward, Paul West, John Westley, Peter Westwood, George Willsher, Chris Wilsher and Kit Yardley.

Shenanigans at bumper reunion

The date of the reunion in 2017 is Thursday March 16Contact John Clark ([email protected]) to receive details nearer the time

Above Gerry Donnelly with friends and his shillelagh, bottom left, Dave Ariey and Duncan Gandy. Bottom right Velina Stoyanova and Marta Ghermandi.

Main newsTeAM SPIRIT 50 YeARS AGo - 1966


hEADQUARTERS of the North Western Gas Board in Altrincham (made in Laingwall) won a Class I Civic Trust award for Cheshire. It was described as ‘an outstanding example of architectural Excellence’. The shopping centre at Roseberry Square in Redcar received a Class I Recommendation for Yorkshire.

SECTRA was being used to solve an emergency housing problem at Smethwick in the Midlands - which had been raised during the General Election and made national news. A pilot scheme using Sectra and 12M Jespersen had already provided 400 homes at Bearwood House with another 500 homes planned.

SPORTS CLUB members were offered ‘substantial reductions’ on Sunair Holidays in Majorca, Costa Brava and the Italian Adriatic. The two-week breaks were available from 38 guineas and included air fare and hotel expenses. There were shorter weekend trips on offer to dutch Bulbfields.

IT TOOK just one-and-a-half- hours to bridge the main approach to the dartford Toll Tunnel at Holloways contract at Littlebrook Power Station, To minimise traffic delays, the team took control of the approach road between 11pm on Saturday night and 9am on Sunday morning. Steel erectors placed the 70-foot girders across the six-lane

dual carriageway and, the whole operation was completed by 1.30am.

ThE London Borough of Wandsworth approved its housing committee’s recommendation for a £7.5million housing scheme using the 12M Jespersen system. It would include more than 1,000 flats and maisonettes, shopping precinct and social centre.

ThE official opening of the new Sports Club Wing at Mill Hill - with coffee lounge, club rooms, dark room and offices; took place on April 28. The Company Sports day would be taking place at the ‘Olympic standard’ Copthall Stadium for a change this year.

hER MAJESTY ThE QUEEN opened the New Glasgow Airport at Abbotsinch on June 27, 1966. Pictured right, touring the new facility with the Lord Provost of Glasgow and the Airport director. Below, Queen Elizabeth is introduced to those who helped to build the airport. From left: J Coyl, J Gold, J Carr, J McColl, A Mitchell, A Sodern, T Wotherspoon and E Mcdonald.

Pupil Quantity Surveyor Jeffrey Lester was making a name for himself as a rugby player in Pontypool’s first XV. He had scored 30 points for his side in three games and was signed up having arrived at a training session where he put 11 out of 12 kicks from the halfway line through the posts. He was even featured in the daily Mail. Previously he had only been interested in playing football!

Georgina Allen, dancer and actress, modelling the 4002 reclining chair marketed

by Holloway White Allom. It was the most expensive chair on view at the National Contract Furnishing and Interior decor

exhibition at Horticultural Hall, Westminster.


TeAM SPIRIT 50 YeARS AGo - 1966Team

spirit - 1966

IN Glasgow the Company had handed over a block of flats on ground which people had thought it ‘impossible to build on’.Toryglen, Scottish Region’s largest single contract of the time, was already a landmark in South West Glasgow, on a 40-acre site which had once been a nine-hole golf course and a rubbish tip. It would become a new suburb of the city with phase one of the development providing 755 new homes.The team was having to find the best new thinking from around the world to cope with the exposed site and especially the wind - high up on the tower blocks.One idea from France, seized upon by district Manager HG McGuinness was the boomerang hook. This made it easier for cranes to swing the cladding panels into position.The second innovation to

introduce conveyor lines which enabled the internal panelling and joinery to be rolled straight from the crane load to the particular flat being worked upon.The team also came up with a new method of moving the scaffolding up the building as

they added each new floor.Team members pictured from the left: G Balfour (Foreman Joiner), R Gray (Foreman Plumber), C Craig (Foreman Electrician), T Watson (Sub Agent), D McLeod, h Docherty and D Ramage (Foreman Joiners).

1966

John Laing’s Group Superintending Safety Officer J A Hayward was joint chairman at an international safety conference in Vienna. discussions included the long term effects on the drivers of heavy machines who were subjected to vibrations and heavy bumping. X-ray films from Germany of men whilst driving demonstrated the effects on drivers’ bodies. The conference said that better ‘springing’ was needed to combat the strain on their spines. The ‘constant stretching and contraction’ of internal organs was illustrated too and conference said that the men should not have ‘too heavy a meal’ or an empty stomach when driving a heavy type of machine on uneven ground. despite papers and figures having been sent in, the conference did not have enough evidence to discuss the cost of accidents to the industry. The main resolution was that ’difficulties in exercising the safety discipline’ and the need for safety training at all levels existed internationally and not just in Britain. Left: safety posters designed by EW halliday and Mh Lowen of the Public Relations Department.

ThE 400-year-old skeleton of a Franciscan monk was discovered by the team on a contract at English Street in Carlisle. The bones were revealed during demolition work in preparation for a new store. It is one of the oldest areas in the city and once the site of a Franciscan friary. The police were called, but once the age of the remains was established, the skeleton was handed over to the ‘Roman Catholic church’ and buried in consecrated ground.n Bones discovered by Holloways staff building a new car park near Edinburgh Castle turned out not have come from a dungeon - as first thought - but from a well. The authorities decided there was nothing suspicious about the find.

Main news


TeAM SPIRIT 25 YeARS AGo - 1991

LAING ChILTERN secured a prestigious £26.4 million project for the design and construction of a Tesco retail and leisure development at Kingston in Milton Keynes. An 80,000 sq ft Tesco superstore and gymnastic centre formed a key part of the scheme. There were also other retail units, a charity shop, table tennis centre, community buildings and a craft workshop.

OILFAB Group Ltd (OGL) was based in the European offshore oil and gas capital - Aberdeen - and 60% owned by the Laing Group. It had expanded considerably in the past 4-and-a-half years employing 400 people and with a turnover of £19m in 1990. They provided a variety of engineering services to the on and off-shore oil industries.

RESEARChER Sharon Fogarty from JL Cost Management played in the England netball team which took on world championsNew Zealand in a month’s test

series in April. She was picked for the full National squad after threeyears of trying out for the team.

A NEW Group-wide initiative reiterated the Company’s commitment to research and development (R&d). The main objectives were to:* Identify and exploit technical trends* Achieve competitive advantage* Reduce risk* Create new opportunities* Improve productivity and quality.

LAING Eastern Quantity Surveyor Peter Thompson and wife Lorraine were picked to appear on Paul daniels’ Every Second Counts. They were runners up in one of the highest scoring rounds of the series - narrowly missing out on £1,500 worth of prizes.

DESPITE being set up in 1949, a feature on the Photographic Services department claimed that people in the Company still did not

know of their existence. Pictured above from the left are: Charles dixon, Brian Cider, deidre Jones, Lynda Jones and david Rose.

ThE ten-year-old daughter of david Gilmour from Edinburgh submitted the following ‘salutary drawing’ showing that she understood the importance of wearing a hard hat on site...

LAING LONDON General Works won a £5million contract at Victoria Tower in the Palace of Westminster. The historical tower was being cleaned and the stonework repaired. The restoration work included renewal of gold leaf on the top of the flagpole. The project involved 68 miles of scaffold poles and 125,000 scaffold fixings. It was also anticipated that 12,000 books of gold leaf and 2,000 cubic feet of stone would be required. The team installed temporary air conditioning system to keep the documents at the correct temperature and humidity. Security checks for all staff were stringent due to the location.

CRANE driver Bert Bent was challenged by the TV series You Bet to lower a tea bag from a 290ft EPL tower crane into a teapot. If that did not sound difficult enough, he had a time limit of three minutes to complete the task. The action took place at Laing Management’s Vauxhall Cross site. The conditions were a bit windy - although the weather was generally fine. All those years of experience paid off as Bert lowered the tiny object into the pot first take in front of the camera. Bert and his banksman then spent two afternoons at Shepperton Studios filming for the programme itself. They had the star treatment according to Team Spirit - with their own dressing room. Pictured from left to right are Banksman John Kelly, You Bet presenter Matthew Kelly (centre) and Crane Driver Bert Bent.

A temporary roof is hoisted into position.

Main news


TeAM SPIRIT 25 YeARS AGo - 1991

Team spirit - 1991

HER Majesty the Queen pictured shaking hands with Group Chairman Martin Laing at the opening of Stansted Airport in March 1991.Queen Elizabeth also met winners of a children’s painting competition and walked along the new check-in desks chatting with staff.Entertainment was provided by an orchestra and Kings College Choir from Cambridge. Also, a Royal Navy Harrier flew in and stopped to make a respectful bow to the monarch.The Laing Management contract was expected to attract 8,000,000 passengers a year for the first three years.n LTG were heavily involved in developing the design

concept to provide as much open space as possible for passenger circulation. It relied upon structural steel work ‘trees’ supporting the roof structure. Another important part of the design was high quality and

aesthetically pleasing floor finish. Serviceability and freedom from maintenance were also key to the design. The terminal was heavily featured in TV ads to promote the opening of the new airport.

1991

ThE COMPANY had been busy transforming the Scottish city of Glasgow on both banks of the river Clyde.Laing Homes had already delivered the Waterfront development on the South Bank and Laing Management (Scotland) had just handed over the landmark Atlantic Quay development to the north. The project’s first phase was valued at £50 million and comprised three buildings. Building 1 at Broomielaw provided a new landmark next to the old established Clyde Port Authority. It provided 120,000sq ft of office space on five floors, together with an ornamental roof terrace.Building 2 provided a further 76,000 sq ft of floor area and Building 3 provided a further 80,000 sq ft of lettable floor area over six storeys.Phase II would offer over 1,000,000 sq ft of office, hotel, residential and retail space.

SCAMMeRS FeATURe


CAN you imagine putting your credit card in an envelope; handing it to a waiting taxi driver – and then paying the driver around £50 to take it away?

This is among the most common types of fraud being used currently. The target will receive a call from a person often claiming to be a policeman or woman who claims to have arrested people who had been using the target’s details to spend £2,000-£4,000. First they ask you to check that you still have the card.

Once they know the target has their card to hand they tell the ‘victim’ to immediately call their bank using the number on the back of the card.

The victims then think that they are in control of the situation. The victim will think they are making a new call, however, the conmen have not actually hung up and the line is still open. They have a gadget on their end of the line which recreates a dialling tone. The victim calls and believes they are talking to their bank – but they are in fact speaking to the con artists.

At this stage, the con artists will start gathering the information they will need to steal the target’s money. They may ask the person to type in the 1st and 3rd and then the 2nd and 4th numbers from their pin. Once the fraudsters have the info they need, they might then ask the target to cut their card in half – but not through the chip.

The target thinks they are dealing directly with their bank now, so when it is stressed how urgent the situation is and that an ‘express service’ taxi is being sent to pick up the bank or credit cards - it is quite believable. DC Egley pointed out that as part of the con – the victim is

asked to pay for the taxi which is helping to steal their card and empty their bank account - often around £50.

The fraudsters have a working card (they just stick it back together) and a working pin number. They empty accounts in small amounts so as not to attract the attention of the banks.

n Making the victim an undercover copis sometimes a technique employed - especially if a potential victim has realised a call might be part of a scam. The fraudsters ask the ‘target’ if they would like to help in an undercover operation to catch the ‘fraudsters’! They claim that they are after someone in the bank and that they need you to go in and withdraw a large amount of money, typically a few thousand pounds. They prime you with a story that you need the cash to buy a car for your daughter (or something) and to make sure that they put the money in an envelope. They say that they will be checking the fingerprints on the envelope and the notes. The poor victim hands their cash over to the scammers.n A variation is being asked to purchase an expensive watch or other high-value item to try and identify counterfeit goods. You are then told to hand the item to a taxi driver for transfer to the police.n The latest version of this type of fraud is to suggest that your account has been taken over and that you need to transfer all your funds to a ‘safe account’ which the caller sets up – with your help. It is a fund operated by the scammers who then steal the funds.

The police publish the Little Book of Big Scams. You can search online for a free digital copy.

ThE average age of people targeted by con artists is 72; and the scammers are finding ever more convincing ways of stealing money. PC Jim Egley from the Metropolitan police Operation Falcon is an expert on the latest scams which have increased in complexity in recent years. The scenarios that the con artists set up are carefully created to trap us. here is what to look out for.

COURIER FRAUD

VARIATIONS


SCAMMeRS FeATURe

ROMANTIC STINGS

Average spend on stolen credit card =£4,000.

Dating websites are big business and operate legitimately. However, individuals using them may try to scam you. Scammers lower your defence by building an online relationship. Both men and woman have lost huge amounts of money to online dating scammers.

KEY ADVICEn Always consider your personal safety if you arrange to meet through a dating websiten Be wary about giving out personal information on a website or chatroom.You can never know if the glamourous picture of the person you are interacting with is really them!n Scammers will ask you plenty of questions but never really tell you much about themselves that can be checked or verified.n Be wary of scammers steering you away from communicating on a legitimate website which might be monitored by staff. Their preference is to communicate directly by email, text and possibly telephone.n Scammers will target your emotions with a variety of scenarios aimed at getting you to part with your money – ie they have an ill relative or are stranded abroad.n Never send money abroad to a person you have never met or anyone you don’t actually know or trust.n Scammers will sometimes tell you to keep your online relationship secret. Never agree to this. It is a ploy to stop you telling family and friends who might see the scam for what it actually is.

AVOIDING COURIER FRAUDn Your bank and the police will never ring you and ask you to verify your PIN; withdraw cash or purchase high value goods. n Never share your PIN with anyone – the only times you should use your PIN is at a cash machine or when you use a shop’s Chip and PIN machine.n If you receive a call from your bank or the police – verify who the person is before handing over any personal details. Call ON A DIFFERENT LINE. You can use the number on the back of your bank card or call the police on 101. If no other phone is available, wait at least five minutes to ensure the line is clear.Never hand your bank card, or any goods you have purchased as a result of a phone call to anyone who comes to your front door.n The security information asked for by banks will vary (eg digits from your account number or password). They will NEVER ask you to authorise anything by entering a PIN into the telephone.

MASS MAIl FRAUDThis scam particularly targets the vulnerable or elderly as victims. Scammers send out millions of letters a year telling people that they have won – or have the chance of winning – a prize. There are many ‘legal’ mailings too. Mass mailings are such big business that the letters are often printed and put in envelopes abroad and shipped across in giant containers to be added to our mailing system. n Some people’s details find their way onto a so-called ‘sucker’s list’. These people find themselves inundated with mailings.

KEY ADVICEFollowing is a list of the key things to remember:n You cannot win money or a prize in any lottery if you have not entered it. You cannot be chosen at random if you do not have an entry. n Many mass market scams will trick you into parting with money or providing your bank/personal details in the belief

that YOU will win a cash prize. You DO NOT have to pay a fee to collect a legitimate prize. n It can only take a single response to a scammer to be inundated with further scam mail. Your name and address will be included on the ‘sucker’s list’.n A fake prize scam will tell you that you have won a prize or competition. You may receive this confirmation of this by post, email or text message. There will often be costs involved in claiming the prize - and even if you receive a prize, it may not be what was promised.


MInI FInAnCe UPDATe

n The basic state pension rose in April in line with average earnings of 2.9% as part of the triple lock arrangements. A full basic state pension went up £3.35 a week to £119.30 for a single person and by £5.35 a week to £190.80 for a couple (where a wife relies on her husband’s contribution record). n The state second pension, such as SERPS, S2P or Graduated Pension was frozen because it is linked to the Consumer Price Index; which in September 2015 was recorded at -0.1%. n Pension Credit for an individual increased in April by £4.40 to £155.60 a week. At the same time, by adjusting the Savings Credit threshold, the Pension Credit awards for those currently receiving Savings Credit is frozen where income is unchanged. n Savings Credit has been scrapped for new applicants after April 2016 and the introduction of the new State Pension.n In the Autumn Statement last year, the Chancellor announced that Pension Credit and Housing Benefit would be withdrawn from anyone who spends more than four continuous weeks out of the country. This was expected to save £80m over five years. However, the Budget documents reveal that its introduction was to be delayed by one month to May 2016.n The basic personal allowance for Income Tax rose in April 2016 to £11,000. The allowance for the over 75s had been stuck at £10,660 for a number of years.

The allowance is forecast to rise again to £11,500 in 2017/18.n In addition, the Married Couples Allowance for those couples (married or in a civil partnership) where one partner was born before 6 April 1935 will rise to £8355 and to £8591 in 2016 in line with the RPI.n The higher rate threshold for income tax rises from £43,000 in 2016-17 to £45,000 in 2017-18. The NICs Upper Earnings Limit will also increase to remain aligned with the higher rate threshold. This means anyone earning over £45,000 will only pay 2% on this part of their earnings rather than the basic rate of 12%.n Anyone who makes a Personal Independence Payments (PIP) claim after they have reached state pension age has to apply for Attendance Allowance. However, around 206,000 recipients of disability Living Allowance (which was the forerunner to PIP) turned 65 between April 2013 and the end of September 2015, and this group will now be pensioner recipients of PIP and will be affected by any funding decisions relating to the scheme. n The Budget announced additional spending on flood defence of over £700 million by 2020-21 by increasing the standard rate of Insurance Premium Tax by 0.5%.n War pension payments made to injured veterans will be exempt from the social care means test in England from April 2017.

New State Pension changes for 2016

Married Couple’s Allowance could reduce your tax bill by between £322 and £835.50 a year.You can claim Married Couple’s Allowance if all the following apply: n you are married or in a civil partnershipn you are living with your spouse or civil partnern one of you was born before 6 April 1935For marriages before 5 December 2005, the husband’s income is used to work out Married Couple’s Allowance. For marriage and civil partnerships after this date, it is the income of the highest earner.If you and your partner were born on or after 6 April 1935, you may be able to claim Marriage Allowance instead.You can check the details online at: www.gov.uk/married-couples-allowance/overview

Couples’ saving

Budget updates which may affect some in retirement

ThE new State Pension is a regular payment from the Government that you can claim if you reach State Pension Age (SPA) on or after April 6, 2016.

Readers born before April 6, 1953 (women) or April 6, 1951 (men) will be unaffected by the changes. Those of you in this position will continue to receive the current state pension set at £119.30 per week - but you may qualify for the additional state pension dependant upon circumstances.

The new full State Pension is £155.65 per week, provided they have paid at least 35 years - but might be more or less dependent upon individual circumstances.

You will need at least 10 full qualifying years on your national insurance record to get any state pension - although these do not need to be consecutive.

Contact: The Future Pension Centre Tel: 0345 3000 168 (inside UK) or +44 (0) 191 218 2051 (outside UK). Web: www.tax.service.gov.uk/checkmystatepension


ON June 5, 1996 The Prince of Wales officially inaugurated the Second

Severn Crossing - the UK’s biggest bridge project

of the last century. It is 5,134 metres long and

137 metres high. At low tide the mighty river

revealed sandstone and the odd mudflat. At high tide it can be covered by

up to 14 metres (46 ft) of fast-flowing water. This

presented the engineers with a unique set of

constraints; with work having to be scheduled at

low tide and completed with the short windows

allowed by the tides. These are facts which most people

know about, but here, various people who worked

on the project have been in touch to give us a behind the scenes view of how this

amazing project became a reality. The unforeseen

risks; travelling the world to find the right equipment

and the boat carrying the project team - which ran

aground!

The magnificent Severn Crossing

SeConD SeVeRn CRoSSInG - 20 YeARS

Bridge builders’ storiesMike hooper“In 1988 John Armitt decided to seek permission to form a joint venture and win the most exciting bridge project of the latter part of the 20th century. He had made up his mind ‘Laing was going to win the Project’.

“This was no ordinary project as it was to be design, Build, Finance and Operate (dBFO) a new concept for the UK at that time. Our team would need financial advisers, lawyers, concessionaire specialists, designers, traffic engineers, architects, environmentalists, operators, engineers, marine specialists, estimators, planners and commercial specialists.

“Our relationship with GTM stretched back to the days of offshore rig building in the 1970s and they were the ideal partners bringing large span bridge building and concession expertise.

“Among many stories to tell was our first trip into the Severn Estuary with our French partners which saw the boat

running aground on an outgoing tide. My counterpart from GTM went into panic mode with images of us being rescued by helicopter. Needless to say we made landfall safely.

“On the last night of the bid as we were putting the final documentation together, “Big John” came to the office with pizzas and other goodies. He then proceeded to ‘help’ us by punching holes in the wrong side of the printed documentation! He was sent home quickly.

“The bid negotiation was fascinating - the same teams dealing with construction and concession issues; something that was kept very separate on later privately financed projects.

“Ron Weeks, Chairman of Percy Thomas Partnership, was our project architect and the department of Transport loved his green cable wrapping, though I am not too sure the construction team were so enthusiastic. Ron came up with the whole architectural concept during the early hours of one morning. We presented our ideas to a Royal Fine Art Commission. Lord Fawsley, who led the panel, made it very clear as soon as we arrived that he didn’t want to hear engineering waffle, “bring on the architect”, he exclaimed! They concluded that our design was more akin to furniture design than a major bridge. We assumed they meant Chippendale rather than IKEA.

“Another time, accompanied by our environmental specialist, dr Bob Bell, I attended a meeting with the department of Transport where the two of us were to be grilled by over 30 environmentalists. There was nowhere for us to sit or space for more chairs when we arrived at the meeting room. We survived a two-hour

Pictured right: The project revolved around building as much of the bridge outside the river as possible.1) The biggest precast units were the main caissons which formed the base of each pier and pylon. Weighing up to 2,000 tonnes each, they were transported on crawler units to a special barge.2) When the piers were in place, the viaduct spans were erected using a specially made gantry, which acted as a temporary bridge and lifting crane.3) Specially designed cranes were key to the construction process.4) On November 12, 1995 the finalpiece was liftedinto place makingthe link complete.

Cable stays support half of the main bridge deck during construction

1 2



SeConD SeVeRn CRoSSInG - 20 YeARS

bombardment of questions ranging from visual impact to effects on spawning fish. Surprising what civil engineers can talk about knowledgeably.

“The whole contract had to pass through both Houses of Parliament and I was spending two or three days each week either with the department’s QC or sitting in front of the Select Committee, led by the formidable Gwyneth dunwoody, ready to take any questions.

“Royal assent was given in February 1992. I continued as Project director handing over to Norman Haste when the operations moved to Bristol.“

Sir John Armitt“A project of which I am especially proud. For an engineer there is nothing to beat a big bridge. When talking about it, which I often do, I recall the following particular aspects:

“I deliberately chose GTM of France as our JV partner because I felt we had to have the lowest possible capital cost and believed the French approach to design and construction was what we needed.

“The Department of Transport however insisted on us having a British designer involved, so we brought GTM and Halcrow together. When the bid was won, we then suggested to the joint design team that we would incentivise them with extra payments if they could keep the material content of the bridge below budget.

“The French thought it a good idea, Halcrow thought their professional culture was being insulted. They signed up and made more money!

“We took Clause 12 risk, (unforeseen ground conditions) and put £5m in the bid to cover. Before we had really got going on the bridge, we discovered that the area where the toll plaza was to be built was 3-metre deep peat! Bang went the £5m. Fortunately the ground conditions under the bridge were OK.

“Under the contract we had to buy the original bridge and then recover the cost through the tolls as well as recover the cost of the new bridge. Because the Government had kept the tolls down for many years, we had to immediately put them up which did not make us popular. For me it was a lesson that keeping down charges and not allowing them to at least rise in line with inflation is a mistake.

“From a construction perspective the really important decision was to minimise the river activity and to precast as much of the structure - including the foundation caissons - as possible.”

Norman Haste“Sourcing plant for such a specialised project was a key part of the project’s success. The main workhorse for the marine works was the jack-up barge - the Lisa A - which we found in Japan. Lisa A had to be strengthened to take the big Lampson Cranes and also to take the loads from the largest caisson foundations. We took the Lisa A for strengthening work into Appledore, a small shipyard, in Devon and assembled the cranes on the barge at Royal Portbury Dock, Avonmouth.

Cont’d next page

Neil KitchenerSenior and then Chief Engineer confirmed that the project required some very ‘high end’ and ‘ground-breaking’ engineering. However, it also required a lot of good old fashioned construction techniques. GPS was used for locating the caissons and sophisticated computer controlled navigation systems for the marine craft. He said: “During the construction phase, we had to fill the precast caissons with concrete once they had been placed on the riverbed. The majority was placed using the jack-up barges. However, smaller quantities were placed using truck mixers and pumps running down the causeway at low tide, retreating when the tide returned.

“It remains an amazing project and I learned so much there.”

n More details at the website: www.severnbridge.co.ukn Norman Haste said there is an amazing film about the building of the project on youtube. Just type Second Severn Crossing into the search box to find it.

told in their own words

3 4


Main newsSeConD SeVeRn CRoSSInG - 20 YeARS

Fortuitously, the lock was the widest in the country and just down the estuary from the construction site. We could get the Lisa into the Dock through the tidal lock with just 300mm to spare on each side.

“The off shore works was planned and designed around the use of jack up barges which were not readily available in the UK so we looked far and wide. We found a six-leg jack-up barge on the Mississippi of sufficient size to be able to create two 4-leg jack up barges - providing we could find another two jacks of the same type which used compressed air rams rather than hydraulic. We also needed at least one spare jack as well. A ship broker in the US said that there may be some of the jacks we needed in a scrap Yard somewhere in San Francisco.

“Myself, and Derek Welsh the former MD of EPL, spent three days looking among overgrown scrap yards and eventually found what we were looking for in Oakland. This enabled us to complete the purchase of the six-leg barge and have the conversion to two, four legged jack ups carried out near New Orleans. These barges accommodated our off-shore batching plant and concreting materials supply equipment.

“We were breaking new ground in terms of the design of the construction plant but had two years to get it right whilst, at the same time, designing the bridge.”

Vivienne herbert “I have fond memories of my time as secretary for the Engineering and Temporary Works department. I was among the secretaries working on the bid proper and I remember John Armitt called us all in to work over Easter to get the prequalification bid finished.

“It was huge - seven volumes which had to be produced in triplicate. It took up the whole office - and then one of the photocopiers went on the blink. But we got the job done.

“The work was fascinating as temporary works were breaking new ground. The French sent us the

designs, but no instructions on how to build the bridge. The solutions the team found and the challenges they overcame were amazing. I also remember that everyone in the office was really worried whether the Lisa A would arrive in time.

“The best thing was being given a pass to go and see one of the caissons being moved into position at the project that we had been working on from Mill Hill.”

Philip Harris“In July 1992 I transferred to the Second Severn Crossing Avon Lab under Les Kotrys and was responsible for compliance testing of hardened concrete on the Avon side. “We used the Sadgrove Maturity

system to ascertain optimum stripping and lifting times for the Viaduct Units. I spent many happy hours up on the launching gantry sampling the segmental bridge adhesive and watching the foreman Tom McCarthy and his team placing the viaduct units.”

The project company Severn River Crossing PlC is still owned by the original shareholders including John laing and is now overseen by UK Asset Director, Andy Pearson (pictured above).He said: “Twenty years on, this iconic project still features in John laing’s reference list when we are bidding for projects around the world.“The challenges SRC staff face today are very different to those faced by contractors in the 1990s as our main priority now is to prepare the bridges for handover to the Department for Transport at the end of 2017.“It will be the end of an almost 30-year involvement for John laing with Severn River Crossing.”

Thanks to Ron Woolveridge for pictures

of: the gantry erection at Avon (top left); a shot

from inside of the bridge and the caisson casting

yard (right). Below, Philip harris sent this scenic

progress shot among others. There is not room

for all the pictures, but the Laingpastandpresent

website will feature others in a special gallery.

And what of the future?

Main newsPHoTo CoMPeTITIon 2016


Largest judging panel snaps to itThIS year we had the biggest input ever in terms of judging. The panel included John Laing staff with an interest in photography and at least one photographic club.

Congratulations to debbie Boobier for her winning picture (right) which received the most votes from the panel. She receives a £50 token and her picture will be featured on the front cover of the next issue of this magazine.

The three pictures which received the next highest amount of votes are also featured on this page.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter and help with the judging. Start digging out your old snaps, or planning new ones for next year!

Above: Reflections on Contrasting Lifestyles - by John Clark. Taken at Apsley Marina, Hemel Hempstead.

Below: Kings Cross Platform one - by Brian wiltshire

WINNER: Light Trails on the Clifton Suspension Bridge - by Debbie Boobier

Below: Tulum Mexico - by dave Markall


PHoTo CoMPeTITIon 2016

Next stop New York (July 1965) by John Gandy when a final year pupil sent to help out in the Southampton office right by the docks.

Surprise Snap - by Cliff Holmes

Long Shadows of Autumn - by Jane Barnes

Above: Spring in Norfolk - by Marion WheelanBelow: The Kelpies at Helix Park Falkirk - by Andy Allan

Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai - by Christine Allen


PHoTo CoMPeTITIon 2016

Above: Inside Guilin Caves in China - by Vic Allen.

Below: Burke Lake northern Virginia - By David Barnes

Left: Mee-oow!!! - by Audrey Hamer. Two-day-old abandoned kittens which her daughter has nurtured back to health. The smallest weighed less than 4oz.

Right: Keukkenhof

Statue - by Phil Rendle.

Above: Secretive American Bittern Eating a Crayfish - by Mike Hooper.

Below: Poppy Close-up - by Roy woodham


ReADeRS’ newS

Laing trucks’ global appealThe article about Laing toy trucks prompted quite a response.

One reader found a news clip on Youtube from 2010 about a Laing truck which sold for £10,200.

At the time the toy - which dated back to 1954 - was thought to be the most expensive toy truck in the world and is pictured above.

The owner had treasured the vehicle, which was a prototype and probably the only one of its kind in existence.

The news article explained that the owner wanted to bring the truck back to its home. However, there were suspicions that it was bought by someone in Germany.n Former Mill Hill staffer Anita Madhoo (pictured) was delighted when a toy Laing truck was brought in to the recycling shop where she works - in Australia.Just goes to show how they were popular on the other side of the world before the Company was doing any significant business there.n However, it seems that the toys had international appeal 50 years ago too. The following letter cropped up in Team Spirit:“The Laing sign gets everywhere. In a letter to J. Peacock from his daughter in Santa Maria, California, she says: ‘On Saturday we went into a shop and Jack spied some matchbox toys. What do you think was inside? A Laing lorry and trailer with a bulldozer loaded on it with LAING written all over it, in yellow, just as in real life.‘Karen (J. Peacock’s granddaughter) was all for buying the truck but I said there would be plenty at home. She is going to take you to see the shop when you come over here.

From Team Spirit - March 1966

JOHN Farrow is a man with a mission, to reunite an old plaque with Caldew House.

Prior to the 1980s John heard from Sir Maurice Laing, that Caldew House might be sold. He discussed the matter with John Renshaw and it was decided that the house should be refurbished and leased out to the Salvation Army, for use as a respite centre for their workers.

Caldew house gets car park for the first time

In 2010 this was the most expensive toy truck in the world

A NEW parking area opposite Caldew house will make it even more comfortable for the carers enjoying a well-earned rest there. Previously, those staying at the house had to park in a small layby. The land (pictured above) was leased by local landowners Mal and Sheila hilton. Caldew house is now being leased by Gateshead Carer’s Association which offers support thousands of unpaid carers from the Newcastle area (www.gatesheadcarers.com)

A special bit of Laing history is preserved

during a visit, John said: “I spotted a long, wooden plaque which was ready to be thrown out with other rubbish. I rescued the plaque and found it had been fixed to a wall in the house and it had a motto carved into it, which read “Incepta Persequor” which translates as “I persevere in what I undertake”.

“I was intrigued by this, as it seemed to tie in beautifully with the approach the Laing family and the Company had adopted over the years.,” said John.

It had been on the wall of his study for many years, but now he has been in contact with the new tenants at Caldew House to see if this could be returned to its rightful home.

He added: “It is a piece of Laing history which should not be forgotten.”


ReADeRS’ newS

Readers’ royal invitations to reward volunteer dedicationJOhN Laing retirees are no strangers to volunteering for good causes or hard work.

Recently, two readers have been honoured with royal invitations to mark their incredible efforts for others.

Les Hillman and wife deanne have been invited to attend The Royal Garden Party for his work with the Boys Brigade, whilst Eileen Manning joined her charity’s patron Prince Phillip at St James Palace having won the West Midlands Volunteer of the Year Award in British Heart Foundation shops.

Eileen (pictured above left) said: “It was 27 years ago when the shop in Stourbridge opened. I volunteered because I had seen firsthand the work that the charity did.

“It was a lovely to attend an event at St James’ Palace, and we stayed in a nearby hotel.

Les (above receiving a volunteering award from Surrey County Council) started in the Life Boys (junior section of the Boys Brigade) aged 8. He is still with them over 60 years later, devoting his time and experience to helping others.

He said: “I have a firm belief that the Lord wanted me to influence the lives of others, especially children and young people, and I have been led to do this through the work of the Boys Brigade.”

Les will be in uniform for the Buckingham Palace event and the Boys Brigade remains among the biggest Christian youth organisations in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Thank you to Roy Taylor for this shot from 1990 of the team down in Bournemouth.They were working on the Abbey Life building there. Let us know if you have any fond memories or stories from the contract.

Abbey Life team 1990

Anne sees a new stadiumThe new chairman of the Newcastle Retirement Club (LNER) was delighted to tell her family in Australia that she had worked for the company involved with delivering the magnificent Perth Stadium.Mrs Foster pointed this out as they drove past the giant construction project. She was staying with her sister out there to attend a familiy wedding.

Phil’s handy travel tipREADER Phil Rendle wrote in to remind readers to shop around for the best travel insurance quotes, having saved himself £900 after a feature in this magazine.he was also in attendance at the Architects and Engineers Reunion (page 5). The occasion also marked the 25th anniversary of his retirement from John Laing.


Main newsReTIReMenT CLUBS

Club eventsCUMBRIAMonthly meetings at Wigton Road Methodist Hall in Carlisle CA2 7ES.

June 8President’s day Summer Outing at Leeming House, Ullswater CA11 0 JJ.

July 6dennis Cockburn talks about how his chocolate-making hobby has turned into a business. Based in Langholm, dennis started creating chocolates as a hobby in 2006. By January 2010 there was so much interest in his handmade wares that he launched Abbotts Chocolates. They have opened a new shop and supply a number of restaurants, bistros and delicatessens.

August 3Pub lunch. Full details to be arranged, but will be a popular hostelry.

ELSTREEWeekly meetings St Michael and All Angels Church Hall, Tuesday 2.30pm.May 24President’s day Summer Outing at The Bedford Arms Hotel, Chenies Wd3 6EQ.

June 7In The Mood Concert at Wicksteed Park near Kettering. Features The Bombshell Belles and The American Patrol Swing Band and is a glamorous salute to The Andrews Sisters, Glenn Miller, The Beverley Sisters and The Chordettes. Songs including In The Mood and Pennsylvania 6-5000. There will be an afternoon tea as part of the daytime event.

July 12Trip to the seaside at Broadstairs in Kent. Coach trip and lunch by the sea.

September 14Visit to Savill Gardens and a River Cruise.

LNERJune 6President’s day Summer Outing at Linden Hall, Morpeth NE65 8XF.

NORTh WESTJune 9President’s day Summer Outing at Nunsmere Hall, Cheshire CW8 2ES.

REALMonthly meetings at Allum Hall, Borehamwood.

May 25President’s day Summer Outing at The Crowne Plaza, Gerrards Cross HP9 2XE.June 15Coach trip to Cambridge. Shopping and tourist attractions in this historic city.

July 6Expert talks about Cybercrime.

August 3Ex Tiller Girl Sheila Parker continues her fascinating story.

September 7Former BBC weather Girl Helen Rees talks about her varied career from being the youngest member of the BBC Weather Centre team to other TV roles and activities.

REALMJune 10President’s day Summer Outing at Wroxall Abbey, Warwickshire CV35 7NB.

July 13Guided walk with pub lunch. details to follow.

September 21Winterbourne House and Garden, guided tour and lunch. Can do as little or as much as is comfortable.

SALTIREMonthly meetings at St. Stephen’s Church, Glasgow.June 7President’s day Summer Outing at Crutherland House G75 0QZ.

SOLAREMay 26President’s day Summer Outing at Ockenden Manor, Cuckfield RH17 5Ld.

July 6Club summer outing. Further details tbc.

SOUTh WESTMay 23President’s day Summer Outing, the Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel BA2 6NS.June 16Skittles at Fry’s Club, Keynsham BS31 2FW.

July 21Skittles - details to come.

IN the mood concert at Wicksteed Park

June 6 LNER

June 7 Saltire

June 8 Carlisle June 10

RealmJune 9 N West

May 23 S West

May 24 Elstree

May 25 REAL

May 26 Solare

President’s Days summary

Main news


ReTIReMenT CLUBS

ContactsCUMBRIAAlan Crowthert: 01228-528887 e: [email protected]

ELSTREEShirley Napiert: 020 8207 5110 e: [email protected]

LNER (North East)John Crosbyt: 0191 262 4978 e: [email protected]

NORTH WESTdave Markallt: 07787 744392 e: [email protected]

REAL (Nth London)derek Pollardt: 020 8374 6997e: [email protected]

REALM (Midlands) Roy Gillt: 0121 711 1802 e: [email protected]

SALTIRE (SCOTLANd) Andy Waringt: 01698 427504 e: [email protected]

SOLARE (SW LONdON)Bill Blamiret: 01737 553174 (Email c/o Chairman Les Hillman) e: [email protected]

SOUTH WEST Geoff Luckettt: 01934 843077 e: [email protected]

CLUB

CON

TACTS

Welfare: Mrs Heather CunninghamT: 020 8959 9863 / M:07920 020024Clubs & REN: Mr Alex FinkenrathT- 01234 313055 / M: 07921 831780Charity: Mrs Teresa PetticanT - 020 7901 3231JLCT Office: 33 Bunns Lane, Mill Hill, London, NW7 2dX.

Club committees exchanging ideasALL SORTS of new ideas crop up when committee members from clubs around the country get together every two years.

There were two events for club committee members. Northern clubs met in Carlisle whilst the southern clubs met at the John Laing Headquarters at Kingsway in London.

One new suggestion this year was the possibility of organising an event which might be attended by club members from all over the country.

Gordon Topham, a North West Club committee member, has suggested that many John Laing retirees have friends and former colleagues all over the place.

Not only have they worked at various locations, but they have also retired to different locations. Committee members have agreed to discuss the possibilities with their own clubs.

Another key point of discussion was confirming who within the JLCT deals with what.

Alex Finkenrath will now be the main liaison between the John Laing Charitable Trust (JLCT) and the retirement clubs.

He already works closely with the clubs through his work on the Retired Employees’ Newsletter (REN) and organising the President’s day

Summer lunches, so it is really business as usual.

Welfare will continue to be dealt with by Welfare Support Manager Heather Cunningham and her team.

JLCT matching charitable donations from clubs will continue to be dealt with by Teresa Pettican at Mill Hill.

Trust director, Jenny Impey also announced that the Trust has extended the Make a difference and Matching schemes to committee members for charitable causes personally supported by them.

This is a thank you from the Trustees for those giving up their valuable time and directing their efforts to keep the retirement clubs going. Committee members discussed issues including:n attracting new membersn organising trips which suited all membersn keeping track of safety

There appears to have been an increase in the numbers of friends and relatives attending some of the wonderful events organised by the clubs. This often enables clubs to secure discounts for block bookings - especially with shows and excursions. One suggestion was that REN expanded coverage and we will now devote a whole page to this.

JLCT Contacts

Club REAL’s recent English

cheese and wine event shows

how clubs try to keep members

entertained


Main news

Eddie & Edna OrmshawDiamond WeddingApril 2, 2016

Eddie and Edna met at a local dance hall and soon began seeing each other regularly.

Although Eddie had to go and do his National Service, they stayed in touch and have now been together for 60 years.

Eddie began in Laing North West as a Joiner in 1984 on Weeton Army Camp. There

followed many contracts - the height of which was Minshull Street Crown Court.

His final contract was the Preston Mormon Temple at Chorley.

They have two children and five grandchildren and had a quiet celebration at their home.

MAJoR BIRTHDAYS AnD AnnIVeRSARIeS

Diamond - 60

Golden - 50

February 29 Tony & Mary Branigan

March 31Derek & Christina Palmer

April 3 John & Catherine Coady

February 5 Keith & Audrey Blow

February 26 Charles & Maureen Cannon

March 12 Wilf & Norma hannon

March 19 Ray & Avril Gillard

Keith & Vera Warwick

Brian & Barbara Peacock

March 24Ken & Jasmine Reade

March 26 Roy & Wendy Jagger

March 28 Bob & helen heaton

March 31 Tony & June Fitzgibbon

They grew up in same streetBobby and Maureen PeatDiamond WeddingMarch 24, 2016

Bobby and Maureen lived in the same road and knew each other before they went into the world of work.

They lost touch as Maureen went into nursing and Bobby joined John Laing and Sons - not meeting up again until some years later.

Bobby spent nearly 44 years with the Company, starting out as a driver, back in the days before power steering and heaters.

However, Bobby ‘thoroughly enjoyed it’ getting to drive one of the brand new Landrovers, only a

year after the first one was built. He drove all kinds of vehicles including the new four-wheel drive Bedford trucks at Barrow in Furness.

He moved into the depot and became foreman and then Transport Manager before going on to be a Welfare Officer.

He enjoyed all aspects of his career, but sometimes wished he’d become a Welfare Officer earlier.

The couple celebrated with special family meal.

Diamond duo met at dance

Blue Sapphire- 65

Anniversaries

March 17 Ken & Margaret hughes

March 24 Eddie & Barbara Brown

Platinum - 70March 15

Bill and Faye Malcolm

Barry and Jean Ingate - Golden - April 9, 2016

ThEY met at their local church youth group in 1955, but started seriously going out about five years later.

Barry joined John Laing Construction in 1968 before moving to International and then overseas to Spain and Saudi Arabia returning to the UK in 1976 after which he spent a number of years with JLI at Mill Hill.

Barry then transferred to Group Finance for the remainder of his time, retiring in 2002.

Golden times galore

Main news


MAJoR BIRTHDAYS AnD AnnIVeRSARIeS

Roger and Gillian StrideGolden Anniversary March 26, 2016

Roger and Gillian met on a blind date in 1963 and married in Watford in 1966.

Gillian was a music teacher and Roger joined the Company in 1964 - retiring in 1992, but continuing to work on a contract basis.

Among the memorable Laing contracts were Kingsnorth Power Station (Production Controller); Western Avenue (Production Controller. General Foreman); Southampton docks new container terminal (General Foreman) and Grain Power Station where he ended up as Project Manager.

Having moved around the couple have now settled in Surrey. They have two daughters and three grandchildren and celebrated their anniversary with family.

They also enjoy table tennis, short tennis and recently took up playing boules.

READERS’BIRThDAYS

Colin and Elaine DawsonGolden WeddingApril 16, 2016

The couple first met on a weekend in Blackpool in September 1965.

Elaine and her friend had gone on the coach, but managed to catch a lift home with Colin who had a car.

They have a son and a daughter and four grandchildren.

To mark their anniversary the couple headed out to Vegas with their

granddaughter and her boyfriend.

John worked at John Laing for 37 years. Among the projects he worked on were the Chetham School of Music and for the last five years he worked on the North West Police Stations as a project manager. They enjoy caravanning and going abroad during the winter months.

Couple turn to sporting pursuits

Going for Gold in Las Vegas

February 11Julian Jeszka

February 12Leslie horton

March 6Edna Jury

March 17 Frank

Samuel

March 19 Aileen Penrice

April 3Peter Griggs

April 20Alan Kirkwood

April 22Christopher

Wilshere

90th

Paul and Margaret MyallGolden Anniversary April 2, 2016

The couple first met at the Surrey hills hotel near Dorking on a joint holloway/John Laing car rally.

Paul was working as a Quantity Surveyor first with Holloway Bros. then Holloway White Allum, Laing Contruction and Laing Homes.

In all he served 37 years with these companies. His most prestigious contract was the Fairfield Halls in Croydon.

Marg worked for John Beavis on the Laing development in Hendon Central.

Their joint passion has been caravanning, which they have done for over 30 years.

They have a daughter, son-in-law and three delightful young grandchildren who keep them on their toes!

They moved to Cumbria over 20 years ago - not far from Laing’s first house at Serbergham.

Closing date for information of birthdays and anniversaries between now

and September is July 30. Let us know by email,

post or telephone – contact

information on the inside front

cover of this magazine.

Company car rally led to love


Main news

Does water company owe you money?

newS FoR THe THIRD AGe

New mortgage for the retiredThERE is now a new home loan you can have until you are 95. The 55+ Mortgage is exclusively for over-55s and is being described as “a flexible way to borrow money in later life”. This isn’t an equity release deal – it’s a standard mortgage where you pay the interest on the loan each month and retain 100% ownership of your property. Until now, most lenders have had a cut-off age of 70 or 75.

WhEN water runs from a property into a public drain – and it is processed to be put back into the mains system – we’re charged for it.

However, if water isn’t running from your home into the drains then you might be due a rebate.

This includes water that flows through gutters or that runs into the road and ends up in a company-owned sewer according to water regulator Ofwat.

A spokesman said: “If rainwater drains from your property into a public sewer, you will be charged for surface water drainage through your sewerage bill,”The surface water drainage charge is levied in one of three ways:n a fee in the standing chargen a charge based on the rateable value of your propertyn through a charge related to the type of property you live in

If water goes somewhere that’s not a public drain, then you may be owed money back.

“If rainwater does not drain from

your property into a public sewer, because you have a soakaway or similar, you may be entitled to a surface water drainage rebate,” the regulator added.

If you don’t think there’s any water going from where you live to a public drain, then you need to apply for a rebate.

The first step is to contact your company which should explain the sort of evidence that it needs for you to get your rebate. However, don’t be surprised if they are unaware of the details.

If you do qualify for a rebate, you shouldn’t be charged for surface water drainage in future bills and some of the amount you’ve paid previously will be refunded.

The rebate can be back-dated for six years – meaning cheaper water now and up to £240 back from your supplier.For more details you can contact:n The Consumer Council For Water. http://ccwater.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/572

An unsolicited call solution?A PARTIAL solution to unsolicited calls has been provided by a free call-blocking company: Truecall38. Your details are shared if you fill in a form online - often after purchasing goods. Sometimes you are unable to carry on with the purchase until you have filled in a telephone number. If you enter 0333 88 88 88 88 this diverts the caller to Truecall38, where an automated message says: “Truecall38 is handling my calls. I prefer not to be contacted by phone so please contact me via my email address.”

BRITISh Vogue magazine featured 100-year-old model Bo Gilbert in its May issue. The centenarian - who appears in a harvey Nichols campaign - told the magazine that she dresses for herself and not for the boys.

Model citizenCharity lends out audio books for freeCALIBRE is a charity which provides audio books for people with poor sight or any other disability that prevents the reading of print.It has the largest lending collection of audio books in the UK that can be played without special playback equipment.Books come in whichever format is most convenient.There is a one-off joining fee of

£35 (for adults) which opens the door to thousands of books.Postage is free and there are no fines for late or lost books.You can get a family member to enrol you, or contact the charity by telephone (01296 432339).; by post Calibre Audio Library, Aylesbury, Bucks hP22 5XQ or by email: [email protected] website, for further details is: www.calibre. org.uk.

Main news


In MeMoRIAM

Tony Blackwell, formerly Regional Payroll Controller, Laing Northern, died 17 February. He was 90 and retired in 1988 after 39 years’ service.

Stan Brown, formerly Mechanical Improver, EPL, died 31 March. He was 86 and retired in 1993 after 42 years’ service.

Reg Clarke, formerly design Manager, Laing Homes, died 19 April. He was 93 and retired in 1983 after 8 years’ service.

John Gibbons, formerly Customer Account Manager, EPL, died 22 April. He was 76 and retired in 1999 after 11 years’ service.

Dorrie Gordon, formerly Senior Secretary, Laing Scotland, died 26 March. She was 86 and retired in 1989 after 15 years’ service.

Patrick Keyes, formerly Plant Mechanic, EPL, died 8 March. He was 84 and retired in1989 after 32 years’ service.

Jim Leach, formerly director, Laing Property Services, died 25 January. He was 96 and retired in 1982 after 13 years’ service.

John Lohan, formerly Project Leader, Civil Engineering, died 16 April. He was 71 and retired in 2001 after 37 years’ service.

Liam Meskell, formerly Scaffolder, JLC Midlands, died 8 March. He was 87 and retired in 1985 after 13 years’ service.

Laszio Matusz, formerly design Engineer, John Laing design Associates, died 14 March. He was 93 and retired in 1983 after 26 years’ service.

Pat McGloin, formerly General Operative, Laing Northern, died 8 March. He was 79 and retired in 2001 after 25 years’ service.

Willie Oliver, formerly Foreman Joiner, Laing Northern, died 7 March. He was 78 and retired 2000 after 27 years’ service.

Danny O’Neill, formerly Site Manager, JLC SW Region, died 13 March. He was 85 and retired in 1992 after 39 years’ service.

Ray Richie, formerly Quantity Surveyor, Midlands Region, died 16 March. He was 89 and retired in 1990 after 47 years’ service.

David Rouse, formerly Senior Estimator, JLC Midlands, died 26 February. He was 82 and retired in 1993 after 41 years’ service.

Jimmy Valancius, formerly Ganger, Yorkshire Region, died 8 April. He was 94 and retired in 1986 after 19 years’ service.

Peter Webster, formerly Foreman Fitter, EPL, died 10 March. He was 78 and retired in 1997 after 44 years’ service.

Graham West, formerly Project Manager JLC, died 28 February. He was 89 and retired in 1979 after 21 years’ service.

Dorothea Wray, formerly Technical Clerk, Civil Engineering, died 4 March. She was 84 and retired in 1988 after 20 years’ service.

In Memoriam

In M

emor

iam

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