ROCKFACE THE WAINWRIGHT NEWSLETTER SPRING / SUMMER 2018 ISSUE 15 WELCOME It has long been my belief that Wainwright is a business with a social conscience. We understand, just as our forebears in the company understood, that we have a responsibility to make a positive contribution to the wellbeing of our neighbours and the landscape in which we live and work. Looking through the pages of this issue of Rockface, I feel as if that is our story this spring. Time and again in what follows you’ll read of Wainwright people making a difference: through their involvement in activities such as the litter pick organised with the support of the Mendip Quarry Producers, or their educational and careers And, fundamentally, it is why we established outreach work among young people in our the Wainwright Futures Foundation in communities. Or through individual gestures 2016. On course to have distributed well like taking part in charity challenges, or over £20,000 within just two years of its sponsoring colleagues as they test their launch, that is a legacy of which the current mettle in long-distance runs, cycle rides and generation of Wainwright employees can feel even boxing matches. very proud. In these ways, the individuals in our company Of course, what makes it all possible is our participate in our corporate ethos. We have ongoing commercial success, which is also always cared about doing the right thing, well attested to in what follows by reference whether that’s in our treatment of people or to our high-profile resurfacing of the Castle the world around us. Combe Circuit, for instance, or our growing asphalt business. In the midst of challenging That is why I am pleased to nuture our market conditions, we’re consolidating our association with the Mid Somerset growth and building for the future. Agricultural Society, which led to us sponsoring its annual hedge-laying So allow me to pay tribute to the people who competition in February and celebrating an make Wainwright what it is, who understand ancient rural craft. It is why I am delighted to what we’re all about, are proud of it, and accept invitations as an ambassador for our work tirelessly to embody it day by day. business, and for our industry, speaking at public forums and ensuring our perspective Enjoy the read, and best wishes for the is heard. months ahead. EDITORIAL Editor: Tim Gibson Editorial Consultant: Joni Stoker Design & Origination: George Bridgeman Additional Photography: Ian Sweetman Peter Barkwill, Chief Executive DESIGN & PRINT New Century Design, The Studio, Hare Lane, Buckland Saint Mary, Somerset TA20 3JS | www.newcenturydesign.co.uk CONTACT DETAILS John Wainwright & Co. Ltd, Moons Hill Quarry, Mendip Road, Stoke St Michael, Radstock, Somerset BA3 5JU | 01749 840274 | [email protected] PORTABLE FORMAT DOCUMENTS Rockface is also available in electronic format from www.wainwright.co.uk RACING AHEAD AT CASTLE COMBE WAINWRIGHT CONTRACTING RECENTLY RESURFACED THE ICONIC RACEWAY IN WILTSHIRE. If you want to test the performance of premium asphalt, few environments are more suitable than a professional racing circuit. That is why Wainwright Contracting was delighted to lay more than 1,100 tonnes of proprietary Trackphalt material at Castle Combe Circuit in Wiltshire in February. The material is designed to enhance both grip and smoothness, ensuring optimum performance at high speed. It was manufactured at Wainwright Asphalt’s Avonmouth plant near Bristol and will receive a stern test in the months and years ahead. As a local landmark among motorsports enthusiasts, Castle Combe was a high-profile project for Wainwright’s rapidly expanding Contracting business. Three paving machines were on site at the track during the project, with operatives deploying a method known as ‘echelon paving’ to lay the material. This involves laying asphalt side by side and in sequence to minimise surfacing joints, ensuring the very highest standards of longevity, smoothness and strength. 4 | Rockface: The Wainwright Newsletter Rockface: The Wainwright Newsletter | 5 RACING THROUGH THE AGES A BRIEF HISTORY OF CASTLE COMBE Castle Combe was an RAF airbase cars, GTs and Formula Ford, as well during the Second World War, before as a Hot Hatch Challenge that has being decommissioned in 1948. Two proved wildly popular among fast-car years later, the first motorsport event enthusiasts from across Europe. took place on the newly opened racing circuit – a meet organised by In addition to being used as a Bristol Motorcycle and Light Car Club. backdrop for competitive motorsport, the circuit is open to the public It wasn’t long before Castle Combe for driving experiences and track Circuit became an important location days. These give visitors a chance to “After undertaking some resurfacing of the circuit in among car and motorcycle racing experience the thrill of driving on a 2015, Wainwright has maintained a strong relationship enthusiasts. Over the years, it has professional race track, with expert with Castle Combe,” said Matthew Moore, Wainwright’s WE’VE EFFECTIVELY DEMONSTRATED THE hosted Formula Three races as well tuition available from seasoned Operations Manager – Contracting. “We were then chosen as the British GT Championship. racing drivers. as the preferred contractor to resurface the rest of the VERSATILITY OF OUR PRODUCTS, AND track this year – a big project that we were delighted to Now, the circuit is home to three club To find out more about Castle Combe take on.” THE SKILL OF OUR SURFACING TEAM championships involving saloon Circuit, visit castlecombecircuit.co.uk Not only did the contract require exemplary organisation and workmanship from Wainwright Contracting’s team. It also pulled in expertise from other areas of the company. ” For example, the sales team worked hard to manage the order book and ensure a ready supply of materials to all of the projects in progress during the period. Meanwhile, the technical team ensured the Trackphalt specification met Castle Combe’s precise needs. “With Wainwright Asphalt producing the materials, this really was an impressive effort across the business,” explained Operations Director Wayne McKeown. “It shows how, thanks to Wainwright’s growth, we can deliver on complex projects and keep well on top of our ever- expanding daily operations.” “The Castle Combe project was managed superbly by Matthew Moore and his team of operatives,” added Contracting Director Lee Seviour. “It was a fantastic piece of work to be involved in, which has given us great profile regionally. By rising to the technical challenge posed in the context of a racing circuit, we’ve effectively demonstrated the versatility of our products, and the skill of our surfacing team.” Photos courtesy of Trackside Images, Tim Crisp & EDP Photo News 6 | Rockface: The Wainwright Newsletter Rockface: The Wainwright Newsletter | 7 Drive along the Old Wells Road to the south of Wainwright’s Moons Hill Quarry and you’ll see a beautiful sight: yards of perfectly laid hedges, embodying a rural craft that has existed for generations. That’s because Wainwright hosted, and sponsored, the Mid- Somerset Agricultural Society’s annual hedge-laying competition, which was held on Sunday, 18 February 2018. As a result, the hedges bounding one of its fields near to Cranmore Tower were laid by rural craftspeople competing in both Open and Amateur Classes. Wainwright’s involvement with the event stemmed from Chief Executive Peter Barkwill’s tenure as President of the Society, which ended in March with a celebratory lunch and presentation. As a local landowner, Wainwright has a stake in the vibrancy of the region’s farming communities, and – crucially – was able to provide ready access to the quantity of hedging needed for such an important event. “I have a keen interest in traditional rural crafts, and greatly enjoyed watching the skills of the competitors during the hedge-laying event,” said Peter. “It’s so important that we keep local farming cultures and traditions alive and thriving, not least so we can inspire the next generation to take them up and continue enhancing our beautiful landscapes.” Peter was on hand throughout the day, along with colleagues from Wainwright, to enjoy the event and share in the hospitality being laid on by the company. He awarded cash prizes to the winners and runners-up in each category, as well as certificates recording their impressive achievement. “It was a great day, and I was pleased to be involved,” he reported. “Not only was the event itself highly enjoyable, but it’s great to see the laid hedges as I drive past – they look stunning, and speak eloquently of the skills displayed by competitors.” GETTING HANDS-ON WITH HEDGES “Although agriculture has seen vast technological advances, it is generally held that there is still no machine which can replicate the skilled work of the hedge layer.” So says the website of the National Hedge-Laying Society, in a fitting reflection of the talents of its members. Hedge laying remains an important rural craft, and events such as the Mid Somerset Agricultural Society’s annual competition help exponents of the technique refine their skills. When hedgerows were removed from farms in the years after the Second World War, many foresaw the demise of hedge laying as a rural pastime. Those hedges that remained were often poorly maintained, becoming little more than rows of CELEBRATING AN trees as boundaries were replaced by wire fences. By the 1970s, a backlash had begun against scrubbing hedges, and a process of reinstating them commenced. This picked up pace in the 1990s, with the introduction of farming subsidies ANCIENT RURAL CRAFT designed to enhance biodiversity. As a result, hedge laying enjoyed a resurgence as a tried-and- WAINWRIGHT WAS PROUD TO SPONSOR THE MID-SOMERSET AGRICULTURAL tested means of creating attractive, livestock-proof boundaries that provide the ideal habitat for a variety of wildlife.