employees’ news - laing past and present - home...development of 22.5 miles of managed lanes along...

WINTER 2017

Employees’

NewsRetired

PREMIUM BONDSWere you part of a John Laing Premium Bonds syndicate?

HOSPITAL STORYThe Chelsea and Westminster Hospital 25 years later on.

CENTENARIES One reader and two John Laing churches marking 100 years.

MAIN NEWS

2 John Laing Retired Employees’ NEWS

CONTENTS

Company news 3-4 Stories from John Laing Group plc.

Charitable Trust news 5 Some of the good causes receiving funding.

Team Spirit Past 6-9News from 25 and 50 years ago.

Special feature 10-11Lasting Powers of Attorney judge makes the

case for using deputies

Readers’ news 12-13 Meet the new Welfare Officer and read the

tributes to Anna Stewart.

Chelsea and Westminster 14-15 The landmark London hospital 25 years on.

Laing past and present 16Meet the person who had saved 15 lives by the

age of 15 and check out the retiree website.

Sir John’s churches 17Two churches celebrating 100 years.

Club news 18-19Meet the centenarian member and find out all

the upcoming events plus how to have our say.

Your anniversaries 20-21Two (and a bit) pages of special anniversaries.

News for the Third Age 22Bookies have their say on the winter weather,

the final Christmas postage dates and more.

In Memoriam 23

Times they are a changing...QUITE a few people have said to me that they are not at all fond of the new £1 coins. I suppose that - as a society - many are naturally opposed to change.

Seriously though, I have absolutely no idea about some of the language changes. My daughters have begun referring to me as ‘OG’. I am assured that this is quite normal and that it is a term of affection which is short for ‘Old Gangster’.

These problems are minor compared to the grandmother featured recently in the national media whose text messages have been transformed since family members told her that ‘WTF’ was text speak for ‘Wow, that’s fabulous’.

Change is inevitable and there are plenty of signposts in the news. For example, in Japan, which has the world’s oldest population, 700 elderly drivers recently lost their licences after annual cognitive testing for drivers aged 75+ was brought in.

The current Company news (pages 3-4) shows how business is moving on - and I wonder how many of you know the employee currently celebrating 30 years with the Group?

Centenaries figure widely in this issue too. Aside from Bill Malcolm becoming our most recent 100-year-old reader (page 19), two churches within a few miles of each other mark the same anniversary since John Laing built them (page 17).

It may only be 25 years since The Chelsea and Westminster Hospital was opened, but it has helped millions of people in that time and was a landmark project as you will see on pages 14 and 15. You might also be surprised at some of the facts.

When it comes to heroes, at this time of remembrance, find out about Charles William Edwin Jewell. He died in service of his country, but had saved 15 lives by the age of 15 (page 16).

There’s plenty more news and information besides and - of course - dodgy jokes.

One change in which most generations can share is a general desire to keep as fit as possible. A friend of mine, recently decided it was high time he made an effort and took up boxing. Because of his age, he needed to go for a medical. A few days later the doctor called him and said: “I’m sorry to inform you that you have got sugar diabetes.” My friend was delighted by this and said: “Great, when do I fight him?”

For those of you who aren’t boxing fans, during a recent bank robbery, one robber’s mask slid down - briefly revealing his face. He looked at a man and asked: “Did you see my face?” The terrified witness replied: “Yes!” and the robber shot him. Then the robber asked a woman: “Did you see my face?” “No,” she replied: “But I think my husband over there did.”

Here’s hoping you have a lovely festive period and 2018.

Alex Finkenrath

RETIRED EMPLOYEES’ NEWSAlex Finkenrath, C/O 33 Bunns Lane,

Mill Hill, London, NW7 2DX. Tel: 0207 901 3429 Mob: 07921 831780Email: [email protected]

Other correspondence:John Laing Charitable Trust, 33 Bunns

Lane, London, NW7 2DXTel: 020 8959 9683

Pensions Department:Mr Phil Wilson, Pensions and Payroll

Manager, John Laing, 1 Kingsway, London, WC2B 6AN.

Email: [email protected]: 020 7901 3200Printed by: White Hart Press, Bedford.

COVER SHOT: St John The Evangelist at Eastriggs near Gretna - one of two churches built in the area by Sir John celebrating their centenaries this year. See full story on page 17.

SPRING ISSUE DEADLINE: January 31, 2018

CONTENTS

COMPANY NEWS

John Laing Retired Employees’ NEWS 3

Wind farm delivers a new current from seaMORE than the tide is turning in the North Sea where the Nordergründe off-shore wind-farm turbines have exported their first renewable energy.

It is hoped that all 18 multi-megawatt wind turbines will be operational by the end of the year generating 110.7 MW of renewable energy.

The Project is located about 15 km northeast of the island Wangerooge and to the north of the city of Wilhelmshaven.

The Offshore Sub Station (OSS) was successfully installed at the end of September 2017 with the biggest European crane vessel RAMBIZ.

John Laing Offshore Technical Director Robert Jilg said: “I had the opportuntiy to visit the offshore site Nordergründe and I stayed for two days on the vessel MPI Resolution, which was jacked up in front of the OSS to allow 24/7 commissioning works.

“Featured in these pictures are some Interesting rope access operations on the OSS - not by me, although I would have liked to do so.”

Each of the 18 turbines has a rated

output of 6.15 MW and are now perfectly prepared for action.

The Project reached financial close in June 2015. It is being developed by experienced German wind developer WPD with Final Take Over due in March 2018.

John Laing Group plc (JL) acquired a 30% stake in the project on June 2016.

Workers on a giant Nordergründe turbine in the North Sea.

Another big US road win

Aerial shot of Europe’s biggest crane vessel

Rambiz which was used to complete the off

shore sub station for the Nordergründe wind farm

THE Company has secured involvement in a $2.4 billion road contract in North America.

The Transform 66 P3 Project (Outside the Beltway) in northern Virginia involves development of 22.5 miles of managed lanes along the 1-66 coridor in the Washington DC suburbs.

Managed lanes are dedicated toll lanes within an existing highway corridor and typically use variable tolling to provide users the option of a reliable travel time. The implementation of managed lanes in the US is increasing primarily as a means of addressing growing congestion issues in dense urban corridors. John Laing’s equity commitment is $152.3 million, excluding $3m contingent equity, for a 10% interest in the project company. The Company is investing alongside Cintra (50%), Meridiam (26.7%) and APG (13.3%).

The total concession period for the project is 50 years from Commercial Close, which was reached by Cintra and Meridiam last December.

John Laing CEO Olivier Brousse said: “Following the I-77 in 2015, this is our second investment in managed lanes in the US. We see managed lanes as attractive and sophisticated projects which enable us to deploy our investment expertise. Because they provide an effective solution to address urban congestion, we see them as a growing asset class in the future.”

COMPANY NEWS


TRANSPORT Secretary Chris Grayling was among the passengers on the first scheduled IEP train and praised the new rolling stock.

Just before setting off on the inaugural Intercity Express Project (IEP) Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington on October 16, he said: “These are the smartest trains in the country, probably the best we have ever had in the country.This is going to be a fantastic service, really regular trains and far more capacity.”

The new Hitachi 800 Intercity Express train is set to bring a large number of benefits to passengers.

The trains are currently operating to present high-speed train timetables. When the change to inter city express is made in 2019, passengers will see the full benefit of faster journey times, higher frequency and improved capacity.”

The expected time savings on the current quickest journeys are:n London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads - up to 17 minutesn London Paddington to Swansea - up to 14 minutesn London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa - up to 11 minutes

n London Paddington to Hereford via Oxford - up to 10 minutes

Not everything went according to plan for the maiden voyage, which was delayed by 40 minutes due to a number of ‘technical difficulties’.

Karen Boswell, the managing director of Hitachi, also on board said: “I want to say to passengers that we are really sorry that the first service from Bristol didn’t go as planned today.” She added that Hitachi was investigating the ‘root causes’ of the problems.

Since then GWR have been running two of the new trains in amongst its existing fleet without further incident and a further two trains were due to enter passenger operations in November 2017.

The IEP covers the finance, design, manufacture, delivery into daily service and maintenance over 27.5 years of a fleet of state-of-the-art Super Express trains for the Great Western Main Line (GWML Phase 1) and the East Coast Main Line (ECML Phase 2).

Valued at £5.8 billion it is still one of the biggest UK public private partnerships (PPP) awarded.

New high speed trains launched into service

CEO’S PFI INTERVIEW DURING an interview in the FT John Laing Chief Exec Olivier Brousse has said

that the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) has lost ‘public goodwill’ and needs ‘reinventing’. Describing John Laing as one of the UK’s biggest providers of PFI projects, the article quotes the CEO as saying that the UK has a ‘significant and urgent’ need for infrastructure, but that the PFI scheme is ‘no longer fit for purpose’. The number of PFIs in the UK has fallen sharply since the financial crisis with only a few underway in a remodelled version.

30 YEARS AND COUNTINGKelvin Fernandes celebrated 30 years with the John Laing Group. He joined Mill

Hill head office on November 2, 1987. In this time he has seen the Company undergo a number of changes all of which - he says - adversely impacted on his hairline. Kelvin added: “I have enjoyed my time with the Company and have met so many wonderful colleagues. “One highlight was finally winning the Laing Fantasy Football League last year – although I’ve had more tries than most.”

STADIUM OPEN TO PUBLICPerth Stadium has received the Occupancy Certificate meaning it can now be used by the public. All systems have been commissioned and are operational.

A new high speed Intercity Express Programme (IEP) train comes into service


JOHN LAING CHARITABLE TRUST NEWS

Trust helps rowers in wake of forced moveTHE John Laing Charitable Trust (Trust) was happy to stick its oar in to help a rowing club provide sporting opportunities to school pupils.

Bournemouth Rowing Club (BRC)was forced to move when its 144-year lease was terminated to make way for a seafront development.

At first the membership dwindled, but the 165-year-old club embarked upon a fresh initiative of working with local state schools which has attracted so many new members that there is now a waiting list.

The Trust made a contribution towards a new safety boat at the club.

All staff at the club are volunteers, with backgrounds as ex-professional rowers from the military, public service and the private sector.

They devote their time and pass on their experience to help others to progress in the sport. Parents are also encouraged to participate in all aspects of running the club.

Their limited funds are spent on day to day running costs, regatta entry fees, boat and public liability insurance, fuel, hiring a tow vehicle to transport boats to regattas, boat

and building maintenance and subsidising junior members’ club clothing.

The Club’s Head Coach and Vice-Captain, Alvin Ranson, said the purchase of a new boat will enable current junior crews to progress and compete with the more established clubs and schools. One crew from the initial junior school intake has recently won bronze at the National Schools Championship.

Singalong group’s memorable boostTHE Musical Memories group is about much more than just singing songs.

The group, which meets each week at Kirkbymoorside Church, is open to anyone of any ability, but it is often those with memory problems who benefit most.

Retiree Harold Hulse said: “This is an hour’s singing on Tuesday mornings of all the old well loved songs.

“It is lovely to see those with memory problems - their faces

light up when they sing a song they recall.”

The Trust has donated money which will ensure that the meetings can continue and that those attending can enjoy a cup of tea and biscuit with their singing.

Organisers say it is the perfect opportunity to get together in a social setting, reminisce, make new friends and sing.

Harold added: “My wife and I both find this the most enjoyable hour of our week.”

John Laing Director and Trustee of the John Laing Charitable Trust Chris Waples (centre) meets one of the crews

FUNDING from the Trust is helping The Silver Line to kerb isolation for older people at peak times of loneliness.The charity, set up by Dame Esther Rantzen, operates the only confidential, free helpline for older people across the UK - open 24/7.The charity states that five million people aged over-65 in the UK live alone and just over one million people over-65 in the UK say they are always, or often feel, lonely.Most of the calls are received at weekends and at night. Those calling the helpline find:• information, friendship and advice.• Links to local groups and services.• regular friendship calls.• Protection and support if they are suffering abuse and neglect.The helpline contact number is: 0800 4 70 80 90. You can also call this number if interested in volunteering or visit www.thesilverline.org.uk.

Silver Line’s peak help

MAIN NEWSTEAM SPIRIT 50 YEARS AGO - 1967

WORK started on nine-and-a-half miles of the M6 motorway betweenKillington and Tebay (pictured right) in Westmorland. Mrs Barbara Castle, Minister of Transport, accepted the Company’s £11.7million tender (over £1million a mile).The new motorway would run through the Lune Gorge, a famousbeauty spot of Westmorland. That made for complicated engineeringchallenges and the carriageways were stepped one above theother on the hillside. This section was part of the 36-and-a-half miles of new motorway connectingthe Lancaster by-pass with thePenrith by-pass which was also under construction. It was beingstarted first - despite lying about half way along the route - because of the difficult engineering work involved. The project was scheduled to take some 33 monthsto complete. The other contracts,which are scheduled to be completed at the same time — summer 1970 — would start a year later. At the time it was already the longest motorway in Britain and it’s new length was planned to be 230 miles.

JIMMY Bennett was described in Team Spirit as ‘Carlisle’s senior partner’ as the area’s oldest pensioner member. Aged 81, he had been retired 11 years having started his career in textile design; served in the army during World War I before joining the Company as a Storeman in the Maintenance Unit at Carlisle.

A LONDON housing contract, valued at over £2-million, was awarded to the Construction Company. The houses were to be built on three sites in Tottenham and Hornsey for the London Borough of Haringey. Traditional building methods were used for the five and six-storey blocks. There were load bearing block crosswalls and a cladding of brick. The roofs would have a screed of Lytag.

A MASSIVE £11 milliondefence project in Saudi Arabia was signed as a joint undertaking with John Laing Construction, George Wimpey and Company and Haji Abdullah Alireza and Company working in partnership. Work started at the two centres—Riyadh, the capital, and Dhahran - which were 400 miles apart.

The contract was placed by Airwork Services Limited, a member of the Saudi Arabian Defence Consortium which included the British AircraftCorporation and Associated Electrical Industries. The work was for accommodationand training centres for the RoyalSaudi Air Force. At the FlyingTraining Centre in Riyadh CivilEngineering and Overseas Divisionconstructed technical buildings and accommodation.

“DECEMBER: ice on the roads, long dark nights, parties, roadaccidents. Yes, another editorial on road safety, another lecture to deaf ears. The fact is that everything worth saying about careful driving, roadworthy cars, and drinking and driving has been said a thousand times already.” This was the introduction to the Christmas issue.

THE last bit of the 88-mile Mersey pipeline had gone to earth. It was the longest contract geographically in the Company’shistory and took just eight months to achieve. (Pictured bottom left).This was a rate of more than a mile per day - sometimes verging on 1.5 miles. The pipeline, part of the Thames-Mersey oil pipeline, ran from Ellesmere Port down to Kingsbury and had a branch line running from Rugeley to Uttoxeter.This was the Civil Engineering andOverseas Division’s first major pipeline contract and the first project to be undertaken in association with the Frenchcompanies, Entrepose and GrandsTrevaux de Marseille. It was not all plain sailing the team ran into a bog. Team Spirit reported: “Pine trunks by the dozen were ploughed into the route to make the right-of-way, but to no avail. On one occasion a Land Rover carrying the cashier with all the wages sank up to its hard top. The crew managed to evacuate in time (saving the wages) but it took a terrific lot of labour to excavate the vehicle.”



Team spirit - 1967

THE first 45-tonne concrete beam was placed on the Western Avenue project in the summer of 1967. Each massive concrete unit was manufactured at St Albans Concrete Limited and driven to the north West suburbs of London before the morning traffic built up at 7am. Each section was placed individually, span by span by a specially designed twin crane transporter. It consisted of two separate cranes joined by an umbilical cord and controlled from a single cabin. It took ten-and-a-half hours to settle the first unit gently on its chocks. Later in the year the work would become harder as the units on Section 5 of the project would be double the weight of the current ones.

TEAM SPIRIT 50 YEARS AGO - 1967

Sir Maurice Laing was photographed beside the largest cake ever baked in Canada on a visit to British Columbia. It weighed six tons, was located in Guildford Town Centre, North Surrey, (British Columbia) and was sponsored by local merchants to mark Canada’s Centennial celebrations. The ingredients included two tons of glace fruits: 9,000 eggs; a ton of raisins; 400 lbs of honey and a pinch of salt weighing over 50 lbs.

Peter H. Aldridge, Sales Office, Thermalite, turned detective whilst on a caravan holiday in New Quay, Cardiganshire, with his wife and sons. He spotted two men who ‘looked completely out of place on the beach in clothing that would have seemed more fitting for the city,’ according to Team Spirit.

He later saw the two chaps outside an antique shop in the village of Cwmtydu. The next day locals mentioned that ‘a local antiques shop’ had been broken into, so Peter reported what he had seen to the police, then forgot it. Two days later, just after midnight, Swansea Crime Squad woke him and whisked him to Liverpool to view mugshots. He got there at 8 am and he picked out the two men. He was delayed there 24 hours pending further enquiries. After this he was taken back to New Quay to continue his holiday before being dragged to Aberystwyth for an identity parade, where he selected the two men and the next day made a statement to police. He later gave evidence to magistrates. The men were later found guilty and sentenced to time in prison.1967

First giant beams are placed on

Section One of

Western Avenue

Specially designed crane tower places the road spans.

Winch team operating

the ‘draw-bridge’ in

placing the spans

MAIN NEWS



ONE of Laing London’s GeneralWorks projects received a visit from HRH The Princess of Wales. The London Connection, a day centre for homeless young people, was refurbished to make better use of the building which was just off Trafalgar Square.Young people could get meals and a bath, wash their clothes, and receive counselling on accommodation, training and employment. It even provided a vital address - for young people caught in the trap of ‘no home - no job - no home’ - if applying for work. Laing first became involved when the Charitable Trust made a £20,000 donation as part of an initiative against homelessness. HRH The Princess of Wales is pictured below with Manuel, a young homeless Portuguese man.

ABOVE: Westinster and Chelsea Hospital had the biggest atrium of its kind in Europe. As the buildingwas nearing completion, a team of specialist cleaners came in to take on the tall order. As the jobrequired abseiling skills, the contract was awarded to a team of rock climbers picturedadding the final shine to the atrium roof before the open day. See feature on pages 14-15.

THREE years after the fall of Ceausescu the plight of the 200,000 Romanian orphans continued. Most were still living in homes that were without adequate heating, lighting and sanitation. All over Britain people were making efforts to help. These included LETO’s Gary Tate who helped build a children’s playground; Laing Midlands’ Rob Walker’s fund-

raising efforts for an aid party of 20; Laing Homes’ donation of a timber-frame hostel and Peter Sturgeon who lost 40 lbs to raise over £4,000 for a new hospice.

LAING HOMES Special Projects was selected as development partners on the landmark£64m social housing scheme at Holly Street.Alongside Hackney Borough Council they proposed new and refurbished homes constructed following traditional Victorian street patterns, and replacing high-rise flats with mainlylow-rise accommodation on London’s single largest social housing project at the time. Over five years it was planned to offer 1,050 new and refurbished homes. The estate had achieved national notoriety for its many social, economic and environmental problems reported Team Spirit.

THE Rhinefield House Hotel was offered to Laing Group staff at reduced rates thanks to the Company’s Voyager Hotels joint venture with the Virgin Group. The reduction was even greater at weekends and the offer had a quarter page ad in Team Spirit.

O C Summers swept the board in the streetworks category of the City of London Considerate Contractor awards. They took 11 gold and five merit awards including a gold award for the Company. Laing Management won two gold awards for the major construction sites at Vintners Place and Daiwa House.In addition, the Vintners site was shortlisted for the Special Award for the best site on judging day. A Gold award is the highest accolade, recognising that the requirements of the Code of Good Practice have been consistently exceeded.

Top picture: Back row from left: Robbie Ellis (receiving an award on behalf of Ray Maddocks), Kevin Nutt, Kevin Breen, Dick Rooney, Mike Wolfe (contracts manager receiving Company award and an award on behalf of Michael Sheehan), Ian Martin. Front row - from left: Ken Gallup, Martin Hennessey, John McCormack, Sean O’Sullivan.

Bottom picture: John Creedican (section manager) and Phil Brand (project manager) with their Gold awards for Vintners Place. The Rt HonThe Lord Mayor of London, Sir Brian Jenkins, Paul Weller (projectDirector) and Trevor Hodges (project manager) with their awardsfor Daiwa House.



Building 404 at Dartford was just one of Laing’s projects for The Wellcome Foundation Limited. The Primary Pharmaceuticals Unit (PPU) proved an interesting and challenging project for the site team.The project fell squarelyinto two phases: construction of the shell, and installation of specialist equipment, pipework and electrical instrumentation and controls. Once the first stage was completed in May 1991, Dave Freegard, Project Planner, had his work cut out. He had to keep track of over 50 pipe specifications, 450 items of major equipment and 2,300 metres of glass and metal pipe using a specialist database to stay on top of it all.The last major stage of

The senior management team was getting behind design and build in Scotland, which was taking off when the rest of the building market was sluggish according to Team Spirit. Jim Martin, Laing Scotland’s D&B director, told Team Spirit, ‘By enabling quick reactions, a fast gearing up time, and parallel resourcing, clearances and approvals, substantial reduction in development completionperiods are achieved and buildability is aided - and itallows a progressive dialogue to develop between client, design

team and contractor, right from the start of the contract.‘This in turn should provide a competitive good value end price with the security to the client of single point contractor responsibility, and certain jobs lend themselves particularlyto this style of contract.”In the first six months of 1992 Laing Scotland had had £20m of enquiries and secured nearly £6m in new projects.Jim added: “‘With considerable support from Charlie Barber’s team in LTG we have

made extensive use of value engineering and are using live contracts as a road to quality assurance registration.’Phil McEwan, District Manager added: ‘The key to success is an absolutely clear brief from the client in the beginning. This allows us and the design team, to get the design package right first time.’

Team Spirit - 1992

1992

Jim Martin:

Pictured, front row, from left: Jim Naylor, Roy Polderman, John Botrill, Frank Dillworth, Tracy James, Mike James, Alec Fisher, Peter Smith, Roy Dory, Bill O’Neil, Harry Soor. Back row - left to right: Dave Freegard, John Payne, Phil Harrington, Phil Jordan, Leigh Davis.

Phil McEwan Jack Allardice Bill MathieGeorge Cowe Alec Parker Adam Easton

the electrical installationwork was the loop testing- each separate connection

was tested alone and insequence in a total of some1600 loop tests.

SPECIAL FEATURE


Retired judge tells why he does not favour LPAsFORMER Court of Protection judge Denzil Lush caused a storm earlier this year by saying he would never sign a lasting power of attorney (LPA).

This is despite nearly 40 years working in that field during which he adjudicated on 6,000 cases.

His view is that the alternative to an LPA is preferable - which is for the court to appoint a deputy if someone loses the mental capacity to make decisions regarding their own healthcare or finances.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) encourages individuals to decide early on what their healthcare and financial choices are and then to nominate an attorney to make these decisions in the event that they lose the capacity to do so themselves.

Power of attorney allows someone – usually a family member - to make a financial or welfare decision for someone who may be unable to do so.

Natalie Koussa, Director of Partnerships and Services at Compassion in Dying, a charity that aims to support people at the end of life by providing information and support around their legal rights and choices, said: “LPAs are an important tool to enable someone’s wishes to be followed if they become unable to make or communicate decisions.“When it comes to planning ahead for your treatment and care, you can also make an Advance Decision, also known as a Living Will, instead of or in addition to an LPA for Health and Welfare. This is a legally-binding document that allows you to refuse medical treatments

in certain situations, should you later become unable to make or communicate these decisions for yourself. Rather than leaving these choices up to doctors or family members who may disagree over what you would have wanted, making an Advance Decision or LPA means that you can remain in control of future choices about your care and treatment and feel reassured that your wishes will be followed.

Whilst this has been a mainstay of Mr Lush’s work for three decades, he has more faith in the court appointing a deputy than a person choosing their own attorney.

“I have greater confidence in deputyship as a means of managing someone’s property and financial affairs. I accept that deputyship is more costly, more onerous and more time consuming than making an LPA, but there are other entries on the balance sheet, which,

THERE is no such thing as a perfect system to ensure our financial and health wishes are respected - should we lose capacity to make the decisions ourselves. Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) allows a person to appoint someone they trust to ensure decisions are taken in line with their wishes. However, various family disputes have arisen from these arrangements and now a former judge and author in this field has said that he would never sign an LPA. We remind readers of how to make their own LPA and find out why Mr Lush believes a deputy appointed by the court is a safer option.

Denzil Lush - author former judge

SPECIAL FEATURE

in my opinion, are factors of magnetic significance.”

Mr Lush points out that:n Unless there is a very good reason, the Court of Protection is likely to appoint as a deputy the person you would have chosen yourself;n a deputy is required to account annually to the OPG and deputyship usually starts with the preparation of an inventory of assets and liabilities;n The Public Guardian has a statutory duty to supervise deputies - but is under no obligation to supervise attorneys. Supervision includes checking accounts, educating and supporting deputies;n A deputy is generally required to give security to cover the possibility that he or she could act incompetently or dishonestly.

Regarding an LPA for health and welfare, Mr Lush added: “In most cases I don’t think they’re necessary.” He puts his faith in ‘qualified healthcare professionals’ who he believes will make crucial decisions ‘in your best interests after consulting you and your nearest and dearest’.

Natalie Koussa added: “Anyone who is concerned about either the attorney(s) they have appointed for themselves, or the attorney(s) a loved one has appointed should get in touch with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) on 0300 234 0300. When making an LPA it’s important that the person you appoint to act as your attorney knows your wishes, and you trust them and feel confident that they would act in your best interests when a decision needed to be made. More information on LPA’s can be found on our website.

Mr Lush added: “LPAs fail to mention the risks if you do make one, or to inform you that, if something does go wrong, putting it right will be significantly more expensive and time-consuming than applying to the court for the appointment of a deputy in the first place.”

Public Guardian Alan Eccles said: “There are now more than 2.6 million lasting powers of attorney, providing reassurance for people that, if needed, their affairs can be taken care of by someone they trust.

“By planning ahead an individual can simply, and at relatively low cost, ensure their choices are known and can be carried out in the event that they need support.

“It is recognised that LPAs are powerful deeds and OPG sets out very clearly that people should take great care when choosing someone they trust to act on their behalf. Guidance is provided and there are inherent safeguards in place.

“We are not complacent about the potential for fraud or misuse of powers. OPG investigates both attorneys and court-appointed deputies if it’s suspected that someone has abused their position.”

Mr Lush’s latest book, Lasting and Enduring Powers

of Attorney Eighth edition available at:

www.lexisnexis.co.uk/candl

Public Guardian and Chief Executive Alan

Eccles CBE

n Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice (March 2017) show that the single largest group of registered LPAs are for people aged between 81-90. Close behind are those aged 71-80.

n The OPG is moving forward with plans to make the process of arranging a LPA fully digital. They believe this will make it easier and more accessible. Critics say that creation and registration of the power should still require a handwritten signature.

n During the financial year 2015/16, there were 547,021 applications to the OPG to register LPAs and EPAs and the year ended with 1,870,393 current instruments on the register.

n You do not need to wait until you are older to register an LPA; you can do so at any stage of adulthood.

FACT BOX

You can find all the necessary

LPA forms and extensive

guidance at: www.gov.uk

Free info on this subject is available

at Compassion in Dying helpline: 0800 999 2434.

Web: www mydecisions.

org.uk

LPAs are designed to put plans in place whilst people are capable of making their own decisions


READERS’ NEWS


THERE is a new Welfare Officer starting in the North West - Rob Pugh who spent 25 years with the Company as Regional Marketing Manager.

He is taking over from Dave Markall who is retiring at the end of the year.

Rob started at John Laing in 1988 and one of the first major projects that he was involved in winning was Exchange Quay at Salford.

There was no shortage of other top projects in the area that he was involved in. “When seeking new work everyone in the work winning team pulled together,” said Rob.

Other notable projects which came to mind in Rob’s career were Preston Temple Complex; The City of Manchester Stadium (now called the Etihad Stadium) and Manchester Schools Framework.

Rob added: “Winning any work gave me a thrill. I’m looking forward to my new role; meeting people I worked with and making new friends.

“It will be like driving around the North West seeing what I can do to help people.”

Rob Pugh joins Welfare team

Premium memories for old bond holdersHOW many retirees were members of the old Premium Bond syndicates?

These days Premium Bonds can only be held in an individual’s name, but over the years lots of people organised syndicates with John Laing work colleagues.

This year the Mill Hill office received the record of such a syndicate which was operating among North West Region Contracts.

It looked to have ten members and the paperwork suggests that they were running between 1962 and possibly 1985. There is evidence of a few £25 payouts during that time.

A spokesman for NS&I (National Savings and Investments Bank) which now runs Premium Bonds in the UK said: “Bonds can no longer be held by syndicates. They can only be held by individuals. If you find an old Premium Bond and want to know if they have won any prizes over the years, there is a special checker on our website (www.nsandi.com) although you will have to register.

“There is also a freephone number: 08085 007007. A person can only

check their own premium bonds and will have to provide some information to confirm their identity before any information can be given out.”

Each month there are 2.3 million prizes ranging from two £1 million payouts and 2.2 million payouts of £25. The Premium Bonds celebrated their 61st birthday on November 1 this year and there are now 70 billion eligible for each draw.

These days the most that any individual can hold is 50,000 and the minimum is 100. However, smaller holdings are still eligible to win prizes if bought before the rules changed.

Veg patch gives moorFORMER Laing Management Industrial Relations Manager Graham ‘Nick’ Penn has a veg patch with one of the best views in the country.

He and wife Pamela had room for growing flowers at their home on the North Yorkshire Moors - but no veg patch.

Nick said: “I always enjoyed horticulture and was delighted when

I was able to buy a thin strip of land next to our garden from a local farmer.”

Nick spent many years with the Company on projects including Glaxo Smithkline, The Millennium Dome, London Bridge and the

World Cargo Centre.Current Welfare

Officer Dave Markall captured this shot of Nick now reaping the benefits of his patch. The question is how Nick manages to do any work without being distracted by the view?

READERS’ NEWS


Former colleagues pay tribute to AnnaRETIREES from across the John Laing Group paid their respects to former colleague Anna Stewart.

Having started out as an apprentice QS with Laing Limited Scotland in 1982, Anna became John Laing Ltd Commercial Director and Chief Executive officer of Laing O’Rourke in 2013.

Anna died in October aged 53, having also become UK Trade and Industry British Business Ambassador in 2014 and held a number of senior external posts.

So many people worked with Anna over the years.

Ian Beckwith was in charge when Anna was assigned to his team of district quantity surveyors and stayed in touch throughout her career.

He said: “Female members of staff on building sites were rare in those days, but Anna soon adapted to the life and contributed meaningfully to the various projects with which she was involved, rising steadily through the ranks before moving South with Laing O`Rourke following the takeover.

“Although circumstances many years ago severed our working relationship we remained friends even after her move south, and were in regular contact by email.

“I am sure she will be missed by

many, and we offer our sympathy to Craig and their children, Amy and Euan.”

Willie McIntyre’s first contract as Site Manager was also Anna’s first in sole charge as a contract QS.

He said: “It was obvious from the start what an intelligent person Anna was, but she was also very honest and thoughtful in her work. She had a lovely easy going nature that endeared her to everyone. A sad loss, not only to the industry, but to the whole world.”

Former Regional Director Laing Scotland Bill Monaghan said: “Anna fitted in well to the Laing environment and quickly a very good relationship with workmates, superiors and clients was established. News of Anna’s death was a profound shock to all who knew her. My thoughts are with her family and I trust that they find some comfort and solace from the many tributes that have been written and passed to them.”

Anna Stewart

A NUMBER of John Laing archive films and photos are available for viewing.DVD copies of around 35 films are available for group viewings through the retirement clubs or educational organisations. A full list is available on the laingpastandpresent website, or you can contact the Trust.However, a limited number of titles are also available to watch for free on computer through the

British Film Institute (BFI).Just sign up for the BFIplayer (go to bfi.org.uk) and type in John Laing and you can watch any of the selection for free. If you don’t have a computer, you can use the

‘Mediateque’ at your local library. Historic England (part of English Heritage) looks after the John Laing photographic archive and has scanned in 1,000 hi-res images from the collection.You can browse or even buy from Historic England at: http://archive.historicengland.org.uk/Laing images: http://archive.historicengland.org.uk/results/resultsaj.aspx?t=Quick&cr=jlp01&io=True&l=all

Information about films and photos from John Laing archive

Second Severn Crossing shot

Photo event is in the balanceTHERE have been a few entries for the annual photo competition, but not enough to ensure it continues for another year.A view will be taken by publication of the Spring issue next in 2018.For new entrants; any photo or snapshot - recent or not - may be submitted at the address details on the inside front cover. If sending by email, please supply details and ensure the file is at least 1MB in size. If posting entries, please ensure you include the name of the picture and your address details.

Reunion eventTHE annual engineers’ and architects’ reunion will take place on Thursday March 15, 2018 at the former Laing Sports Club in Rowley Lane, Borehamwood.It is open to anyone and payment is on the day, but please let the organisers know in advance if you are attending so they know how many to cater for. For further details, contact John Clark either by email: [email protected] or through this office if you don’t have a computer.

CHELSEA & WESTMINSTER 25 YEARS ON


THE Chelsea and Westminster Hospital team had their work cut out to complete a giant state-of-the-art health facility in the ever-beating heart of London - on time and on budget.All parties had to work as a team

from start to finish to construct the £174 million hospital which Les believes is looking as fresh as it did when completed on November 31, 1992. In fact, it was the team ethic

as well as the innovation and achievement which meant this project gave Les Wallis more satisfaction than any other during his long career.He said: “I think everyone on all

levels really identified with the task because they felt it belonged to them. It was built for the NHS.”The new hospital replaced three

others which were serving that area and began with the team digging

London’s largest hole. It is a teaching hospital so it featured

a lot of new units and equipment rarely seen elsewhere at the time including a drug dependency unit; a birthing bath and a separate police entrance for emergency services. They even had to build a complete energy centre; but before that the main problem was ensuring this could all be done in the middle of one of the world’s busiest cities.It took a lot of innovation and

Among a parade of shops on the Fulham Road is the entrance to one of the country’s most innovative and busy hospitals. As the Chelsea and Westminster celebrates 25 years since completion Project Director Les Wallis tells how the team made it happen on time and on budget and how he almost became the very first patient to be admitted.

n The hospital site extends 40ft underground where there is car parking, power plant and drug dependency unitn C&W replaced three hospitals: Westminster; St Mary Abbotts and St Stephensn The hospital is set up to use a secondary power source should anything happen to the gas supply.n Her Majesty The Queen opened it officially in May 1993.n All the decision makers on NHS side (construction, medical etc) were women, a factor which Les believes contributed to the smooth running of the project.n The atrium roof gives natural light to all five storeys. It is an innovative form of energy efficient double-glazing made from two skins of inflated fabric with small tubes built in for delivering compressed air.

FACT BOX

Top London hospital still fresh 25 years later on...

Les outside the unassuming Chelsea and Westminster Hospital site

Five-storey void at heart of C&W.

Team members included:John Allen - Chairman LML and B Zelly (Luton)Les Wallis -Project Director LMLRay Haywood - Project MangerAlford Baldey - Lead for nurses’ homes sub projectDebbie Cawley - Site SecretaryGeoff MachlaughlanRoger Martin QSDerek Barber QSPaul Tracey Purchasing ManagerBob Alley M&EGeoff Light M & ESteve HartSteve ParsonsKevin Dineen M&E Commissioning ConsultantRoger Pheasant PlanningDavid Cook PlanningKen Knott PlanningPeter & Paul Hyde (brothers) Site ManagersGlen Miller - Section MangerRoger Wells Site ManagerRoy Mathews Site Manager

CHELSEA & WESTMINSTER 25 YEARS ON

a much more flexible form of construction – the type more commonly used to make offices.Virtually everything was built on a

giant steel frame which was the first thing they put up. This allowed the team to create a covered site in the centre from which everything could be built including prefabricating materials on site.“Once the frame was up, we put

the roof on the atrium . Bringing this activity forward in the overall construction process gave us the benefits of being under cover,” said Les.“From this central five-storey light-

giving void, the whole job was built outwards.”The initial project bid went through

in 1988/89 and the hospital was open for business on December 1, 1992. Building a power plant which could

keep a hospital of this size running brought with it a raft of its own challenges. The gas mains on the street were at 25 pounds per square inch (psi) pressure which would have been ideal for the running the giant turbines. However, the gas board insisted that it be reduced to just 0.5 psi (as with all domestic mains) once it left the grid. This meant that the project had to build a special facility to compress the gas back to 25psi.Once all the challenges had been

met - or so they thought - Les and the health authority client were inspecting the Accident and Emergency department (which is always the first to open as it has ‘the most customers’) when he nearly became the first admission. Les stepped back, right into a hole which had been dug for a lamppost. Thankfully he was more embarrassed than hurt – especially when one of the clients suggested that the project had not been finished

if they were still missing a lamppost. The hole was filled over and no lamppost inserted – which was just as well because it would have had to be taken out again anyway to make way for later additions.Les said: “I think the hospital has

stood the test of time and is as fresh today as when we walked away from it 25 years ago.”One footnote was when the client

(the regional health authority which stretched as far north as Luton) decided to sue claiming the project has not been completed on time and budget. The courts found that there was no case to answer.

Above, aerial shot of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, surrounded by multi- million pound properties. Bottom right is a shot of team members taken on the day Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth came to open the hospital.


READERS’ NEWS

Hero rescuer who defied the King

Don’t forget to use your free Laing retirees’ websiteAS more retirees make better use of the internet, please do not forget that there is a free website for Laing retirees which features the most up to date information.

The site is safe, secure and free. Apart from being regularly updated on obituaries and funeral arrangements, it enables users to find former colleagues they want to get back in touch with.

It is simple to join, just visit: www.laingpastandpresent.co.uk and register. You will

receive a unique login and that is all there is to it.

The site is run by Mrs Teresa

Pettican at the John Laing Charitable Trust office (contact details on page 19).

IN recognition of Remembrance Day and the many Laing employees who served their country, we are featuring the late Corporal Charles William Edwin Jewell (Willie) who died in action.

His family keep his memory alive - especially daughter-in-law and South West Club member Doreen Jewell.

However, Edwin had a heroic background before the Great War and saved his first life aged just 11 years. By the age of 15 he had saved 15 lives and received his first medal from the Royal Humane Society in May 1903.

Edwin had been brought up by a single mum in Bristol and learned

to swim aged ten. He had a knack for spotting and saving children in danger at Bristol Docks - where he said children were often ‘larking about’ in the water.

He was also honoured with a gold badge and certificate by the French Life Saving Society of Paris. He did this for no reward, although one grateful parent apparently gave him 2d (less than 1p).

News of Edwin’s heroism had reached King Edward VII, who suggested that the young man should join the Navy.

Edwin was reported as saying: “I’ve no father and a little brother

and two older sisters, so I thought it best to stay and look after them and mother.” He took on an apprenticeship at Cowlin & Son.

He died in action in France in 1918, having enlisted three years earlier and not long finished his three weeks’ training in England.

He never met his son William Colston Jewell who went on to marry Doreen, now aged 95.

Granddaughter Hilary Imianowski said: “He was a real hero and his story is still important today. He saved so many lives and then made the greatest sacrifice of all for his country.”


Above left are Edwin Jewell’s collection of medals and honours and above right are Doreen Jewell with her daughter Hilary

Edwin Jewell

CHURCHES MARK 100 YEAR ANNIVERSARIES

Centenary celebrations for John Laing churches

TWO churches within a few miles of each other are celebrating 100 years since being built by John Laing. They were part of the creation of a whole new town to cater for the 30,000 people working at a giant munitions factory ahead of World War I. This is a report from the first celebration at All Saints Scottish Episcopal Church, Gretna.

THE spiritual and community contribution of All Saint’s Church couldn’t be further removed from the main reason Gretna township was built - to facilitate manufacture of ‘The Devil’s Porridge’.

The church’s special place in the community was reflected in those present at a centenary service led by The Rt Reverend Bishop Dr Gregor Duncan on October 29. Alongside the regular congregation were representatives of all the emergency services; armed services; local dignitaries including the Lord Lt of Dumfries and Galloway Fiona Armstrong and one of Sir John’s grandsons, David Laing (himself the Lord Lt of Northants).

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes series, coined the ‘Devil’s Porridge’ phrase while visiting Gretna’s giant munitions factory as a war correspondent and witnessing the munitions girls mixing the guncotton by hand. He commented on the girls kneading the explosive mixture ‘into a sort of Devil’s Porridge’.

There is now a museum, statues and a mini industry based on this history. It is not the only tourist business in the town.

Others are cashing in on the weddings business connected with neighbouring Gretna Green - where couples younger than 21 would elope to marry under Scottish law when it was illegal to do so without parental consent in England.

There are some unique features of All Saints Church. It apparently should have

had a tower, but they ran out of money. Also, unusually for an episcopal church, All Saints has the Stations of the Cross. The pictures telling the Crucifixion story used to belong to the local Catholic church, which shut down. All Saints

agreed to take them in on the condition that they be given back to St Ninians

if it ever reopened as a Catholic Church.

The congregations are not getting bigger at All Saints, but they reach out to all parts of

the community - even building a fence around their grassed area so

that local nursery children will have an outdoor place to play.

John Laing was among the companies who made up a 20,000 workforce to build the new town from scratch. Aside from this church - and St John The Evangelist 4.5km away at Eastriggs - John Laing built the police station, hospital and cinema among other projects.

Bishop Gregor asked in his sermon if we were celebrating 100 years of the building or of the worship at All Saints. For Sir John it would probably be yet another example of how his work and faith were inextricably linked.

Above is St John The Evangelist Church in Eastriggs - just a few miles from Gretna - which celebrates its centenary on December 4, 2018.Pictured centre is one of All Saints’ stained glass windows. Bottom right a picture of All Saints taken last summer. As you will see there is no tower.

From Left: The Rev Martin Callaghan, Lord Lt Fiona Armstrong, Rt Rev Dr Gregor Duncan, David Laing, Alasdair Houston and Rev John McLeod after the thanksgiving service.



MAIN NEWSRETIREMENT CLUBS

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

December 13Christmas Luncheon at the Greenhill Hotel, Wigton CA7 8LS.

ELSTREEWeekly meetings St Michael and All Angels Church Hall, Tuesday 2.30pm.

LNERDecember 6Christmas Lunch at Assembly Rooms in Newcastle NE1 5XU.

February 20 (2018)Buffet lunch and AGM. Taking place at a new venue: Brunswick Church Hall, Newcastle 1pm for 1.30pm.

NORTH WESTDecember 5Christmas Luncheon at Mytton Fold.

REALMonthly meetings at Allum Hall, Borehamwood.December 13 Christmas Lunch at Mill Hill Golf Club NW7 3AL.

February 7 (2018) A.G.M. and entertainment from the Jolly Jazzers.

March 7 (2018)Fish and Chip Lunch with a quiz event. April 3 (2018)Culture and fun with a cheese and wine event.

REALMDecember 4Christmas lunch at The Manor Hotel, Meriden CV7 7NH.

March 7 (2018)The AGM will be held in the upper room at the Methodist Church Hall, Station Approach, Solihull beginning at 1pm with coffee/tea and cakes.

SALTIREMonthly meetings at St. Stephen’s Church, Glasgow.

December 7Matinee performance of Mamma Mia in The Theatre Royal, Glasgow.

January 9 (2018)New Year Lunch at La Bonne Auberge, Glasgow.

February 13 (2018)Talk in St Stephen’s Centre.Details to be confirmed nearer the time.

SOLAREDecember 6Christmas Lunch at the Reigate Manor Hotel.

March 14 (2018)Spring Meeting, details to be confirmed.

SOUTH WESTDecember 7Skittles/lunch at Woodborough Inn, Winscombe, BS25 1HD.

January 11 (2018)New Year’s Luncheon at Brent House, Brent Knoll from 12.30pm TA9 4HL.

February 8 (2018)Skittles/lunch at Woodborough Inn, Winscombe, BS25 1HD.

March 8 (2018)South Coast luncheon - details to be confirmed.

Realm are returning to the very centre of Britain - Meridon - for this year’s festive luncheon

MAIN NEWS


RETIREMENT CLUBS

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

ELSTREEDoreen Butterfieldt: 020 8959 8324e: c/o [email protected]

LNER (North East)Brian Coppent: 01670 717488 e:[email protected]

NORTH WESTDave Markallt: 0161 498 0600 e: [email protected]

REAL (North London)Jennifer Israele: [email protected]

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

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

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

SOUTH WEST Richard Shoreyt: 01454 412666 e: [email protected]

CLU

B C

ON

TAC

TS

Welfare: Mrs Heather CunninghamT: 020 8959 9683 / M:07920 020024Clubs & REN: Mr Alex FinkenrathT- 020 7901 3429 / M: 07921 831780

Funding: Mrs Teresa PetticanT - 020 7901 3231JLCT Office: 33 Bunns Lane, Mill Hill, London, NW7 2DX.

The 100-year-old who helped start club REALMAJOR William Reid Malcolm received congratulations from Her Majesty the Queen among others as he celebrated his 100th birthday with family and friends on October 10.

As well as a host of other cards and good wishes, Bill received a certificate and letter from the Colonel Commandant of the Royal Engineers thanking him for his loyal service during World War II and a mention in Sapper Magazine. He even received a card from Robin Malcolm - Chief of Clan Malcolm in Scotland.

Bill worked at John Laing for a total of 44 years, retiring as Marketing Manager in 1979. In September 1989 he became a founder member of REAL club and was still playing golf with former colleagues into his 90s.

Friend and fellow club member David Armstrong said: “Bill is a great character who has achieved a lot in his long and interesting life.”

JLCT Contacts

EVERY two years various committee members from the UK clubs get to meet up at biennial meetings organised in the north and south.These take place in 2018 at Carlisle for the northerly clubs and at the John Laing Group plc HQ at Kingsway in London for those nearer to the capital.

It is a chance for the clubs and the Trust to ensure that everything is in place to make the club experience as enjoyable as possible for retirees.If you have any suggestions or queries, please make sure you the let the committee know so that we can discuss it at next year’s meetings.

Summer luncheon diary datesNEXT year’s summer luncheon outings will take place from June 4 - June 7 for the southern clubs and from June 11-15 for the northern clubs, in case you want to keep the dates free. Many venues are booked and menus are being sorted.

Lady Laing said: “I am already looking forward to catching up with everyone next year.”

Have your say at biennial events

Thankfully the family opted not to use 100 candles! Bill also pictured below with birthday wishes from HM the Queen.


MAIN NEWSANNIVERSARIES AND BIRTHDAYS

IAN & BETTY BRADSHAWDIAMOND WEDDINGOCTOBER 26, 2017HAVING graduated as a Civil Engineer from Manchester in 1952, Ian did his National Service with the Engineering Branch of the RAF in Egypt. Immediately after this he joined John Laing in Mill Hill.

The couple met as teenagers at Holy Trinity Methodist Church in Blackpool - where they were married. Betty has never let Ian forget that the church was later demolished by Laing’s to build Hounds Hill Shopping Centre.

Then they lived for some time in a caravan in Hanslope village whilst Ian worked on building M1 bridges.

Working mainly in the Construction Division at Mill Hill, he moved to Hemel Hempstead in the Estimating Department, ending up as Chief Estimator.

He retired from the Company in April 1991 after 37 years’ service.

They have lived in the same house for nearly 50 years and celebrated their anniversary with a gathering of their close family in Matlock.

RON & JUNE RICKERBYGOLDEN WEDDINGAUGUST 29, 2017

RON & JUNE met on a Laing project in Stockton.

He started as an Indentured Pupil Building Surveyor in 1947 and ended up living in Spain.

At Newcastle Upon Tyne Laing were the first contractors to enter Rowntrees , York, who had their own building department. He was also in the Manchester Office and Birmingham Office before the Midlands was even a region.

He met and fell in love with June who was secretary on the Stockton

Hospital site and they married in 1967. Many jobs followed including the Barbican Arts Centre and then he was asked to set up a production control department for the Company in Spain.

Ron arrived in Madrid in April 1971 - his family arriving a month later. He learnt Spanish and received a large hotel contract on the costa at Almeria while Franco was still alive. They built a house in a village of 6,000 - still there although the population is 50,000.

‘Dias dorados’ for Spanish duo

Then and now for Ian & Betty

DOUG & ELAINE KINGGOLDEN WEDDINGOCTOBER 7, 2017THE couple first met at a Stevenage dance hall in 1965 and were married in 1967.

Doug joined John Laing Properties in 1969 in Watford and then in 1974 was transferred overseas as Financial Controller for the Wimpey Laing Joint Venture based in Iran.

From 1977 he worked for John Laing International. From 1989 he also worked

as Financial Controller for John Laing Construction, Civil Engineering Division based in Hemel Hempstead. In 1994 he continued as Finance Director of JLI retiring in 2001 after four years in Hong Kong.

They have two children and five grandchildren. They celebrated with a trip to Alaska, a cruise and a rail trip through the Rocky Mountains. They also had a big party for family and friends at home in Welwyn Garden City.

Golden globe-trotters mark anniversary

PETER & MAE CUMMINSDIAMOND WEDDINGMARCH 30, 2017

WHEN Peter joined John Laing aged 16 in 1953 led him to a career and love of his life Mae.

He transferred to ICI in Cheshire in 1955 where Mae was employed a Secretary on site. They discovered that they both enjoyed cycling and were YHA members and they sometimes travelled hundreds of miles with their bikes on the train.

They hated being apart and when Peter was moved to Mill Hill in 1957, they brought their wedding plans forward by a yearand were married the day after Peter’s 20th birthday.

They bought a flat in Finchley and found themselves both offered work on the M1 contract. Many more followed for Peter during a career weeks short of 40 years, including CIS building. He is still a member of the John Laing walking club and the couple went round the Isle of Mann TT Circuit by Motor-trike as one of many celebratory holidays and events.

Love on site for Peter and Mae

MAIN NEWS


BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES

YOUR ANNIVERSARY DETAILS

There were so many anniversaries this issue that the listings are on page 22.

Party that led to Diamond days

ALEC AND CHRISTINE LUXONDIAMOND WEDDINGSEPTEMBER 28, 2017

ALEC and Christine met through the Student Christian Movement at London University in 1953.

Whilst on a post graduate year they both attended a lecture by John Laing and said it sounded like a good firm to work for. Alec served as a Civil Engineering designer for 27 years before the great redundancy of 1982; subse-quently returning for 18 months before retiring in 1996.

Significant projects worked on included:- Barrington Cement

works, Great Queen St, Euston Rd Laingwall, Leeds Royal Exchange, Laingspan 1 & 2, Laingwall, Mold Shire Hall, Saudi Arabian projects, Bama Barracks Nigeria, Jordan Airport, and finally Heathrow un-derground station.

Very happy celebrations with the extended family were held in July to suit the Australian contingent, though the date was September.

ROBERT & ANNETTE BEESONDIAMOND ANNIVERSARYSEPTEMBER 7, 2017

BOB claims he was just there to make up the numbers at the party where he met his wife; but he saw Annette and was besotted. John left school aged 16 and heard that John Laing were interviewing for QSs. He was interviewed by Howard Singleton and they got straight on to the subject of cricket which pleased them both as Bob had captained his school team and Howard had the most envied bowling figures in the Company. Aside from two years’ national service, Bob spent his entire 48-year career with John Laing, retiring in 1997. His first boss was Barry Tarrant who became a lifelong friend who is never forgotten. In the last part of his career Bob moved to Homes Division as Commercial Manager.Sport always played a large part in his life and Bob captained the very successful Laing hockey team and recalls playing with Sir Maurice and Sir Kirby.There were many contracts in that time, but the Whitbread brewery at Luton holds a special place. Having initially won a £600,000 bottling plant contract; the team went on to negotiate all other works on the site worth more than £4 million in total and lasting into the 70s. The Whitbread QS is still a firm friend and joined close family and other friends for a Diamond Wedding celebration in Watford. The couple have three children and five grandchildren.

TOM & MAUREEN CARROLLGOLDEN WEDDINGOCTOBER 7, 2017THE couple met at a party and were married in Bethnal Green.

Tom joined Laing Construction as a carpenter in 1968 in London and became Regional Construction Director in South Eastern Region.

He transferred to Laing Homes in 1993 becoming a Director of Laing Homes Ltd, MD of Laing Partnership Housing and MD of Laing Training Services.

Tom was awarded an MBE in 2000 for Services to Urban

Regeneration and Construction Training. Since retirement in 2000 after 32 years’ service, Tom has spent 15 years volunteering at two housing associations; running a school chess club and becoming a school governor.

They have two daughters and three grandchildren and celebrated the Golden Anniversary with a family holiday in Puerto Pollensa.

So many golden days with family

John Laing talk decided couple

If you would like us to include your details in this section, you will need to send us the information in good time. If you are not

on the internet, you can email or write to us. We are happy to call you back to get the details. Alternatively, please drop us an

email using the details on the inside front cover. Closing date for the Spring issue (when we will be including anniversaries from November 2017- January 2018 inclusive) is January 31, 2018.


MAIN NEWSANNIVERSARIES CONT’D & NEWS FOR THE THIRD AGE

Stay warm - even if bookies are wrong

MPs are calling for evidence as they investigate whether the pension freedoms introduced in 2014 are working.

One retiree spent his £120,000 pension in six months on a car, gambling and drink according to Telegraph Money. The freedoms were introduced two years ago and allow those over the age of 55 to take their entire pension pot as a lump sum, with the first 25% tax-free as usual and the rest taxed as if it were income.

There are concerns that the state will have to bail out retirees who could have survived comfortably on their own means.

URSULA Shepherd finally learned to read at the age of 87.

The now the 88-year-old from Exmouth, Devon had never voted, written a letter or filled in a form. She now wants to read love stories and said: “It’s never too late.”

Ursula has also reached her goal of reading to a group of children having spent eight decades relying on others to write her cheques and read her bills.

Miss Shepherd never married or had children, but told the Daily Mirror that ‘everone should be able to read’.

Learning late on...

AS Bookmakers slash the odds of a white Christmas amid a flurry of bets - please make sure you stay warm this winter.

Hot drinks are a great way to heat your hands and stomach - but not a hot toddy. Alcohol might make you feel warm and fuzzy but it actually reduces your body temperature.

The best way to dress for the cold is to wear lots of thin layers on top of each other rather than one thick jacket or jumper. Clothes made from cotton, wool or fleecy fibres are particularly good and help to maintain body heat whilst hats are an especially effective accessory for keeping warm outdoors.

Staying active - exercising or keeping on the go generates heat and helps keep your body warm. Even when you’re indoors, try not

to sit still for more than an hour. Simply making a hot drink or wiggling your toes will help keep blood circulation flowing.

If you can’t afford to heat all the rooms you use at home, heat your living room during the day and your bedroom just before you go to sleep. For those with reduced mobility or a health condition such as heart or lung disease, Public Health England recommends to heat your home to at least 18C. It’s a good idea to keep your living room at 21C and your bedroom at 18C temperature all night if you can.

Don’t forget last Christmas posting datesCHRISTMAS DAY falls on a Monday this year. These are the recommended last domestic postage dates:Fri 22 December - Special Delivery Guaranteed Saturday Delivery; Thur 21 December - Special Delivery Guaranteed; Thur 21 December - 1st Class; Wed 20 December - 2nd Class.

DIAMOND - 60

GOLDEN - 50

August 24JOHN & MAVIS EGGLEAugust 26JON & PAT RUSHTONSeptember 14TOM & BREDA MALONEYSeptember 21MURIEL & JIM WHITTINGHAMOctober 5ALAN & MARION PROCTORGORDON & MARGARET LAWSONRON & MARGARET BROOKS

August 2JOHN & MARIE MONAGLEAugust 5PHIL & JANET PRICEAugust 19GEORGE & SANDRA EDWARDSSeptember 2NICK & PAMELA PENNJOHN & LIN KELLYCOLIN & LYNN HEYWOODSeptember 7HOWARD & MARY BRIGGSSeptember 10DEREK & THERESA BARBERSeptember 16GLORIA & ROBERT REDWOODBRIAN & BARBARA BLIGHTSeptember 23JOHN & ALISON HORTONSeptember 30PETE & ANNE WRIGHTERIC & BARBARA FORDHAMBOB AND MARJORIE WHITEOctober 7STAN & MARGARET EDWARDSOctober 21BOB & DANIELLE HENDERSONGINNY & MICHAEL DEAN

BLUE SAPPHIRE - 65August 16PETER & EILEEN KETTLESeptember 20RON & PAULINE PHIPPSOctober 25MICHAEL & JOYCE LEMONNIER

100 - BILL MALCOLM - 10 October95 - BOB TWADDLE - 16 August 95 - RAY PHILLIPS - 5 October 90 - BRUCE PEARCE - August 290 - BILL FOLEY - August 3190 - DORIS TREACHER - September 2490 - CHARLIE JORDAN - September 2690 - MARIE DRUMMOND - October 990 - PETER WORTH - October 16

BIRTHDAYS

MPs’ pension call

ANNIVERSARIES

MAIN NEWS


IN MEMORIAM

Colin Allbutt, formerly Site Manager, Laing North West, died 3 August. He was 77 and retired in 1995 after 22 years’ service.

Rita Bluff, formerly Payroll Supervisor, Group Services, died 2 August. She was 86 and retired in 1990 after 35 years’ service.

John Brindle, formerly Property Manager, Laing Properties, Manchester, died 21 August. He was 93 and retired in 1986 after 20 years’ service.

Phil Chapman, formerly Senior QS, Northern Region, died 14 October. He was 92 and retired in 1988 after 46 years’ service.

William Davies, formerly QS, Laing SW, died 13 October. He was 82 and retired in 1997 after 12 years’ service.

Jerry De Vries, formerly IT Manager, Laing Computing/ECL, died 18 September. He was 80 and retired in 1990 after 23 years’ service.

Dawn Dignon, formerly Reprographic Supervisor, Laing Ltd, died 12 September. She was 79 and retired in 2000 after 15 years’ service.

Harold Erentz, formerly Site Manager with Laing NW, died 13 January (late notification). He was 75 and retired in 2001 after 15 years’ service.

Chig Gibson, formerly Checker, Laing Ltd, died 19 October. He was 78 and retired in 1998 after 43 years’ service.

Bernard Gray, formerly General Foreman, Civils, died 18 August. He was 90 and retired in 1991 after 32 years’ service.

Brian Hill, formerly Chairman, Trading Division, died 8 September. He was 82 and retired in 1990 after 25 years’ service.

Edwin Hipperson, formerly Senior Engineer, Civils Design & Development, died 8 September. He was 92 and retired in 1986 after 28 years’ service.

Peter McNamara, formerly Supervisor, Civil Engineering, died 17 September. He was 82 and retired in 1993 after 32 years’ service.

Brian Morris, formerly Area Director, Laing Homes, died 20 September. He was 82 and retired in 1989 after 28 years’ service.

Dennis Owen, formerly Principal Architect, JLDA, died 25 August. He was 94 and retired in 1985 after 24 years’ service.

Eileen Randall, formerly Nominal Ledger Clerk, S.B.D, died 5 October. She was 90 and retired in 1987 after 22 years’ service.

Miriam Stuart, formerly of Laing Partnership, died 22 October. She was 74 and retired in 2003 after 11 years’ service.

Bill Surtees, formerly Administration Manager, JLI, died 9 October. He was 87 and retired in 1985 after 20 years’ service.

Malcolm Trusler, formerly Group Chief Quantity Surveyor, died on 11th May (late notification). He was 73 and retired/left the Company in 1996 after 25 years’ service.

Malcolm Tucker, formerly Group Safety Director, died 3 August. He was 82 and retired in 1994 after 39 years’ service.

June Watkin, formerly Secretary, Laing Southern, died 7 August. She was 87 and retired in 1989 after 17 years’ service.

Albert Wright, formerly Section Manager, Laing Ltd Yorkshire died 22 October. He was 77 and retired in 2000 after 13 years’ service.

In Memoriam

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