SPRING 2012

Laing’s proud historyFarewell to anotherJespersen estate

Exclusive interviewSir John Armitt recalls hismany years with Laing.

Retired Employees’ NewsProduced on behalf of the John Laing Charitable Trust

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DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE: APRIL 30, 2012

My jokes go down like sack of potatoesIt was a pleasant surprise toreceive feedback on the joke in thelast issue of this magazine, even ifthe majority of those who spoke tome about it said it was too long.A couple of readers told me it

was so long that by the time theyhad reached the end, they had for-gotten the beginning! However,another retiree told me that hiswife had laughed out loud on final-ly reaching the punchline.It just goes to show that it is not

an exact science, unlike manyaspects of construction. This is aspecial year for major anniver-saries. Not only will we all enjoy anextra Bank Holiday in celebrationof the 60-year reign of Her Majestythe Queen, but 2012 also marksthe Golden anniversary of CoventryCathedral’s consecration.So many Laing retirees spent

some time on this amazing projectand it is a lasting tribute to theirskill, talents and work ethic. Thereis a special feature on page 12.It also brought out the best in

people completely unconnectedwith the Company or the countryfor that matter in terms of specialgifts towards the project, such asthe boulder from Bethlehem andspecial floor tiles from Swedenamong a great many other contri-butions.One of the many unsung heroes of

the project was Adam Stocks. Whilearchitect Basil Spence and Sir JohnLaing deservedly received knight-hoods for the great achievement,Stocks’ contribution was enshrinedin the feat itself, which his solidbuilding knowledge made possible.You may be interested in another

Laing old boy whose unquestion-able engineering knowledge hasseen him rise to the very top of theindustry. Sir John Armitt kindlygave us an exclusive interview onpage 6. And – finally – we havemanaged to collate as many namesas possible from the Laing pupilsclass of 1955 (page 13).Anyway, in place of this issue’s

joke, I am including some useful

fitness advice provided by MikeLeMonnier, editor of the Solareretirees’ magazine. He writes:Exercise for the over 50s: Begin

by standing on a comfortable sur-face where you have plenty ofroom at each side.With a 5lb potato bag in each

hand, extend your arms straightout from your sides and hold themthere as long as you can. Try toreach a full minute, and then relax.Each day you’ll find you can hold

this position for just a bit longer.After a couple of weeks move upto 10lb potato bags.Then try 50lb potato bags and

eventually try to get where you canlift a 100lb bag in each hand hold-ing your arms out for a full minute.After you feel confident at this

level – put a potato in each bag!PS: Beware trying to order ticketsfor Elvis impersonators over thetelephone. I had a nightmare. I hadto press 1 for the money, 2 for theshow... Well, at least it’s short!

Alex Finkenrath

Main news 3Round up of top stories from the Company

Company news 4-5Major Oldham contract and JLIF latest

General news 6-7Exclusive interview with Sir John Armitt and other news

Team Spirit Past 8-11Snippets of news from 25 and 50 years ago

Golden Jubilee 12Coventry Cathedral celebrates 50 years

General news 13Naming that class of 55 and a family connection

Festive luncheon report 14-15Meet the new retirement club members

Classic project 16Looking back at the Oresund project

Readers’ section 17-18News and correspondence

Club news 19Events and summer outings news from clubs

Your anniversaries 20-21Two pages of special anniversaries

Welfare News 22New team members and are you due a refund?

In memoriam 23

Please address newsstories/queries to:Pensioner Publishing5 Harpenden CloseBedfordBeds, MK41 9RG

Tel: 01234 313055Mob: 07774 259542www.retirementmedia.comEmail:info@retirementmedia.com

Please address othercorrespondence to:John Laing Welfare Dept33 Bunns LaneLondon NW7 2DXTel: 020 8959 9013

Printed by: Annodata PrintServices, Dunstable

CONTENTS

COVER: Do you recognise thisestate? See feature on page 17.

PensionerPublishing

The Regenter Excellent Homesfor Life consortium comprisingRegenter, Wates Living Space andPinnacle PSG has achieved finan-cial close on Kirklees Council’sHousing PFI project.The project includes the new

build of 140 homes for olderpeople within three extra carehousing schemes offering careand support, 291 one and twobedroom homes for small house-holds, and 35 homes specificallydesigned for wheelchair users.The new homes will be built on27 sites across Kirklees.Jim Saunders, Managing

Director of Regenter said: “Weare delighted that RegenterExcellent Homes for Life hasachieved Financial Close withKirklees Council on this veryexciting regeneration project.The delivery of much neededhigh quality homes, as well asbrand new extra care facilities,

will help to meet diverse localneeds and improve the lives ofpeople across Kirklees.”Wates Living Space will deliver

the homes over a 27-month con-struction programme with workon the first 12 sites startingimmediately. Other sites will fol-low in phases over the next twoand a half years. Services willramp up with the handover ofeach site and will continue for 20years after the last site is com-pleted. All services will be deliv-ered by Pinnacle PSG and willinclude housing and tenancymanagement, cleaning, groundsand waste management,helpdesk, responsive repairs,planned and cyclical mainte-nance, and lifecycle replacement.Cllr Peter McBride, Lead Cabinet

Member for Housing andInvestment said: “There are cur-rently around 15,000 people onour housing register, waiting for

a suitable home, as well as anincreasing number of older peo-ple who require accommodationwith extra support available tomaintain their independence.“This announcement means that

we can begin to address theshortfall of affordable housingwe’ve had in Kirklees for manyyears, and deliver the specifictypes of homes we know today’sresidents and those of the future,need. And as we’re workingclosely with Regenter on using asmany local goods, services,labour and apprenticeships aspossible, it’s clear that thisscheme will have a much widerpositive impact on the economyand Kirklees jobs too.”Regenter is a 50/50 joint ven-

ture between John Laing andPinnacle Regeneration Group andhas an 80% equity stake in theproject with Wates holding theremaining 20%.

MAIN NEWS

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Older people’s homes atforefront of PFI scheme

International awardGary Lucas, John Laing Directorof Infrastructure Investments,collected the Asia Pacific PPPDeal of the Year Award for theNew Royal Adelaide Hospital(NRAH) in January.John Laing is part of the SA

Health Partnership consortium,which also includes LeightonContractors, Macquarie CapitalGroup, Hansen Yuncken andSpotless, that is delivering theproject.The NRAH is a brand new facili-

ty and will have 172,000 squaremetres of fully-enclosed space,providing 800 single beds,including 40% more intensive

care beds than at the RoyalAdelaide Hospital's current site.There will also be an emergencydepartment capable of treatingan extra 24,000 (25% more)patients every year and 40 oper-ating theatres - five more than atthe current site. The project isscheduled to be completed in2016.The Project Finance Awards

started 13 years ago and are forinnovation, deal repeatability,best practice, problem solving,risk mitigation, value for moneyand speed of delivery in thefinancing of infrastructure proj-ects, large or small.

Gary Lucas

COMPAN

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The Inspiral consortium, comprisingRegenter, Great Places HousingGroup and Wates Living Space, hasachieved financial close on theGateways to Oldham housing andregeneration Private FinanceInitiative (PFI) Project.This landmark public private part-

nership will transform the four ‘gate-way’ neighbourhoods of Crossley,Fitton Hill, Westwood and PrimroseBank into diverse and attractive resi-dential areas.In accordance with the agreed

design master plan, the initial phaseof the project will involve the con-struction of 420 new social and pri-vate homes, the modernisation andrefurbishment of 318 existing coun-cil homes and the selective demoli-tion of existing properties.High-quality public open spaces,

improved car parking and new com-munity facilities also form an inte-gral part of this project.

Inspiral will deliver the ongoingneighbourhood and local area man-agement, and repairs and mainte-nance services for the full durationof the 25-year PFI contract.Construction is due to start thisyear, with the build programmeexpected to last until early 2015.Regenter is the lead investor, devel-

oper and manager for the project.Great Places Housing Group is co-investor and developer and will pro-vide neighbourhood and estatesmanagement services whilst WatesLiving Space will be responsible forthe building and refurbishment workand will also run the repairs con-tract.Jim Saunders, Managing Director of

Regenter said: “This is a hugelyimportant project which will providenew and improved housing, openspaces and community facilities. Asproject sponsor, Regenter is veryproud to invest in the delivery of

successful and sustainable localcommunities in Oldham. We lookforward to working in close partner-ship with Oldham Council and ourconsortium partners on such anexciting regeneration project.”Councillor David Hibbert, Cabinet

Member for Environment andRegeneration, said: “This project isabout more than just bricks andmortar. It is about creating new com-munities with a reinvigorated spiritand a renewed sense of pride. Aswell as new homes, two new pur-pose-built community centres willalso be provided on the Crossley andPrimrose Bank estates, and newretail units developed at Crossley.These neighbourhoods will also seethe provision of new park and openspaces for the enjoyment of resi-dents. In the near future, there willalso be new opportunities for localresidents to seek construction jobsand training places.”

Housing project delivering‘sustainable communities’

An artist’s view of what the Oldham housing project will look like, inset the team delivering the project

NY NEWS

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The John Laing Infrastructure Fund(JLIF) is an investment company runby the John Laing Group which spe-cialises in Private Finance Initiative(PFI) and Public, Private Partnership(PPP) projects.Following its success in raising

£130.7 million in extra capital, theCompany has made a number ofnew investments and entered theFTSE 250 of top British companieson December 19.JLIF chairman Paul Lester said of

the company’s inclusion in the FTSE250: “Today’s announcement con-cludes a successful debut full yearfor JLIF and constitutes anothermajor milestone for the Company.Since IPO (Initial Public Offering)last November, investors have beenconsistently attracted to ourproven, low risk model, whichseeks to provide a high, predictabledividend yield.“Inclusion in the FTSE 250 Index is

likely to enhance our exposure toinvestors, develop greater UK andinternational investor awareness ofJLIF and provide increased long-term access to capital.”JLIF’s approach has been to invest

in PFI and PPP projects which pro-vide a solid stream of income, manyof them from the John Laing Group.Here are the purchases made inrecent months:� December 9 – JLIF completedacquisition of two new PFI/PPPinfrastructure assets from JohnLaing Group for a total considera-tion of £6.1 million.

� 80% stake in Enfield SchoolsProject

�80% stake in Newham Schools.JLIF has also now repaid the debt

incurred in acquiring a 50% stake inForth Valley Royal Hospital. This isas outlined in the prospectusissued on 29th September 2011.� December 16 - JLIF completedacquisition of North Swindon

Schools PFI project from JohnLaing Group for a total considera-tion of £10.6 million. This is asoutlined in the prospectus issuedon 29th September 2011, andthere remains only one more proj-ect to acquire – a 15% stake in theNewcastle Hospital PFI Project.� December 9 - JLIF acquired fur-ther 20% stakes in both theNewham and Enfield schools assetsfrom Wates, for a total considera-tion of £1.5 million. This bringsJLIF’s shareholding in both of theseassets to 100%.� Jan 19 – JLIF completed theacquisition of stakes in threesocial housing PFI/PPP projectsfrom United House Group, thesocial housing specialist, for£30.5 million.These projects add to JLIF’s

existing portfolio of social hous-ing assets, fit well within theoverall portfolio and meet theGroup’s criteria for acquisitions.The three ‘availability-based pro-jects’ have contractedGovernment-backed revenuestreams, linked to inflation, andprovide JLIF with a low risk, sta-ble income. Two of the projectshave been operational for overthree years and the other projectis 95% operational with the bal-ance due for early completion inJanuary 2012. The acquisitions,

that are being funded by cash are:� 50% stake in Camden – a

round 1 Housing PFI PathfinderProject;

� 45% stake in Islington I – arefurbishment and 30-year man-agement and maintenance con-tract for 2,348 properties;

� 45% stake in Islington II – arefurbishment and 16-year man-agement and maintenance con-tract of 4,124 properties.Andrew Charlesworth, JLIF

Investment Adviser, said: “This isa rare opportunity to acquire oneof the largest housing portfoliosin the UK PFI market. We are anexperienced operator of socialhousing projects, and these threehigh quality projects, located inthe heart of London’s prime realestate market, are operationallymature, with minimal retainedrisk and stable cash flows andmatch our appetite for low risk,high yielding assets.”� January 26 - JLIF completed thethird party acquisition of a 20%stake in the PFI/PPP infrastructureasset North East Fire and Rescue(NEFRA) from ShepherdConstruction, for a total considera-tion of £1.15 million. This takesJLIF’s total holding in NEFRA to100% following the recent acquisi-tion of an 80% stake from the JohnLaing Group.

Company joins FTSE 250

Aerial view of HreodSchool in Swindon

Despite being probably the highestprofile name in construction andhaving been knighted for his partin making the Olympics possible,Sir John Armitt maintains a trueengineer’s objectivity about his lat-est achievements.Attributing his success to the

‘excellent people’ he has hadaround him and – in no small part– to the Laing culture which heenjoyed during his 27 years withthe Company, it is clear Sir John isfocused on the job at hand, asalways.He has come a long way since the

Isle of Grain and it is significantthat one of the many former col-leagues who wrote to congratulatehim on his knighthood was his firstboss there back in 1966, PeterDonaldson.“Wherever you go in this industry,

you bump into people from Laing,”said Sir John.“Even my first day on the park at

the Olympic site, my project man-ager turned out to be someoneelse I had worked with on the Isleof Grain.”John Armitt started with Laing in

the 60s and rose up through theCompany to the very top ofConstruction.He said: “I would regard my 27

years with Laing as the foundationstone for everything I have donesince. The Laing culture helped youto work with people rather thanagainst them. Also it was what theCompany stood for that made itspecial.”After leaving the Company in

1993, Sir John became ChiefExecutive of the Costain Group andthen Chief Executive of Railtrack,which became Network Rail.“I never plotted a career course,”

he said. “I just allowed my careerto go where it has gone.“I often found myself in the right

place at the right time. Railtrackwanted someone who knew about

rail but who wasn’t an accountantor a marketing man – ‘I know, whatabout John Armitt!”This career has led Sir John to

become Chairman of the OlympicDelivery Authority (ODA) chargedwith developing and making readythe facilities, venues and infra-structure for the London 2012Olympics this summer. His knight-hood, for services to engineeringand construction, was in recogni-tion of his leadership in deliveringthese facilities on time and withinbudget.He said of the honour: “I was sur-

prised and delighted, but through-out nearly 45 years, I have beensurrounded by very good people.”However, taking ultimate respon-

sibility for delivering the Olympicfacilities has been no mean feat.Aside from various state of the art

sporting facilities, there have been

major infrastructure projects: ener-gy centre, pumping station,bridges and underpasses – youname it.“We are just tying up the loose

ends now, but it is still around£100million per month at themoment, although at peak we wereoperating at around £150millionper month.”Sir John truly believes that the

vast investment in the Olympicswill provide a lasting legacy for thecountry long after the Olympicshave finished.He talked of the continued devel-

opment of the 500-acre OlympicPark which will provide construc-tion work for another 10-15 yearsas further homes, hotels, shopsand even industrial facilities arebuilt there.Internationally he says British

firms involved with the projecthave won contracts for other highprofile international events such asthe Winter Olympics in Russia, theBrazilian Olympics and even theWorld Cup in Qatar. He added:“The Australians are still winningwork off the back of the SydneyOlympics.”With the Olympic venues virtually

complete, much of Sir John’s worknow revolves around an ambassa-dorial role promoting the opportu-nities afforded to business by theOlympics. He is also about to writea report about lessons learnedfrom the Olympic project that hehopes will help more British busi-nesses to win lucrative worldwidecontracts. There are echoes of theEgan report, but Sir John believes

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GENERA

Career built on Laing fouHe is probably the highest profile name in construction thesedays, but Sir John Armitt claims it was his 27 years with LaingConstruction that shaped a career path he was not expecting.In an exclusive interview, Sir John talked about the fond memo-ries he has of his time with the Company and the people and

projects with which he still feels a connection.

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AL NEWS

Laing Engineers andArchitects 2012Reunion will take placeat the Sports Club inRowley Lane onThursday 15th March.Meet at 12 noon for abuffet lunch at12.30pm.The cost is £12.50,payable at the door.Please advise John GClark if you intend tocome as organisers willneed to know numbersin advance to for cater-ing.You can email John on:jgpa.clark@btinternet.com[preferred] or telephone01582 454984.Last year saw anincrease in the numbersof those attending andit is hoped that thistrend may continue.

Engineers andarchitects setfor 2012 event

Bridging the generationsthrough a classic project

Charity team returns

Visiting engineers went backto school to help the pupilsrecreate one of Laing’s mostfamous projects.The pupils at Meadowbrook

Primary School in BradleyStoke school built a replica ofthe Second Severn Crossingwith the experts’ help.The work was carried out as

part of a topic on constructionwith representatives from

Severn River Crossing and theInstitute of Civil Engineering.They created a replica meas-

uring nearly 20 feet.Teacher Matt Smith said: “It

has provided the children witha hands-on glimpse into thefield of construction and hasgiven us a fantastic medium toshow how the theory behindbridge-building is put intopractice.”

there is a still a long way to go andhopes his report will add impetus toimproving efficiency within theindustry.As for his former Laing colleagues,

Sir John is still in touch with manyof them. He has fond memories ofcontracts, but does not like to sin-gle any out.“You remember all your projects

for different reasons,” he said. “TheIsle of Grain, for the sheer industrialrelations aspects with the tradeunions; Littlebrook D power stationwhere there was a fatality on myfirst day as project manager; Polandwhen we took 1,000 people over-seas. Also there we realised howmany problems people leave behindwhen they come to work each day,ones that we just do not see in theUK.”On both the Falklands project and

the Second Severn Crossing, Sir Johnwas part of a group setting up thebids which was ‘determined to winthese contracts’. He added: “Bothtimes putting these bids togetherwe recognised that we were not thefavourites, up against clear frontrun-ners, but it made us all the moredetermined.”Sir John has no plans to retire and

although his ODA work is windingdown a bit, he is contracted foranother year after the games, notleast as nearly 3,000 kitchens are tobe installed in the Olympic villagewhere the extra rooms are currentlybeing used for accommodation butwill become new homes.He is also working for three major

companies and is due to becomeChairman of the City and Guilds inOctober.So what abiding passions help take

this Londoner’s mind off so muchwork? Arsenal Football Club. I sus-pect that this particular diversionmay provide as much anxiety as anyof Sir John’s career achievements –especially this season.

Alex Finkenrath

ndations

The John Laing Sahara Challenge team'Nomad Rush' has safely returned as vic-tors from their week-long adventure takingpart in the 2011 Prince's Trust Challenge.The team – Dan Allen, Ross Driver, KevinMutton, Tony Cahill and Jason Withers –overcame many unexpected hurdles suchas lost luggage, snow and bitter cold, tor-rential rain, slightly dubious navigationalskills and a Hamman massage to compre-hensively beat their fellow competitors onall but one of the days of the event. Duringthe challenge the team rode and ran140km through Morocco's Altas Mountainsand desert regions to raise more than£13,000 (so far) for the Prince's Trust charity.The team (pictured above) thanked every-one who helped them raise such an enor-mous amount of money.

As we went to press the Government approved £150millionof funding for a consortium including Regenter to transform

a Lambeth council estate into a greener, more welcomingenvironment. Full details featured in the next issue.

Work was in progress on an £8millionscheme redeveloping a seven-acre siteon the north side of St Paul’sCathedral. The land owned by theChurch Commission had been leasedto Paternoster Development Limited tocreate a series of linked office blocks,a shopping centre and extensive piaz-za. Emphasis was being made on ‘pro-viding large areas where the generalpublic can walk’ and also for a com-plete pedestrian access to theenclosed shopping centre. Plans werefinally approved by the Corporation ofLondon in December 1961 following areport from Sir William Holford (start-ed in 1955) on what type of develop-ment would be considered ‘worthy’ forthe cathedral. The tallest buildingwould be an 18-storey oblong officeblock. There would be further threeten-storey office blocks. A shoppingprecinct would be set ten feet abovestreet level for pedestrians only andthere would be parking for 420 vehi-cles beneath the piazza. A model ofthe plans is pictured above right.

Construction had begun on the newLondon overseas Students Centre atPortland Place, London for the BritishCouncil and 24 self-contained flats.The 16,000 sq ft site was being devel-oped by Laing Estates Limited. Studentquarters would include a library, studyroom, reception area, canteen, discus-sion room and coach arrivals area. Itwas built to attract membership ofsome 4-5,000 overseas students. Theflats would all be two or three-bed-room and have allocated parking inthe basement.

Plans were announced for a new£1.5million theatre scheme inBirmingham. There would be seatingfor 1,800, a restaurant, 13 shops anda 20-storey office block atBirmingham’s Smallbrook Ringwaybeing undertaken by the LaingDevelopment Company Limited inassociation with Atlas SecuritiesLimited. It would be called the TheatreRoyal and work was due to begin laterin the year.

Team Spirit reproduced the followingsnippet from the Gerard Fay column inthe Guardian:‘I am informed from a reliable sourcethat for a new school at Littleborough,costing £205,000, construction will bein Laingspan, a flexible modular sys-tem of frame building and it will be the

fifth school built in this system byLaing in Lancashire.‘A resolution is now being drafted inthe Legal Department of this columnwhich will authorise LCC to change thename of the committee in question toLaingcashire County Council.’

John Michie toasted the opening of thefirst of 500 new Easiform houses onthe Gelli-Ty-Sign estate in Risca SouthWales. The first home was occupied bya delighted Harry Coleman. Less thana month later John Michie was openingthe first Easiform house for ChepstowRural District Council. It was one of170 being contructed by theCompany.

In the South West the team were underinstructions to work as quietly as pos-

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TEAM SPIRIT 50 YEARS AGO – 1962

A large number of projects were underway in and aroundOxford ‘designed to keep the city in line with present dayneeds’. Municipal offices were being erected in Laingwall andat Cowley, Laing had won the contract to build the first twophases of amassive new shopping centre. Phase one involvedtwo blocks containing 14 shops, and phase two would bringa further 66 shops. The discovery of four wells beneath thesite of phase two provided the biggest snag.People were now moving into the city’s first 15-storey blockof flats and 119 Easiform houses completed by Laing on theBlackbird Leys estate.Also under construction were dormintory and seminar blocksfor University College, one of the city’s oldest learning estab-lishments. Workers G Nelson, ‘Sam’ J Samrowski and IvanWarlam (pictured from left to right) were mentioned for theoutstanding quality of the concrete finishes on this job.

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TEAM SPIRIT 50 YEARS AGO – 1962

It was announced that there would be two foremanship courses held in 1962, the first at Battle of BritainHouse, Northwood from January 8-19 and the second later in the year. Do you know any of these people?

Security checker and former night-watchman Andy Mann was high-lighted as ‘Worker in The Team’.During his 16-and-a-half yearsguarding the Plant and Transportdepot at Borehamwood his brav-ery was called upon many times.In 1954 he overpowered two bur-glars in the cashiers office andthree years later he was com-mended by the Chairman ofHertfordshire Quarter Sessions for‘his common sense and presenceof mind’ on alerting the police tofour intruders at Company premis-es, who were caught and broughtto justice.During his nightwatchman shifts,Andy worked from 8pm until 8am,seven days a week with only his

collie dog Monty for company.When the article appeared his mainfriend was Gus, the depot’s tabbycat.Born in Lanarkshire Scotland, hestarted work down the pits agedjust 13.He spent most of the first worldwar on the battlefields of France,four years as a professional foot-baller in Philadelphia and returnedto England in 1938. Andy joinedthe Company on a housing site atCannons Park and ended up with abroken arm and three broken ribswhile working for the Company’sfire brigade service. On returningto work he took up the night-watchman role as a ‘temporary’job.

sible on extensions to the BristolDental Hospital. It was not the fear ofdrilling sounds, but the fact that BristolRoyal Infirmary was situated justacross the road.Other major projects ongoing in theregion were three 11-storey blocks offlats at Ashton Gate, a giant warehouseat Yate (160ft by 600ft) which neededto be completed in 27 working weeksand a new Senate House for BristolUniversity.

Finsbury Square Car Park – the first tobe built beneath a London square –was opened by Transport MinisterErnest Marples. Alderman Cliffe MPdescribed the occasion as ‘historic’

and was glad the square was beingused for a ‘20th century’ purpose. Ontop of the 350 car spaces theCompany laid out gardens and a bowl-ing green, built a restaurant and erect-ed two petrol stations on oppositesides of the square.

Team Spirit also featured Laing’sProperties Limited, formed in 1928,was a subsidiary company owning andmanaging ‘a considerable amount ofproperty in Great Britain’. The portfolioincluded ‘many factories at Elstree’and similar developments in theQueensbury, Stanmore andCricklewood areas. The article contin-ued: “The Company also owns a num-

ber of important office blocks in theCity and the West End of London’.Among its residendial schemes wereflats at Brachnell Gate and Belsize ParkHampstead. Pictured below is a row ofshops run by Laing Properties inBorehamwood.

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TEAM SPIRIT 25 YEARS AGO – 1987

The Minister for Employment,Kenneth Clarke MP wrote to over400,000 UK employers – includ-ing John Laing – to quell fearsand rumours about the AIDSvirus. Team Spirit publishedexcerpts from the letter whichpointed out that ‘person-to-per-son transmission of the AIDSvirus does not occur during nor-mal work activities’.

The Company received a letterfrom the charity Sport Aid inrecognition of the cheque for£14,505.06 (including £5,000from the Laing Charitable Trust).The money was put towardsfamine relief and rehabilitation inAfrica.

A new Laing Central Managementsection was organising partner-ships with national chains. TeamSpirit reported the Company’swork with Boots which saw Laingregions working on stores acrossthe country, as far apart asGateshead and Penzance. TheLaing Central Management sec-tion was headed up by IanWalden who co-ordinated thenational opportunities.

A new division was set up inLaing at the beginning of theyear called ETE. It was to focuson the ‘market opportunities inenergy, technology and environ-mental areas’. Managing directorof ETE, Philip Rees said: “Hightechnology is finally reaching theconstruction industry, as is clear-ly shown by our own investmentin Information Technology.”Fellow managing director NigelPitcher spoke about Laing’sinvolvement with energy (includ-ing nuclear radiography andmechanical design) while PeterWestwood believed that ETEwould provide the environmentfor ‘both the effective utilisationof existing skills as well as devel-opment of new ones’.

A massive $41million contract

was signed in Turkey betweenToprak Mahsulleri Ofisi GeneralDirectorate and the Laing MapaGunal Redler Joint Venture. Itwas for the design, construction,supply, erection and commis-sioning of reinforced concreteport silos with a total capacity of130,000 tons. Geoff Harrisonsigned the contract on behalf ofLaing.

A major new housing contractfor the United States Air Force inBicester was agreed by LaingHomes. The contract to build300 houses would ‘solve a majorhousing problem for the USAF inthe area. It would involve closecooperation between ChilternRegion and SuperHomes.

The Civil Engineering Division

Pictured (standing) Mick Bottomley,(Grattan), John Spencer, Tim Evans,

In Bradford Laing ManagementContracting had begun work ona £22million contract forGrattan plc. Before erection ofwhat was described as ‘thelargest’ warehouse for ‘comput-erised handling equipment inthe UK’ could start, a 55metrechimney on the site had to bedemolished. It fell exactly whereexpected.The 52-acre site was alsodescribed by Team Spirit as ‘the

worst piece of building land inEurope’ having experienced over150 years of industrial building’.The site contained stone mineshafts, industrial debris, toxicwaste from a dye works; residuefrom a railway marshalling yard,foundations for several textilemills and ‘possibly anthrax-infected cotton waste’. Therewas even 7,000cubic metres ofscrapped televisions in one cor-ner of the site.

(Bucknall Austin), Derek Newman,John Whitmarsh, (Grattan). Ready

to demolish the chimney areDavid Jones and Peter Gregory

11

TEAM SPIRIT 25 YEARS AGO – 1987

was working on Contract One ofthe South Woodford to Barkingrelief road. Valued at £10.3mil-lion, the 2.5km stretch ran fromCharlie Brown’s roundabout(intersection of A406 NorthCircular Road with the M11)southwards to just past theRedbridge roundabout (intersec-tion with the A12). It was a com-plex project technically involvingtwo almost parallel viaducts andcomplicated overnight beam plac-ings. Martin Foster was the proj-ect manager.

January 30 saw the commence-ment of work on the £30millionMidlands Region constructioncontract for the £50million JohnLaing Developments Schemewhich was Shrewsbury ShoppingCentre. The fully enclosed centrewould have two main trading lev-els providing 350,000sq ft oftrading space. There would bemajor extensions to theLittlewoods, Woolworths andMarks and Spencer stores, plusanother six new large shops and43 smaller ones.

Arts lovers were enjoying Laing’swork. London Region’s prestigeBritten Opera Theatre contractreached a crescendo as HM TheQueen and HRH Prince Charlesattended a gala performance

including extracts from Mozart’sCozi Fan Tutti and Britten/Pear’sMidsummer’s Night Dream.Meanwhile in Cambridge, EasternRegion’s £1.4million restorationand refurbishment contract at theCambridge Corn Exchange hadenabled a host of acts includingShakin’ Stevens and Box CarWillie to wow audiences there.

In Spain Laing SA was awarded acontract to build an 18KM stretchof an irrigation channel, betweenthe Zujar Barrage and theMatachel River.

Team Spirit carried this picture in the January issue of the site team at the £20million St John’s Centrein Perth. They had gathered for a topping out ceremony the previous year. It was a major contract forLaing Management Contracting (Scotland). LMC and their sub-contractors arrived on site in 1985 andthe Provost of Perth and Kinross District Council said that ‘progress on the site had been remarkable inthe extreme weather conditions’. Pictured above, from left to right are: Mike Askew, Tom Muirhead,George Cowe, John Mosson, Kevin Brown, Tom McEwan, Bill Anderson, Norman Neal, John Nicol, NigelTodd and Graham Pow.

A team from the Eastleigh area office was starting to build the brandnew Laing Wessex Region. Based in Winchester, the team set up onDecember 1 and was led by Trevor Mead. Pictured are, (back row),from left, David Davidson, David Pinch, David Jones, Barrie Oliver andAlan Braham. Front row, Martin Smout, Trevor Mead and John Gardner.

John Armitt became AssistantManaging Director of John LaingConstruction on January 1, 1987.Here he is pictured presenting the1986 Commonwealth Sports Awardfor tennis to David Castle, brotherof English Number 1 Andrew, whowas away playing in a tournament.

12

A year of events to mark the 50thanniversary of the consecration ofCoventry Cathedral are taking placeduring 2012.The building was constructed by

John Laing & Son after first winningthe contract to lay the foundationsfor the new cathedral, being builtwithin the bombed out remains ofthe original building in 1955.It was finally consecrated in the

presence of HM the Queen on May25, 1962.In 1958 Laing’s tendered the low-

est bid to build the cathedral itself,the Company asking for architect SirBasil Spence not to mention the factthat John Laing & Son would giveany profit from the project back tothe cathedral, as it would detractfrom the spirit of the gift.John Laing rightfully received a

knighthood following the successfulcompletion of the first new cathe-dral to be built in Britain as a singleplanned project for 300 years, asdid Basil Spence.The original cathedral had taken

125 years to buildMany believe that the input of

Laing’s construction experts, in par-ticular Project Manager Adam Stockswere the key to making this monu-mental project a success.Sir John wrote: “We chose Mr Adam

Stocks, who had been in our employfor 35 years, a considerable part ofthat time having been engaged onbuildings of very high quality, suchas universities. He considered it

would be an honour to be responsi-ble for such a contract, and he hadthe same feeling of privilege as weall had.“We had a most reliable and devot-

ed man in Harold Ratcliffe, the fore-man stonemason. The foremanbricklayer Eric McLeod, a most con-scientious worker, started with ourCompany 38 years ago, and he builtwith his own hands the whole insidelining of the cathedral.”In The Good Builder, it was report-

ed that “...some of its (Laing’s)employees did have a great deal to

say about the practicalities ofSpence’s designs, not all of it com-plimentary. In his account of thebuilding of the cathedral, ‘Phoenixat Coventry’, Spence feelinglyrecalled Adam Stocks, Laing’s siteagent, ‘whose grumbles could fill alifetime’. But he was greatlyimpressed by Laing’s workmanship,which was even more meticulousthan usual thanks to a letter to allthe senior staff asking them to bearin mind that this was a buildingwhich should ensure for a thousandyears.”

FEATURE

Coventry Cathedral 50 years on

New and old cathedrals and inset left John and Lady Laing attending theconsecration, inset right, John Piper’s stained glass window was justone of many acclaimed artistic contributions to this incredible project.

Among a year of events markingCoventry Cathedral’s GoldenJubilee is a reunion of the KingHenry VIII School pupils whowere in the Coventry Cathedralchoir performing during the serv-ice attended by HM the Queenand Prince Philip.Among the many celebrations

taking place during Jubilee yearwill be:� The 60th anniversary of HerMajesty Queen Elizabeth’s acces-sion to the throne� First Olympic football match atCoventry City’s ground on July 25� Elvis in the CathedralFull list of the events available at:

www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/goldenjubilee/JUBILEE.phpYou can telephone the cathedralon: 02476 521200.Admission (unless attending toworship on a Sunday) is £5 forconcessions and there are extraattractions such as the‘Cathedral Tower Climb’.

Year of celebration during Coventry’s Jubilee year

13

GENERAL NEWS

Keepingit in thefamilyLaing retiree BerylHenry wasdelighted toreceive a call fromher grandsonScott the other day. It turns out theyoung man is an IT apprentice and hewas posted recently to work at JohnLaing’s head office. Beryl had worked atLaing for 27 years in payroll at Surbiton.She said: “Scott is thoroughly enjoyinghis secondment with Laing as I enjoyedmy time working with the Company.”

This picture was clearly not set up with namingeverybody in mind! The rows are uneven anddespite the best efforts of everyone who has kindlytaken the time to send in the names they thinkthey are sure of, it has been impossible to indicateeach one in relation to this picture. However, weare including a list of the names we have nowreceived of those (allegedly) featured in the pic-ture.In alphabetical order, these are: Vic Allen, MauriceAshbridge, Bob Beeson, John Bowman, Alan Briggs,

GA Britten, Ken Brown, Bill Cameron, Harvey Davis,Tony Dickie, Ken Fisher, Les Fletcher, Alan Foskett,Ken Gilder, Jim Graham, Vernon Green,G Greenhow, Eric Greenup, Wally Haughan, HarryHodgson, WM Johnson, Stan Karbownicki, DerekKnight, Norman Lambert, David Maine, MidgeMalam, Steve Morris, Don Paine, John Perry, GarryPritchard, Jim Pullen, Peter Rowe, Jim Saunders,Jesse Seddon, SH Singleton, Eric Smith, BobThorogood, EC Uren, Peter Underwood, CHWaldron, Peter Wheatley, John Williams.

Latest names from the Class of 55

The popularity of the Laing Retired Employees’ photographiccompetition continues to grow and we are glad to open it againfor 2012.Just send your pictures – which do not have to be recentlysnapped – by post or by email.If sending by post, please ensure that the picture is properlyprotected and include details of the picture’s name and anyother useful details about when and where it was taken. If youneed it returned, please say so and include a return address.If sending by email, please ensure that the file is about 1mb(one megabyte) in size so that it can be properly reproduced.Again, please include any useful information about the pictureand details of the entrant.�� We must apologise for an error in the last competition whenwe erroneously attributed the ‘Spooky’ shot taken at FortunesAbbey, Yorkshire to Maureen Mountford, when it should havebeen Maureen Ford from the Midlands. We are happy to putthis right.

Photo competition 2012

14

CHRISTMAS LUNCHEONS

Festive luncheons round upAMID a year of change for many itwas reassuring to receive the tradi-tional luke warm feedback regard-ing my jokes as I had the pleasureof meeting retirees face-to-face atthe various club ChristmasLuncheons.Chig Gibson in the Midlands club

even collected up as many crackerjokes as possible in the hope of‘improving my humourous’ contri-bution. The round of Christmas events

began in south London withSolare’s 18th anniversary luncheon.It also represented the first dou-bling up of events, falling upon thesame day as the North WestChristmas luncheon.They announced that the new

charity to be sponsored by the clubis Medical Engineering ResourcesUnit (MERU) and the raffle raised£142 which broke a record forChristmas. Meanwhile REALM in the Midlands

were celebrating their 25thChristmas anniversary. Among theguests were two people who eachhad a small collection of toy Laingtrucks – Phyllis Sturgeon andCharlie Laing. Phyllis brought hersalong and Charlie noted that itlooked like they had been playedwith a lot more than his own.The raffle raised £252 and

Margaret Hughes made a wonder-ful cake to make the club’s 25thanniversary, which is pictured.Luncheons for Carlisle and REAL

also clashed and London drew theshort straw enjoying the dubiouspleasure of my company. As alwaysthere were many stories of thecolourful characters who havecropped up at Laing over the years,among them a man allegedlyrenowned for throwing his phoneout of the window when riled. Hewas clearly much respected and asan indication of his dedication toany contract, the gentleman inquestion once slept in the office inorder to catch a group of men who

were stealing cables. As the storygoes, he was awoken by a noiseand stormed out in his pyjamas tocatch the men red handed.Peter Coles also provided a fasci-

nating insight into more recentcomplications with constructionprojects, in particular of finding outabout service routes (electric, tele-phone cables, pipes, sewers etc)ahead of developments. He woulddeal directly with service providersand recalled being told by BT that afibre optic cable more than 1ft thickwas running through one Londonsite. Peter was warned that if thecable was broken, it would cost theCompany £10,000 per second!Chairman Alan Chaney told one of

his trademark jokes, paid thanks toPauline Bryant for organising theevent and announced that the raffleraised £143.10 (no one knew wherethe odd 10p came from).Three clubs held their festive

luncheons after Christmas, againthere was a clash between Saltireand Elstree.Having already booked a flight, I

headed up to Glasgow on a verymild January day. Guests to theluncheon had missed the high windswhich took down many things, notleast a couple of members’ fenceand broken the big Christmas tree inMillennium Square in half. Frank McGill was uttering the

phrase ‘never again’ as his wifeBetty told us the story of how sheconvinced him to go parascendingfor the first time at the age of 78during a Christmas holiday inTenerife.Finally to the South West where

members enjoyed their traditionalcarvery feast. A typically jolly affairand Welfare manager MargaretStaines was called upon to speakand thanked the club for its kindhospitality.

Alex Finkenrath

Jack Allardice brought his wife Janetalong for her first Laing retirees’luncheon. Welfare officer Geoff Smith and wifeJenny pictured at the LNER luncheon-below.

PhyllisSturgeon’sLaing trucksabove andRealm’s 25thbirthday cakeright

Above are JohnLaing staff fromthe North Eastoffice at LNER’slunch.Right is the REALsweet trolley

15

NEW CLUB MEMBERS

SALTIREJohn andJoyceO’Dowd. John spent 21years withLaing in Scotland staring out in1980 on the Hairmyres hospitaljob (ODA). He said: “I reallyenjoyed the chance to do dif-ferent things, one day youmight be driving a dumpertruck, the next day somethingcompletely different.” Amonghis favourite projects was theBuchannan Galleries where heworked for Gordon Laing, giv-ing out the tools. It made apleasant break from some ofthe tougher work, but heenjoyed all of his time there.

Denis Gilliganwas a QS whoworked atLaing between1983 and2003. He wasbased inGlasgow andworked on a lot of smaller jobsrather than the biggest bestremembered projects. Howeverhe also loved his time with theCompany citing the people andprojects as the most memorablepart of it all. Specific jobs herecalled were the Byer Theatreat St Andrews, the GeriatricHospital at Bonny Bridge, theM74 services and a successionof small office developments inGlasgow.

SOLAREBarrie Rush,started withLaing Homesin Crawley in1975. He wenton to LaingManagement

and his favourite project wasthe M16 building, where hewas the last Laing man to leavethe building. It was a very spe-cialist project and he had therun of the place in the earlydays, but as they neared com-pletion security meant he hadto be accompanied at all times.He also worked on the BritishLibrary and Admiralty House.He retired from LMC in 1995.

William andMaureenRoystonTaylor.He joined theold Wessexregional officein 1986 as aproject manager and startedout on the tax office project inPortsmouth and then moved tothe new wing of St Mary’sHospital. Meanwhile wifeMaureen began in the office inWinchester and transferred tothe Homes Division inWokingham for Laing ThamesValley. He spent seven years inconstruction and 16 years withHomes. He went on to work forTaylor Wimpey and said:“Wherever you go, you alwaysfind someone who has workedwith Laing.

LNERDerekRoebuck andMary Ridley.Derek spent 22years with theCompany starting out as alabourer and ending up as amaterials controller. Among hismost memorable projects wereworking at Fenwicks, the Wetand Wild Water Park (with itsunique challenges) and theCentre For Life.

Stan andMargaretEdwards.Stan spent 21years with theCompany,mainly as aconcrete ganger. Among hismany jobs were St Mary’s CarPark, Fenwicks and he endedup at the Bridges ShoppingCentre in Sunderland.

Ian and JeanTurnbull.Ian started his38-year careerwith theCompany inJune 1973pulling down homes in Buddleand Violet streets which weregoing one way, and buildingthem back another! He recalledcommandeering a church hallfor the contract. Another mem-orable project in a long careerwas at Wansbeck Hospital.

Brian and LynnAddison.Brian was ajoiner with 28years atLaing’s, start-ing in 1978.Among the projects he recalledwere: Riden Mill Power Stationat Hexham, Wansbeck Hospitaland the Beamish Museum.

Dick andJosephineJames.Dick was anengineer withthe Companyfrom 1979 – 2011. His favouriteproject was the SAGE musicalvenue at Gateshead as it was sounique. He said: “It was like noth-ing else I had ever done before.We didn’t really appreciate whatit was until we had finished!”

CLASSIC PROJECTS

16

Laing is no stranger to giant andimpressive contracts, but there issomething very special about theCompany’s role in joining two coun-tries.Mike Hooper was John Laing

International (JLI) CommercialDirector at the time of the mammothproject to link Denmark and Swedenby rail and road by creating a bridgeand tunnel.Even now Wikepedia claims that the

50,000 tonne prefabricated rein-forced tunnel sections are ‘the mostmassive in the world’. Mike recalled that there were many

challenges to overcome, not least thetunnel sections which each measured176m long, 42m wide and 11mdeep.They were created off site at pur-

pose built factory next toCopenhagen North Harbour.The fabrication and casting of each

element required eight separate con-tinuous pours of 2000 cu metres andduring peak production the site teamachieved four pours in one week.The next challenge was getting

them into position. Custom-made

launching jacks were used to movethe sections along a runway into aspecially built basin where they werefloated into a lock system beforebeing taken out to sea.This project took place in the

Drogden Channel and had to be runwith military precision to accuratelyplace the sections. Among the addedchallenges was that this all tookplace in a busy shipping lane amidchanging currents and ice at certaintimes of the year.

Mike Hooper said at the time: “Thejob isn’t as sexy as some construc-tion projects because the finishedresult is not visible. But it is certainlyone to be proud of and there was noshortage of obstacles to overcome.”Many Laing staff had key positions

on the project, which was opened onJuly 1, 2000. A special island was cre-ated as part of the project where trav-ellers (there are now about 60,000daily) go from tunnel level on theDanish side to the bridge level.

No room for tunnel vision

How five nations joined forces to link two countriesA key aspect of the project fromMike’s point of view was that thejoint venture included five compa-nies, all of different nationalities.NCC from Sweden, Dumex/GTMfrom France, Pihl and Son from

Denmark, Boskalis from Hollandand Laing knew from the startthat they must ensure the variouscompanies all understood eachother and work together as a fullyintegrated team. Initial seminars

and team building workshopshelped them to be able to discussall matters frankly and understandeach others approach to the proj-ect at hand. It clearly worked verywell.

Mike Hooper and a 1996 progress shot showing scale of the casting yardand shed which had to be built to create the tunnel sections

Tunnel section being fitted out A tunnel section being floated out and other ready to be moved

READER NEWS/CORRESPONDENCE

17

What happened to Jespersen?Some new photos have surfaced ofthe Jespersen system, as the clockcounts down to the demolition ofone of the biggest remainingJespersen sites.In 1963 Laing announced that it

had bought the UK rights to aDanish industrialised building sys-tem called Jespersen.It was one of the Company’s major

investments during the 60s and her-alded an age of prefabrication inwhich elements were built off-siteand put together quickly on sitedescribed as a ‘factory method ofhouse-building’.Maurice Laing said at the time: “If

we are to meet the urgent problemof clearing the slums and solvingthe housing problem, we mustaccept a bold new approach and usenew methods of construction.” He added:” If local authorities real-

ly require a speedy system of con-struction in areas where a large con-centration of dwellings is needed,our company is prepared to erectfactories in those areas to producecomponent parts under theJespersen system and I am confi-dent that we can quickly provideBritain with at least 10,000 extradwellings a year.”The Company plugged the system

hard and even sponsored a filmreleased in 1966 specifically for anaudience of local authority housingchiefs called: ‘17,000,000 NewHomes by 1999’.This high number was an indica-

tion of what the Laing had stakedon the new system. According toThe Good Builder, Laing would haveto sell at least 10,000 Jespersenhouses a year in order to see anyreturn on its investment in theDanish system.The term ‘industrialised building’

implies, continuity of productionwhich can only be in response to asteady flow of demand for standard-ised properties.The first Jespersen flats were built

at Oldham in 1964 using compo-nents imported from Denmark.

Laing’s factory for prefabricatedunits was opened a year later nearEdinburgh. This factory was fol-lowed by two more in Andover,Hampshire and Heywood inLancashire.However, the orders did not flow

in. There was an £8million orderfrom the Government to build 2,252homes in 1965 and the followingyear Wandsworth and Southwarkordered another 3,000 units on twogiant developments. It was not until1968 that Jespersen passed 10,000orders.The group had already moth-balled

its two northern Jespersen factoriesand writing off the losses reducedprofits before tax from £2.5millionin 1965 to £64,000 in 1966.The last big Jespersen estate at

Heygate is soon due to be demol-ished.Ken Jones was Project manager at

Heygate, handing over to BrianWoodlands when he moved on to abrewery job. He said: “Heygate was the last

major Jespersen project, there wereother precast systems around, suchas Sectra from France. “Many people from Laing around

country worked on these Jespersenprojects. However, they do not meettoday¹s insulation standards andthey were not double-glazed eitherwhich is partially why they are allbeing demolished.”We would love to hear from those

of you with first hand memories oreven strong opinions of Jespersen,write in and tell us.

Thank you to Ken Jones and Brian Woodlands for these pictures. Above thegiant estate at Heygate, south London better known as the Elephant andCastle and below the Jespersen factory at Andover.

18

READER NEWS/CORRESPONDENCE

Fred shares memoirsThanks to FredHubbard who kindlysent us a copy of hisautobiography cover-ing his many yearswith Laing.It has often been

mentioned that hecontinued working forLaing long after fin-ishing work for theCompany – as secre-tary of the South WestRetirement Club formany years.There was obviously

a lot more to Fred’slife than just Laing, hehas a close family andseems to have devot-ed a great deal ofenthusiasm and sup-port over the years tohis beloved NorwichCity Football Club.

Fred is pictured herecelebrating his 85thbirthday recently, andstill attends SouthWest Retirement Clubfunctions.

Golf anyone?Thank you to Dave Markall who for-warded this suggested venue for thenext Laing Golf Day from ChristopherTaylor at Port Stanley Golf Club.Christopher said: ”Looking thro myold F.I. photos I came across theattached. Thought you might beinterested in membership. It was an18 holer (not including holes left bymilitary) when I was there. They mayhave tarted it up a bit since.”

Dear sir:There's some post-war artwork in the post office on SpringGardens, Manchester and there's no official record any-where of who it's by, or even what it's called. My site aimsto not only point out the hidden gems in our city but alsoto get to the bottom of their origins, and to keep the sto-ries surrounding them alive. It seems such a shame thatthis striking artwork has gone un-noticed, un-named andremained anonymous for so long.Information I have so far is that the art was gifted to thepost office by Manchester University around 1969 butthat's really it and I now believe this is incorrect and thatit's possible your company made or ordered them to bemade. Are any of your readers able to help?

Hayley Flynn, Manchester (working to track down her city’s artistic heritage)

Dear Sir,I always look at the articles onTeam Spirit 50 & 25 years agomainly for people I knew andsites I worked on. The 50 yearsago articles often containedinformation on members ofstaff that I have met. The winter2011 edition on page 8 howeverhad an item that I was personal-ly involved with, and that wasthe awards of the LMBA medals.The Awards were made in theWorshipful Company ofFishmongers Halls in London onthe 3 November 1961. TheLMBA could award a maximumof 15 medals but only if thestandards in the City & Guildsexams were high enough. Thatyear only 13 were awarded.Silver medals were awarded forthe best results in the FinalCraft Certificate of the City and

Guilds examination and theBronze for the Ordinary CraftCertificate. 1961 was the firstyear that the Ordinary CraftCertificate exam was held. Laingemployees did well getting 3out of 13 medals."Bill" Slim commented that hecould make fine soldiers of usall but to my knowledgenobody took him up on hisoffer.Gerald (Chick) Taylor was at thesame primary & secondaryschool and the same TechnicalCollege as me although he wasa year older.I too was at the presentation toreceive the Bronze Medal forPlumber's Work. 2 years later inMarch 1964 I joined John Laingin the M&E Design department(later BSDD).

David Westall

Remembering awards ceremony

Post or email your correspondence to the addressesfeatured on the inside front cover of this magazine

Can you help with art?

Photo by Joshua Gow

19

CLUB NEWS

Cumbria Margaret Levin01228-526374

Elstree Shirley Napier020 8207 5110

LNER (North East) John Crosby0191 262 4978

North West Jack Stokes01204 491004

REAL (Nth London) Pauline Bryant020 8907 2166

REALM (Midlands) Jane Barnes01827 61267

Saltire (Scotland) Jim Saunders01324 638896

Solare (SW London) Bill Blamire01737 553174

South West Geoff Luckett01934 843077

CLUB CONTACTS

CUMBRIA* Weekly meetings at WigtonMethodist HallMARCH 7* Veterans’ ChoirAPRIL 4* Talk by Stuart Eastwood KOBR onSecond World WarAPRIL 9* Six-day holiday to Carrbridgeincluding train trip to Fort William.MAY 2* Road Awareness by KevinBenthwaiteJUNE 11* President’s Day Summer Outingat Inn on the Lake, Ullswater.

ELSTREE* Weekly meetingsSt Michael and All Angels ChurchHall, Tuesday 2.30pm.MAY 29* President’s Day Summer Outing,Peacock Country Inn, Henton.

LNERAPRIL 19* Daytrip to Scarborough.JUNE 13* President’s Day Summer Outing,Hardwick Hall Hotel, Sedgefield.

NORTH WESTJUNE 12* President’s Day Summer Outingat Inn on the Lake, Ullswater.

REALMonthly meetings at Allum Hall,BorehamwoodMARCH 7* Fish and chip supper followed byquizMARCH 28* Lunch at Three Crowns, HighRoad, Bushey.APRIL 4* TBAMAY 2* Cheese and wine lunchMAY 30* President’s Day Summer Outing,Monkey Island Hotel, Bray.

REALMJUNE 15* President’s Day Summer Outing,Dovecliff Hall Hotel, Stretton.

SALTIREMARCH 13* Illustrated talk: Mountain RescueAPRIL 10* A visit to the new Robert Burns

Heritage Centre in Alloway.MAY 2* Theatre visit to see ‘The Steamie’JUNE 14* President’s Day Summer Outingat The Lake Hotel, Port of Menteith.

SOLAREMARCH 21* First spring meeting and lunchfollowed by speaker from Age UKAPRIL 25* Spring lunch at, Tolworth.MAY 31* President’s Day Summer Outing,Stanhill Court Hotel, Charlwood.

SOUTH WESTMARCH 22* Skittles and Lunch atWoodborough Inn, WinscombeAPRIL 12* Late Spring Lunch, CamelyLodgeMAY 17* Skittles and Lunch atWoodborough InnMAY 28* President’s Day SummerOuting, Beechfield House,Beanacre.

CLUB EVENTS

Contact club secretaries for further details

20

MAJOR BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES

Ray and Joan’s Royal triple

GOLDEN WEDDINGS

DIAMOND WEDDINGS23 February 2012TOM AND MADGE

MCVEIGH

If you would like youranniversary pictures anddetails published, please

send or email them toPensioner Publishing or theLaing Welfare Departmentat the addresses on theinside front cover of this

magazine.

RAY AND JOAN WRIGHT, DIAMONDWEDDING DECEMBER 22, 2011

It was a third brush with royalty asRay and Joan received a card fromHM the Queen to mark their anniver-sary.The couple lived on the same streetas youngsters and attended thesame school. They were evacuatedto separate parts of Devon duringthe war, but met up again andbegan courting after the war.After his national service, Ray start-ed with Laing in 1957 as a carpenterand joiner and worked his way upthrough the Company, ending up asa construction manager. The cou-ple’s royal greeting was not the first

time in his 35 years with theCompany that Ray had had contactwith her Majesty. He was presentedto her following the Ealing Broadwayproject and met her again during anevent on another project.Ray worked on many projects, thethree most memorable being StThomas’s Hospital, Ealing ShoppingCentre (for the immense challengesit presented, not least with the com-plex brickwork) and Wood GreenShopping Centre. Minster Court wasRay’s last project and he says thatworking for one Company like Liangwas one of the best choices he evermade.The couple celebrated their anniver-sary with a small party.

John O'Halloran,958 December

Joe Hornsby, 9020 December

Joseph Harris, 9525 December

ChristopherUnderwood, 9017 January

Harry Snell, 90

5 FebruaryFreddie Cranmer-Brown, 9012 February

George Beasley,9020 February

Joe Farragher, 9022 February

Jimmy Valancius,9024 February

30 December 2011DICK & BARBARA

FLUDE

JULIAN & LAURINDABRICIS

KEN & EILEENKNOTT

25 January 2012ALAN & ROSALIND

BRAHAM

28 January 2012STERLING &

LUCILLE VASSALL

24 February 2012CHARLES AND NINA

PARKER

JOHN AND VALCORTEEN

90TH AND 95TH BIRTHDAYS

Joe Hornsby at the REALfestive luncheon

21

MAJOR BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES

It’s Blue Sapphire

Marleys head back to where it all began

Owens’ Diamond life

PAUL AND BERYL MARLEY,DIAMOND ANNIVERSARYAUGUST 25, 2011

The couple met on a blinddate in Twickenham andwere featured in theGuernsey Press newspa-per, having returned tothe island where they hadhoneymooned in celebra-tion of their anniversary.Paul joined the LaingGroup in about 1960when Holloway Brotherswas absorbed into JohnLaing Construction. His civil engineering expe-rience with Hollowaysincluded site manage-ment and temporaryworks design on manyjobs, including a visitingmanagement responsibili-ty for 13 bridges on theM1 which Holloways built

as sub-contractors.He joined JLC SouthernRegion and managedProduction Control, wasagent for two multistorey buildings and tech-nical manager for evolve-ment of a private hospi-tal. Paul moved to Mill Hill in1969 as PA to BuildingDivision’s assistant MD(LJ Holliday).

After a short spell toestablish and manage anew O&M department forthe Laing Group, was sec-onded in 1977 to the Cityof London to coordinatecompletion and openingof the Barbican ArtsCentre for six years.Secondment to NicholsAssociates as projectmanager for the pre-con-tract development of

Docklands Light Railwayfor London Undergroundfollowed.On return to Laing head-quarters in 1983, joinedmanagement of theBuilding Division’s mar-keting department beforehis appointment as theDivision’s MarketingDirector. He retired in1990, after over 43 yearsservice.

ALF AND MARGARETOWEN, DIAMONDANNIVERSARY DECEMBER 8, 2011

Alf and Margaretwere childhoodsweethearts attend-ing the same school,church and youthclub. They weremarried in Burnleyand moved toRhodesia within fiveyears where Alfjoined Laing.The couple and theirfamily returned toEngland in the 60swhen Alf worked atvarious sites aroundthe country, finallyretiring in 1989.

ALAN AND EDNA SIM 65th WEDDINGANNIVERSARY, JANUARY 11, 2012.

Alan and Edna celebrated their Blue SapphireAnniversary with yet another card from HMThe Queen. The couple, who live in Wigtonnear Carlisle, first met when walking homefrom church. Edna was on the way home fromchoir practice and Alan went out of his way tomake sure she got home safely.

22

After 12 years working in theWelfare department, GinnyDean, the Welfare/TrustAdministrator, retired on 31January 2012 and we all wishher a long and happy retire-ment.Ginny's replacement will be

Teresa Pettican, who currentlyworks as a Senior CorporateResponsibility Co-ordinatorbased in Head Office, Victoria.In addition to taking on her newrole, Teresa will retain some ofher current responsibilitiesincluding maintaining theCorporate Responsibility sectionof the John Laing website. Thecombined role will be undertak-en at the Trust's offices inBunns Lane, Mill Hill.Teresa originally joined John

Laing in 1979 as a member ofthe insurance team then left tobring up her two children. Shereturned to the John Laing headoffice in Page Street in 1989 andworked in various divisions ofthe Group in PA and admin rolesincluding editor of the in-housemagazine, Nutshell.Teresa can be contacted on

email: teresa.pettican@laing.comor telephone: 020 8959 1538(direct line) or 020 8959 9013(general number).

Welcome tonew Welfareteam member

WELFARE NEWS

Everyone around the country is cur-rently receiving calls, texts andemails from companies offering tohelp make claims for mis-sold pay-ment protection insurance (PPI).So many people have been mis-

sold PPI that companies are cashingin by charging a hefty percentage ofpayouts in return for making theclaim.Here we go through what PPI is and

show you how to find out if you canmake a claim and where you can geteverything you need to do it your-self, should you so wish.PPI (Personal Protection Insurance)

was sold alongside financial prod-ucts, mainly by banks. Many of these policies were mis-

sold and following a series of finesfrom the Office of Fair Trading,most banks have put aside vastsums of money to pay out in com-pensation.In fact Financial Services Authority

(FSA) figures show that a total of£1.9bn was paid out in compensa-tion to customers in 2011 and thoseclaims are expected to reach around£9bn in total.CAN I CLAIM?PPI was sold alongside variousfinancial products:* Car Insurance* Home Insurance * Mortgage PPI * Personal Loan PPI * Credit Card PPI Check whether you have the origi-

nal documentation and if you werepaying PPI. You can obtain the fullagreement from the lender underthe Consumer Credit Act for £1.HOW DO I KNOW IF I’VE GOT PPI?Go through your agreements indetail, and look for any mention ofan insurance payment – it may beworded as 'payment cover', a 'pro-tection plan', 'ASU', 'loan protec-tion', 'loan care' or similar. If you'reunsure, contact the lender and ask.If you find you've been paying for

PPI you didn't know about, it's worthinvestigating. But note that if you

weren't actually misinformed about,or mis-sold, PPI you're unlikely tohave a case, and there's little pointin starting a claim without goodgrounds.HOW FAR BACK CAN I CLAIM?If your account was still ACTIVE inthe last six years you can claim. Soa loan taken out 11 years ago,repaid in full five years ago is fine.In rare cases you can go back fur-ther.IS IT WORTH TRYING AGAIN?If you were turned down a few yearsago, it is certainly worth applyingagain as many banks were turningrequests down before new guide-lines came into effect in May 2011.SHOULD I USE CLAIMS COMPANY?Payouts are so widespread that awhole side business has grown upalongside the payouts in helpingpeople claim.However, these people will chargeyou a large chunk of any money yousuccessfully claim back, when youcan deal with it yourself by sendinga few simple letters.WHAT HELP IS AVAILABLE?www.moneysavingexpert.com is afree website which answer any ques-tions you may have about PPI andhow to claim it back. They also havefree templates for any letter youmay need to send in pursuing infor-mation and making an actual claimin respect of mis-sold PPI payments. WHAT SHOULD I WATCH OUT FOR?Not all PPI deals were mis-sold.Check that you did not willingly signup for a deal in the full knowledgethat it was optional and not essen-tial. However, the majority of thesedeals were mis-sold.

No need to panic over those PPI(payment protection insurance) calls

IN MEMORIAM

23

DOUGIE DAVIES, formerly aJoiner with John LaingConstruction, South WestRegion, died on Wednesday28 December 2011. He was91 and retired in 1985 after11 years’ service.

MICHAEL DILL, formerly anAssociate Scientist, withLTG, died on Saturday 7January 2012. He was 71and retired in 2000 after 31years’ service.

ALAN FOSKETT, formerly aCommercial Manager with CE Sizewell B, died on Friday27 January 2012. He was 74and retired in 1992 after 37years’ service.

EVELYN HALL, formerly aClerical Officer with EPL,died on Monday 23 January2012. She was 86 andretired in 1985 after 13years’ service.

GLYNN JONES, formerly aGanger with John LaingConstruction, North westregion, died on Tuesday 13December 2011. He was 76and retired in 1997 after 38years’ service.

ROBERT KERR, formerly aChecker, with Civils, diedon Thursday 19 January2012. He was 90 andretired in 1980 after 10years’ service.

ROY BAILEY, formerly aProject Manager with LaingLimited, Midlands region, diedon Friday 13 January 2012.He was 82 and retired in 1990after 33 years’ service.

OLIVE BEALES, formerly aSenior Clerical Officer, withResearch & Development,died on Monday 14 November2011. She was 93 and retiredin 1981 after 18 years’ serv-ice.

DONALD BILHAM, formerlyChief QS with John LaingBuilding Division, Mill Hill,died on Saturday 7 January2012. He was 97 and retiredin 1974 after 34 years’ serv-ice.

JOHN COSTELLO, formerly aFitter with John LaingConstruction, MidlandsRegion, died on Friday, 3February 2012. He was 94and retired in 1981 after 16years’ service.

JOHN CRAY, formerly a PlantInspector with EPL, died onTuesday, 14 February 2012.He was 83 and retired in 1991after 40 years’ service.

ERNEST CRIPPS, formerly aGeneral Foreman with Civils,died on Friday 9 December2011. He was 99 and retiredin 1977 after 22 years’ serv-ice.

JOHN LAMBERT, formerlyCatering Services Managerwith Plant & Transport,Borehamwood, died on Friday16 December 2011. He was95 and retired in 1981 after46 years’ service.

JACK MACKENZIE, formerlya Chargehand Joiner withLaing Scotland, died onTuesday 6 December 2011.He was 73 and retired in2000 after 25 years’ service.

PATRICK (PETER) MCCABE,formerly a Crane Driver withEPL, died on Tuesday 13December 2011. He was 84and retired in 1992 after 29years’ service.

DICK ROBLEY, formerly aForeman Joiner with LaingNorthern region, died onSaturday 24 December 2011.He was 77 and retired in1993 after 31 years’ service.

JOHN ROSSITER, formerly anAccounts Supervisor, withJohn Laing Construction,South west region, died onWednesday 16 November2011. He was 73 and retired in1995 after 26 years’ service.

JOHN SHAW, formerly a PlantInspector with EPL, died onTuesday, 31 January 2012.He was 88 and retired in1988 after 26 years’ service.