muddy marvellous - Crown Pet Foods

Crown Pet Foods
MUDDY MARVELLOUS
KNOWLEDGE & RESPECT
for charity
Having had firsthand experience of
the wonderful work of Macmillan
nurses after her grandfather was
diagnosed with terminal cancer,
Lian Denyer decided she wanted to
give something back to the charity
as a thank you from her family. And
she certainly didn't pick the easy
option as a fundraising venture.
Just before Christmas she
completed the gruelling eight mile
off road challenge known as 'The
Grim8' which is held over the
Army's vehicle testing tracks near
Aldershot. And in doing so, she's
raised nearly £300 for Macmillan
Cancer Support.
February 2014
Lian is one of our Office Business
Advisors here in Castle Cary
and she had to clamber over 3
hills, a huge sand dune, a crater,
23 moguls and 84 tyres, crawl
through 2 camouflage nets and
wade through a knee deep bog in
order to complete the challenging
course. But she says she lost
count of the number of large
puddles she ran through during
the 2 hours and 9 minutes ordeal!
"It really was tough going but
everyone was willing us on every
step of the way and there were
quite a few 'cheer points' to give
us extra encouragement when the
COMPETITION TIME!
WIN
Welcome
Lian picks herself up (again) after stumbling in The Grim8 bog!
legs were beginning to complain.
I was really pleased to cross the
finishing line as, despite feeling
totally exhausted, there was a real
sense of personal achievement.
And, of course, I'm absolutely
delighted to have raised so much
money for such a fantastic charity."
New RECRUITS
February is a time for spoiling
your loved one, so we’ve
teamed up with The Bakehouse
of Castle Cary to offer you the
opportunity to win a meal for
two at this popular Thai restaurant. The offer includes a meal for
2 people to the value of £30 per person and a complimentary bottle of
wine kindly supplied by The Bakehouse.
What is the name of the charity where Marianne Lomberg
volunteers to look after sick and injured hedgehogs?
LAST COMPETITION WINNER
Congratulations to Peter Davies who correctly answered that our team
of cyclists covered 54 miles from London to Brighton in aid of Dogs
for the Disabled. Peter and his daughter enjoyed a luxurious spa day
at Bannatyne’s Charlton House Spa Hotel near Shepton Mallet where
the spa also kindly provided a complimentary 30 minute treatment.
Please respect the
environment and
recycle responsibly
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C O M M U N I T Y M AT T E R S
FEBRUARY 2014
I am so pleased to have welcomed 13 new members of staff to our
family from the surrounding areas during the last year – check out
the photo on the back page to see if this includes anyone you know!
We feel very privileged to be able to support various local ventures –
I am pleased to hear how well Osian has settled into his role as the
‘class pooch’ at Ansford Academy – read on to also hear about other
projects taking place in the local community and with romance in the
air, take a look at our February competition to be in with a chance to
win a tasty Thai meal for two at The Bakehouse in the High Street –
Good Luck everyone!
Jean-Lin Pelatan.
TEACHER'S PET
gets top marks
To be in with a chance to win this scrumptious prize, all you need to
do is send your answer to the following question to Kate Shouls at
Crown Pet Foods, Oak Tree Meadow, Blackworthy Road, Castle Cary,
Somerset, BA7 7PH or contact Kate at kate.shouls@royalcanin.com
or on 01963 353 042 by Friday 14th March:
Q
W
elcome to our February issue of
Community Matters! With 2014 well
under way, I can look back at 2013
and remember many great events such as our
company family fun day back in the Summer.
It was great to spend the day with so many local
people who are family members of our valued
employees. As you will surely recollect and see
from the photos, the August Bank Holiday was definitely a scorcher
– something we long for during these wetter times!
Some of our new recruits from 2013 - from left to right: Dominic Stickland,
Thomas Longley-Hurcom, Carol Dowell, Nicola Mewse and Laura Cooper.
Over the past twelve months, no less than 38 new people have joined
Crown Pet Foods to fill new roles within the business or, in many cases, to
replace people who have been promoted to other positions within our
company. More than two thirds of these new starters are based in our head
office and production facility here in Castle Cary - and most of them live
locally. You may recognise some familiar faces from the local community
in this photo of some of our new recruits.
Contact us
Please contact us with your questions or comments by phone
(9am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday and answering machine at
other times) or email.
Email customerservices@crownpetfoods.co.uk
Phone 01963 353 305
Website www.crownpetfoods.co.uk
‘Osian’ the Border Collie/Poodle x puppy – the new school pooch at
Ansford Academy – has proved to be a real hit with students and teachers
alike since arriving at the end of the last school year and has just received
a mark of 100% in his puppy training class. Now, after an intensive
summer of training, he’s playing an active role in a wide range of
educational projects and student welfare initiatives at the Academy and
even has his place booked for this year's Duke of Edinburgh expedition.
The introduction of Osian is a pioneering venture supported by Crown
Pet Foods that builds on the success of the Academy's earlier
introduction of chickens, pigmy goats and bees. According to Alyson
Evans, the Academy's Head of DT and Art and the owner of 'Osian', the
initiative is a regional first and she's delighted with the way that Osian
has settled into his new academic surroundings.
"It's still early days, but student interaction is already really good. His
favourite sport is football - he loves running off with the ball and, with his
tail wagging furiously, being chased by the students. And his favourite
lesson is horticulture, although he does tend to come back from the
allotment beds exhausted and very muddy!”
Ansford Academy's decision to proceed with the initiative followed a
presentation of research findings by Year 11 students to the entire
school and a thorough student consultation and Questions and Answers
programme. The chosen breed was selected for intelligence, reliable
behaviour and a very low risk of allergy.
Alyson Evans, Ansford Academy's Head of DT and Art, holding Osian the puppy;
with Academy students and Trevor Beaton (back), Retail Business Manager for
Royal Canin at Crown Pet Foods.
"The staff and pupils have really thought this through and there's been
a great deal of planning behind the scenes," adds Alyson. “I know many
other schools across the region are watching our progress in this area
with interest and very much hope to follow our lead."
C O M M U N I T Y M AT T E R S
FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 1
A spine warming
EXPERIENCE
Not long after joining us last year as part of our veterinary marketing
team, Marianne Lomberg heard about Prickles Hedgehog Rescue and
became involved as one of the charity’s volunteers.
"A typical day starts with cleaning the crates of all the sick and injured
hogs in the centre which normally takes a team of volunteers around
three hours to complete," says Marianne. "Then the nursing shift starts
where we treat any of the sick or injured hogs brought in from Bristol,
Bath, North Somerset and around the Mendips.
"We do basic parasite tests on the in-house microscope, but we rely on
the vets at the Bristol Vet School in Langford for complex diagnoses.
Finally, at around 4pm, the hogs start waking up (they are nocturnal
creatures) and we get a new team of volunteers in to help give them their
favourite food – a mix of dry and wet food and dried mealworms. Imagine
my surprise when I discovered that Royal Canin Babycat is one of the
foods the hoglets do best on!"
ONESIES
A vet herself, who qualified and worked in practice in South Africa,
Marianne now tries to spend a day every fortnight at the charity's
treatment and rehabilitation centre in Cheddar - the hogspital! At the
moment, there are around 130 hogs which are too small or too weak to
hibernate safely so they're overwintering at the centre prior to being
released back into the wild.
for Pudsey
The picture is of a little hedgehog which was attacked by another animal. She is
doing very well and is on track for release in the Spring. For more information on
Prickles Hedgehog Rescue, visit http://www.prickleshedgehogrescue.org.uk/.
Tears of
"It was great fun and we're really pleased that so much money was
raised for such a good cause," says Lisa White one of the organising
team. "In fact, there seems to be real enthusiasm for it to become
compulsory to wear a onesie to work!"
SUCCESS
There are not many launch events considered
to be a success when they end in tears. But
that's exactly what happened at the very well
attended launch of Cinema in Caryford. There
was barely a dry eye in the house as the film
chosen for the first film evening at Caryford Hall
was a recently released crowd-pleasing tear
jerker, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Terence
Stamp, called 'Song for Marion'. Despite the
wet hankies, the event was a huge success.
Organised by two local film enthusiasts,
Jeannie Thannisch and Tessa Gayford, Cinema
in Caryford aims to provide the local community
with direct access to big films on their doorstep
rather than having to travel to Yeovil, Street or
Wells. Crown Pet Foods is delighted to be
offering support for future screenings as this
exciting new community venture looks to build
on the excellent early feedback it has received
from local people.
"It's going to take time for us to be seen as a
regular feature within the local entertainment
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C O M M U N I T Y M AT T E R S
At the end of November, balloons, posters and bunting around our
offices in Castle Cary marked a special fund-raising day in support of
Children in Need which featured 'Wear a Onesie to Work', a Grand Raffle
with more than 30 prizes and a Cake and Bake sale in the canteen. The
event was organised by the Retail Sales Support Team at Crown Pet
Foods and raised just under £700 for the charity thanks to the generosity
of colleagues and their friends and families - not to mention the terrific
support of local businesses.
CROWN BACKS NEW
THRONE FOR TOWN
The efforts of a small group of local residents has helped to
secure the approval and financial backing for a toilet to be
re-opened within the existing toilet block (which has been closed
for a number of years) on the town's playing fields and next to
the well-used children's' play area. Crown Pet Foods is pleased
to be providing financial support for this refurbishment work
which includes the provision of wheelchair access to the toilet.
With the Town Council's enthusiastic support, it is hoped that
the renovations will be completed by Easter and we'll provide
an update in the next issue of Community Matters!
REMEMBERING THE FUN in the summer sun
We held another Family Fun Day for staff and their friends and families from around the local area here at Oak Tree Meadow at the end of last
summer. It was great fun in the sun and here are a couple of photos of youngsters at the event to bring back some of those memories from the
wonderful summer of 2013.
Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips - Photograph courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing (UK).
scene and for the venue to become established
as a home for silver screen enthusiasts", says
Tessa. "But the initial response has been
tremendous and we very much hope the
venture will continue to be well supported in the
months and years to come as the viability of
such an initiative is entirely dependent on local
support - like we're getting from Crown Pet
Foods - and good audience figures."
FEBRUARY 2014
Films for Cinema in Caryford are supplied by
Moviola, a south west charity which is one of
Europe's largest rural film schemes. Future films
for 2014 are Captain Phillips on 25th February,
the acclaimed maritime drama starring Tom
Hanks; and, Philomena on 25th March, a British
drama featuring Dame Judi Dench and Steve
Coogan. For details of screen timings and
tickets, contact Tessa on 01963 350 132. Tickets
are also available from The Bailey Hill Bookshop.
C O M M U N I T Y M AT T E R S
FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 3