New office for Bristol (February 2007). The Bristol teams have moved from their base at Backwell, to a new site just down the road at Brockley. This is a much better site - it has barn conversion offices, better access for teams and deliveries, and a larger yard area. Our workshop is currently being renovated and so the teams are working out of a temporary facility - however once finished it will provide excellent storage and working facilities. The offices provide a much better working environment and space for our growing team of managers and office staff. Visitors are welcome, but give us a call first and we'll get the coffee on!
Public Open Space landscaping at Quedgeley
(January 20th 2007) We have been awarded a £200,000 contract for landscaping of Public Open Space at a housing development near Gloucester. A high-profile project, working for a consortium of developers, our teams will be restoring an orchard, laying hedges, planting trees & shrub beds, grass seeding, undertaking tree safety work and building a sports pitch. Work starts very soon, and with a short timescale on the project it is all hands to the pumps.
Mike Plumb joins us as Bristol Landscape Manager (January 2007) Mike Plumb joins the Bristol team as Landscape Contract Manager in early January, to develop our landscape construction work in the Bristol area. Mike lives in Bristol, and joins us from a local landscape company where he has worked for a number of years. With 15 years industry experience and excellent client skills & attention to detail we are delighted to welcome Mike. We hope he enjoys his time with us.
Matt Peaster wins national photography competition
(December 2006) Matt Peaster who runs the Silvanus team in Bridgwater has just been announced winner of the annual British Deer Society photographic competition.
The competition was run over four rounds – Winter (January), Spring, Summer and Autumn. Images were placed for each round and the accumulation of points over the four rounds produced final scores.
The competition was not only for deer images but also of ‘Deer Country’ – images of other wildlife and landscapes that you would find with deer or associate with deer. Matt's photos included images from ‘Deer Country’, including images of a Nuthatch, Purple Iris, Cock Pheasant squawking and a Fox.
Matt said "Wild Deer provide a continual photographic challenge, their senses – sight, smell and hearing – are phenomenal throughout all the species so getting close enough can be difficult enough, photographing them even harder! If they even sense danger they are off and several hours stalking or waiting can be over in seconds."
Silvanus & Landscapes Southwest Ltd
(30th October 2006) We are delighted to announce that we have joined forces with Landscapes Southwest Ltd (LSW), a leading Grounds Maintenance contractor with long-term contracts across Devon & Cornwall. The combined operation will create one of the largest companies of its kind in the region, employing around 100 people and turning over £5m.
Commenting on the deal, Silvanus directors, David Adam and Peter Solly said “We are delighted to have Landscapes Southwest on board. It is a well respected company with grounds maintenance contracts for a wide range of local authorities & housing associations in Devon and Cornwall. We are pleased that the former owner Dave Lubman is joining us as a director. He will continue to be involved in the business and his wealth of experience will be great asset in our ambitious plans for the future.”.
David and Peter added, “This acquisition will provide exciting expansion opportunities for the combined business, which will now offer the full range of environmental contracting services from our offices stretching across the South West and Midlands”.
Landscapes Southwest Ltd has long-term contracts with Torridge District Council, Restormel Borough Council, North Cornwall District Council, West Devon Borough Council and Teign Housing as well as a range of other clients.
Teams start work at Arnos Vale Cemetery restoration project
(14th October 2006) Following a 2 year tendering process, we are delighted to have been awarded a £100,000 contract for tree work at the Arnos Vale cemetery in the centre of Bristol. The cemetery, which was featured on the TV program Restoration, is badly overgrown with trees and vegetation. Most of the trees are naturally regenerated ash about 20 years old, and many of the tombs literally have trees growing up through the middle of them. The Bristol arboricultural, conservation & woodland teams have joined forces for this high profile project, which started last week.
We have purchased a new tracked woodchipper for this contract, to enable more efficient working in the confined spaces and narrow tracks.
Silvanus pass BALI membership assessment (4th October 2006) We are delighted to report that we have been accepted as full Contracting Members of BALI. BALI is the British Association of Landscape Industries, and the landscaping industry's professional association. Membership is independent verification of the company's technical competence and its Quality and Health & Safety systems, and further underlines Silvanus Services' strength in landscaping.
Julian Burchby to develop work in Cotswolds (16 September 2006) Julian Burchby, who has been with Silvanus for four years based in Devon, has recently been promoted to manager for the Cotswolds. Julian has moved to Malmsbury, and will develop woodland & countryside work in the Cotswolds for Silvanus. Supported by our tree surgery & countryside teams in Bristol, Julian will undertake tree planting, woodland management, fencing & countryside contracting work. Julian comments "This is a very exciting opportunity - Silvanus has done quite a lot of work in the Cotswolds over the last few years, but never had a proper local prescence."
New Bristol-based Countryside Contracting team
(7 July 2006) Countryside contracting work continues to build in the Bristol area, and so the help service this increased workload we have recently taken on a new 3-person team based from the Backwell office.
Headed by Mike Watts, the team are kitted out with a new 4x4 crew cab pick up and associated tools, and are currently working on a number of rights of way maintanance & upgrading projects.
New AEBI Mountain Tractor
(7th July 2006) This week the Silvanus Nottingham team take delivery of a brand new Aebi mountain tractor, as part of investment in machinery for two recently-won maintenance contracts.
The machine is a multi-purpose power unit with all-terrain capability, which has the facility to "bolt-on" a variety of attachments to the front, including mower, grass seed spreader and cultivator.
James Lonsdale says "We are keen to try and think laterally, and offer clients a better solution than perhaps they thought was available. This is part of our move away from the traditional, agricultural-based, low tech options to a better and more up to date solution."
