Something to celebrate: Transaid is celebrating its tenth year of operation with a Royal Gala Ball at the Imperial War Museum in London on 9th October 2008. The charity was the brainchild of the Princess Royal and works with the UK transport and logistics industry to build local skills and knowledge to make transport safer, cheaper and more effective in Africa. The ball will be hosted by the Princess Royal, and will celebrate ten years of successful projects throughout Africa and the developing world, as well as the official launch of its pioneering Professional Driver Training Institute Project in Zambia. To attend this event, please contact the Transaid marketing team at 020 7387 8136 or visit its web site: www.transaid.org
Mini winner: the winner of the YouGovCentaur research panel prize draw is Rob Spicer of Liverpool who became a panelist only a few months ago. He is pictured, left, picking up the keys to a new Mini Cooper at the Park Lane MiNi showroom from Alki Manias, managing director of YouGovCentaur, who manages our Supply Chain panel. Rob said: “I am delighted to have won, especially as I joined the panel to give my views on industry topics that I knew would be voiced in my industry magazine.” Alki said: “I congratulate Rob and would invite readers to join the Supply Chain panel so that they can voice their expert opinions to their industry peers and also have a chance to win exciting rewards every time they do so.” To join the Supply Chain panel, go to http://supplychain.yougovcentaur.com
Singing for Simon: City Sprint motorcycle courier Adam Mandy swapped his bike for a mike when he entered the latest series of The X Factor. He and his sister Sarah made it through three rounds of auditions with the show’s producers before performing in front of judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole at the Arsenal Emirates Stadium in London. Adam said: “We were quite calm until the audition at Emirates Stadium… when you’re standing on stage with Simon Cowell and all the other judges in front of you it does get a little bit intimidating.” Unfortunately for the pop star wannabe, he and his sister were knocked out before the boot camp stage of the competition, so it’s back to the day job.
Put your lips together and… Less than a third of people would blow the whistle on their employer if they broke health and safety laws, according to a YouGov poll commissioned by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. Only 28 per cent of people would report their company or organisation to the Health and Safety Executive if it was in breach of health and safety legislation. However, 35 per cent would report their line manager or supervisor to their boss if they felt there was a risk they or a colleague could get hurt at work, 74 per cent would tell their line manager or supervisor if they felt there was a risk they or a colleague could get hurt at work, and 50 per cent would tell their colleagues if they felt there was a risk they or a colleague could get hurt at work. Ray Hurst, the president of IOSH, said: “Blowing the whistle on employers isn’t something you do lightly. But if your employer won’t act and you’re genuinely concerned for your own or others’ safety, it’s certainly not something you should be afraid of doing.”
Not ready for the scrapheap yet: she might be a bit scruffy, but this Mitsubishi FD20 truck has just celebrated 25 years service with Manchester’s Descaling Services. As the company’s only fork lift truck, reliability and easy serviceability are absolutely necessary. Working with corrosive pickling acids and chemical descalers may have affected the FD20’s looks, but, says assistant works engineer Paul Warburton: “It’s not looks that count. Our Mitsubishi has been long-lasting, strong and robust. She’s put to the test every day and – looks or no looks – she always passes.”
Educating Archie: the sculptor of the Fork Lift Truck Association’s ‘Archie’ Awards has won a commission to create a statue of football legend Brian Clough for Nottingham’s city centre. The former Sunderland footballer was a controversial figure who never failed to speak his mind. Famously, upon receipt of his OBE he quipped that the award stood for “Old Big ‘Ead”. Les Johnson’s model of the statue, selected unanimously by a panel of judges which included Brian Clough’s widow, was also the most popular choice among fans. The Johnson-designed Archie award is modelled on Archimedes, the father of engineering. The FLTA is now inviting nominations from across the materials handling industry. The awards ceremony will be held at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on Valentine’s Day – 14th February 2009.
