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    The UK’s biggest regional panto is back in action this Saturday the 16th at the Birmingham Hippodrome as they gear up to welcome thousands of visitors through their doors over the festive period and into January!

    ‘Panto season’ is always an immensely exciting and busy time in the we clean calendar as we ready ourselves to tackle the heightened cleaning challenges for our 17th Panto and as is tradition, we have kicked off preparations with the annual ‘Pre Panto Breakfast’ with our longstanding onsite cleaning team!

    As a Management Team we use this important gathering to thank the team wholeheartedly for all their hard work throughout the year whilst appreciating the specific cleaning challenges the Panto Season presents! Yesterday’s gathering also offered the perfect opportunity to make a number of very special presentations…

    Our Birmingham Hippodrome & Panto Experience

    We have forged a ‘genuine partnership’ with the Birmingham Hippodrome that dates back to 2006 and have have been fortunate to galvanise a vastly experienced team of staff that has progressed each year and overcome the many challenges that providing a cleaning service to this iconic theatre presents.

    The entertainment sector was hit particularly hard during the COVID pandemic and the resilience shown by our Cleaning Team to adapt to these difficult circumstances was immeasurable, from Yvette Meade, Site Cleaning Manager through to all the frontline Cleaning Operatives they grouped together to continue to provide the exemplary service that we pride ourselves upon.

    Fast forward to 2023 and the Hippodrome has certainly bounced back, demand for shows has soared with ‘The Lion King’ ensuring the theatre was sold out for most of July, August and September, 7 days a week. This consumer confidence has continued with the Panto proving to be as popular as ever with ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ rolling into town. The next couple of months are truly gruelling for our front-line team as they manage up to 2 shows a day with very tight turnarounds and a huge footfall of festive theatre-goers!

    Our Specialist Team have helped ensure the Hippodrome is presented immaculately for all visitors!

    Dee Richards Pride Team Award

    The unwavering dedication and commitment displayed by our Hippodrome Cleaning Team has not gone unnoticed and this year they have been chosen as our ‘Dee Richards Pride ‘Team Award’ Winners’ – this most prestigious award within our organisation is testament to the service they have provided not just these last 12 months, but over the last 17 years!

    Our Birmingham Hippodrome Cleaning Team and the new Dee Richards Pride Team Award Winners!

    Now into its third year the ‘Team Award’ recognises the importance that the late Dee Richards placed upon ‘teamwork’ where she clearly understood that as a collective we are able to achieve far greater than as individuals and she impressed this upon all those that she managed.

    Consistency is the bedrock of any successful cleaning regime and this is truly epitomised through the longevity of those within our Hippodrome Cleaning Team. The average service length across all 19 team members is a mind-blowing 10.8 years – almost unheard of within the cleaning industry!

    10 Year Service Award

    And it wasn’t just the Cleaning Team that were presented with an award, Yvette Meade, Site Cleaning Manager was presented with her own we clean 10 Year Service Award! Yvette embodies everything good about ‘we clean’ and our presence on site where she has developed a keen eye for ‘people management’ and identifying service efficiencies – critical when time is of the essence between a busy afternoon and evening show schedule.

    Yvette Meade receiving her 10 Year Service Award!

    David Holmes, Health & Safety Manager who himself carried out the role of Hippodrome Site Cleaning Manager couldn’t be prouder of Yvette and how she has developed throughout her career with the organisation:

    “Yvette joined the Birmingham Hippodrome not long after myself and has been a vital part of the team ever since, working her way up to the role of Site Cleaning Manager providing outstanding service to ensure the team keep up the high standards of cleanliness that the Hippodrome demands. Yvette carries out her duties professionally at all times and is always immaculately presented. Yvette is an excellent problem solver and has a can do attitude towards getting the job done and nothing is too much trouble. Well done on your 10 Years Yvette – I look forward to watching you develop even further in the years to come!”

    Dee Richards Pride Winner

    Finally on the award front was the announcement of our first 2023 Individual Dee Richards Pride Award recipient – our very own Michael Fishwick who is not just one of the longest serving members of the Hippodrome Cleaning Team – but within the company as a whole!

    Michael Fishwick receiving his Dee Richards Pride Award!

    Michael joined we clean back in 2007 after being interviewed by David and Paul as we began our Hippodrome tenure and from the outset ‘Mick’ as he is affectionately known by many within the Theatre showed himself to be a real character, a genuine gem who carries out his daily duties within the auditorium with a beaming smile on his face!

    Michael is fully deserving of his Pride Award as he is always arrives early to start his shift and is typically one of the last to leave, he never thinks twice about going above and beyond or doing that little bit extra to meet the required standards and has a passion and desire to do the job right!

    Director Paul Concannon took great pleasure in awarding Michael his Pride Award, commenting:

    “Mick has shown tremendous loyalty to both we clean and the Birmingham Hippodrome over so many years displaying unwavering reliability at all times, he is a genuine team player and has that desire to go the extra mile! As a madly passionate Blues supporter, he is never shy in giving me some banter whenever I visit site but we are immensely proud to have him in our team and he is very deserving of this Dee Richards Pride Award! Well done Mick”!

    Our Hippodrome Cleaning Team really do go above and beyond and they are a credit to both the Hippodrome and we clean as we look forward to supporting and serving this iconic and much loved theatre for many more years to come!

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    Today saw the we clean Management Team gather for our annual Management Day held at the popular educational and arts venue, the MAC Birmingham, which has been a longstanding contract for our organisation and a fitting venue for a key date in the Company calendar!

    Our Management Team gather each year for the We Clean Management Day!

    We Clean Management Day 2023

    After another positive and growth fuelled 2022-2023 financial year our Management Day provides the perfect opportunity for we clean Directors and Management Staff to reflect on the past 12 month trading period as well as look ahead to the opportunities and challenges that will present themselves in the year ahead!

    Whilst COVID-19 may well now be firmly in the rear-view mirror it’s impact on working patterns is certainly here to stay with remote / hybrid and collaborative working models now very much part of corporate UK!

    Following on from previous Management presentations, Directors Paul Concannon and David Harker aimed to motivate and empower the team to continue to go above and beyond in delivering the exceptional managed cleaning services that has set us apart from industry norms throughout our 20-year history.

    Company Overview

    The day kicked off with Paul and David presenting the last financial year’s figures, covering key operational statistics and trends before moving on to highlighting some of the new contracts wins enjoyed throughout the year, further extending our contract portfolios whilst acknowledging areas for improvement across all aspects of our business functions.

    Directors Paul and David gave the We Clean Management Team an overview of the previous financial year – as well as a look ahead to the next one and beyond!

    The Directors detailed our longer-term business sustainability strategies encompassed within our internal management system we clean GREEN! Discussions also centred around the need for enhanced operator training relating to the impact of AI and how this will determine the future growth trajectory of the company as we continue to ‘partner’ with like-minded forward-thinking companies to consolidate the we clean brand and make it synonymous with delivering service excellence!

    Specific presentations were provided by members of the wider management team on 4 key elements of our future sustainability plan:

    Health and Safety

    Initially, David Holmes-McClure, H&S Manager talked us through all things Health & Safety – the bedrock of our service delivery and a facet which we are continually evolving and striving to improve. We have always championed our Health & Safety culture and with a deeper foray into new sectors over the past 12 months this discipline will continue to be of the utmost importance – in particular reducing risk and ensuring we clean managed sites are safe for our staff.

    Fleet Management

    Up next was Rachael Peacock, Procurement and Fleet Administrator who made her Management Day presentation debut and detailed how our company wide fleet is to be properly cared for and managed and what each person can do to ensure they are displaying the business in the correct manner.

    She also discussed how we can now count upon 11 fully electric vehicles – over 40% of our fleet – and the hugely positive impact that has had on reducing our CO₂ g/km per mile and our overall environmental footprint.

    HR and Recruitment

    Following Rachael was Jessica Powell, our HR & Recruitment Co-Ordinator. Recruitment continues to pose a challenge industry wide and with unsettled and fluid labour markets the recruitment of the correct calibre of cleaning staff remains paramount in setting us apart from our competitors.

    Likewise, with our frontline staff now numbering 600, a fully functioning HR department headed up by HR Director Gaynor Powell ensures we can fully support our staff to deliver service excellence.

    Sales and Marketing

    Last but not least to present from the we clean cohort was Jack Dowdeswell, Sales & Marketing Manager and Matthew Wheeldon-Trigg, New Sales Professional.

    Jack talked through our wider sales strategy and recent significant wins as well as the various marketing channels that we exploit and what to look out for over the coming months. Matthew then discussed how everybody from frontline cleaning staff through to contract management can assist in his lead generation efforts and the sales tactics we deploy to ensure that all new clients are the right fit for the company.  

    The We Clean Sales Team presented a Sales and Marketing Overview!

    Paul and David then rounded off the day with an inspirational video – which highlighted how as individuals we can contribute to a greater good and inspire each other to reach new heights both professionally and personally!

    David Harker commented:

     “As an organisation we are immensely proud that today was our 11th Annual Management Day event held at the iconic Birmingham landmark arts and educational centre the MAC! The 30 strong team present were briefed fully on the 2022/23 financial trading performance of the business and provided with comprehensive overview of the opportunities and challenges that the business will encounter as we move into 2023/24. We look forward with real optimism and determination to make the next 12 month trading period the most rewarding to date.“

    Once again, the Senior Management Team at we clean would like to place on record their sincere thanks to Anna & Natasha in the MAC Hires Team for looking after us so impeccably well throughout the day – here’s to the next 12 months and beyond!

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    We were delighted to be recently appointed as the approved Cleaning Contractor for the stunning new 13 storey office facility One Centenary Way (OCW), one of Birmingham’s newest and most sustainable commercial facilities located in Paradise Birmingham which is now recognised as the jewel in the crown for the Regions Office, Commercial and Leisure landscape!   

    Commercial office space has always been at the very core of our daily operations and this aspect of the business has gone from strength to strength in recent years with our brand becoming synonymous with daily Commercial Office Cleaning across Birmingham and the wider Midlands region.

    Contract Manager Debbie Rhodes with members of our PM Cleaning Team!

    Structural Design and Market Leading Features – One Centenary Way

    The building, designed by Howells Architects and constructed by main contractor Sir Robert McAlpine, offers 280,000 sq ft of space across thirteen floors and is one of the largest commercial buildings in the city.

    The facility itself is an architectural ‘masterpiece’ as designers have had to address a number of below ground constraints – primarily being the A38 Queensway Tunnel that runs directly underneath the building all made possible by the incorporation of a ‘Vierendeel Exoskeleton’ construction design where the building façade provides the essential stability.

    Sustainability is very much at the core of the OCW offering with basement floors providing scope for the city’s first public cycle hub that is big enough to house more than 300 bikes whilst the large underground car park will boast 20 EV charging points all designed to encourage a more environmentally friendly commute into the city!

    We Clean Mobilisation and Contract Start

    As the approved cleaning contractor of Managing Agents Avison Young for the delivery of the OCW internal common areas and  cleaning across the Paradise estate, we were incredibly proud to be comprehensively involved in getting this new state of the art facility ‘presentation ready’ for its recent launch event in October which was a resounding success!

    Heading up the mobilisation team is our long standing Contract Manager Debbie Rhodes who will be aligning the daily cleaning regime on site to accommodate the staggered opening of the building to a number of high profile Tenants including Arup, JLL and Goldman Sachs who have already committed to taking significant office space within this prestigious development.

    As we head into our 5th year of operational activity across the Paradise Estate the opportunity to reinforce our brand within this new stunning office development in the city of Birmingham is one in which we are immensely proud, Director Paul Concannon commenting:

    “As an organisation we pride ourselves on being all about Birmingham, looking after a number of iconic buildings and venues throughout our great City, hence we were genuinely thrilled to have the opportunity to provide Daily Cleaning Services to One Centenary Way (OCW), the most advanced commercial office setting in the City, complementing our growing portfolio of marquee buildings.“

    Baba Seckan, Front of House Concierge Operative

    This newest addition to Birmingham’s commercial market is certainly a ‘Jewel in the Crown’ and we are relishing the opportunity to continue reinforcing our position as the ‘go to’ Cleaning Contractor for organisation’s seeking a company that genuinely wants to deliver ‘sustainable cleaning’ for their commercial property as within One Centenary Way!

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    As an organisation we clean prides itself upon forming longstanding partnerships with blue-chip companies and venues across Birmingham and the wider Midlands, therefore we are absolutely delighted to be appointed as the approved cleaning contractor for the iconic SnowDome in Tamworth.

    The SnowDome is a renowned winter sports and leisure complex, offering year-round skiing and snowboarding experiences. With its vast snow-covered slopes, ice rink, and a variety of snow-based activities, it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors, from beginners to seasoned snow enthusiasts.

    As well as boasting a 170-metre indoor slope (made of real snow!) the SnowDome also houses a Climbing Wall, Pool & Sauna plus extensive gym facilities. There is a large café, The Lifthouse Coffee Co., a snow fun park and the newly refurbished Aspen’s Bar & Kitchen which offers fantastic panoramic views of the slope.

    The newly refurbished Aspen’s Bar.
    Aspen’s Bar and Kitchen.

    The SnowDome experiences consistently high public footfall and visitor traffic and as a result the cleaning regime must not only be geared towards servicing the differing fixtures, fittings and floor types, but must also be intrinsically focused on customer service.

    Our service offering is all encompassing with a large Early AM Cleaning Team consisting of 6 Operatives, headed up by Malgorzata Pelik, Location Manager which is reinforced by a daytime presence structured to replenish consumables and carry out ‘touchpoint cleaning’.

    We Clean Operatives at the SnowDome!

    When tackling premises of this size, the correct provision of equipment is absolutely critical. It has always been our business philosophy that whilst cleaning will continue to remain labour intensive, we have a duty to ensure that our cleaning staff have cutting edge and market leading equipment at their disposal to produce the best possible results for our client base.

    Across the SnowDome there is extensive hard flooring, large carpeted areas plus gym flooring and matting in the changing facilities. There is also Flotex flooring within the new Aspen’s Bar, a textile floor which contains millions of nylon fibres and is totally waterproof.

    Contract Manager Ryan Halford getting to grips with the ‘Flotex’ flooring!

    To offer the very best service possible we are also initiating a ‘we clean first’ and introducing the ‘we clean Robotic Vacuum!’ Fully controlled through an easy-to-use app, this robotic vacuum will primarily operate within the Gym facility and due to its powerful motor can be programmed to run for 270 minutes, accessing all hard to reach areas before self-charging.

    Our SnowDome Robot – what shall we call it?

    With such a large provision of equipment on-site, Training and Health & Safety have been of paramount importance. Throughout the mobilisation phase we invested significant management time in ensuring that all H&S legislation was ticked off and that we fully understood every corner of the venue. Now into our first week of the contract we are continuing in this vein, with Training Manager Duncan Thomson assisting Contract Manager Ryan Halford in supporting all staff with a variety of training and guidance.

    Ryan is delighted to be managing this prestigious contract, commenting:

    “The team have genuinely been fantastic from the get-go!

    From initial TUPE meetings through to the contract start last weekend they have all shown excellent desire and drive. It has been a busy first week as we introduce new equipment and new methods of working but I can already see that we have made a difference.

    When operating on such a large site, training and close management is critical and it is my job to make sure that both the staff and our client contacts feel fully supported.

    I want to thank both the SnowDome cleaning team, we clean Management as well as James Smith and Emma Tabberer, SnowDome Management for their support, we are all looking forward to getting stuck into the contract and hopefully we will continue to raise cleaning standards as we enter the busy winter months!”