Surrey company keeps staff fit and healthy

(Picture shows from left to right: Mario Mingoia from the Green Landscape Nursery, Trevor Lawrence, on-site gardener with the Gavin Jones Group , Jason Huggett, head of facilities management at Belron® and Darren Sully, Wilson Vale chef manager at Belron®.)

A Surrey-based company is ensuring that its employees receive the best possible diet throughout their working day by growing their own fresh produce on-site.

At the UK corporate office of Belron International Limited in Egham in Surrey, staff can enjoy ten varieties of salad leaves, freshly picked tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, mange tout, chilies, fine beans, peas and peppers – all grown on land surrounding the building. There is an abundant herb garden, a polytunnel, a vegetable plot, numerous fruit trees and they are currently creating allotments so that their 130 employees can grow their own vegetables to use at home if they wish.

Jason Huggett, head of facilities management for Belron®, the world’s leading vehicle and glass repair and replacement company, works very closely with on-site caterers, Wilson Vale, who literally reap the benefits of fresh produce on the kitchen doorstep.

Darren Sully, Wilson Vale’s chef manager on-site said: “To have access to fresh fruit and vegetables within a corporate environment is amazing and it’s all due to Belron®’s support and interest in their staff and genuine commitment to the environment. What we can’t grow on-site, we source from within a twelve-mile radius, with the majority coming from The Green Landscape Nursery, situated just three fields away in Hurst Lane. ”

Jason Huggett said: “CSR at Belron® is more than just being green; it’s about doing great things. The poly tunnel was a relatively small step but when you think of the impact it has in terms of minimising food miles and enhancing the health of our staff, it’s an important investment.

“Wellbeing is not always top of the agenda for business managers as cost cutting is ripe but here health, safety and general wellbeing are top of our agenda. We view our catering facility as the heart of the building. Wilson Vale couldn’t be more supportive and we count ourselves very fortunate to enjoy fantastic service from all of our contractors on site who share our ethos, from the landscapers, the Gavin Jones Group, who create the planting areas to our full-time gardener, Trevor Lawrence, who feeds wonderfully fresh produce to our kitchens so that Darren and his team can create healthy dishes to keep our staff nutritionally balanced during their working day.” said Jason.

The company has also created a ‘Trim Trail’ for staff to take a jog or walk during their break times. A nature garden is currently under construction to improve bio diversity on-site. This will include a wild flower meadow and a wildlife pond. Food and garden waste goes straight into the composter on-site and there is a plan to re-introduce bee hives, once Jason is confident that none of the staff has an allergy to bee stings.

As well as the vegetables and herbs, Belron® re-planted original fig trees that were removed during construction and planted additional ones. In time, they hope to have good crops of figs, prune, grapes, plums, apples, cherries, pears and peaches.  

“Approximately 30 per cent of the trees were there already and we have planted a total of 19 additional trees, all of which with the exception of the fig tree are expected to bear fruit this year. The new ones will only have a limited supply, as most of the fruit will be removed to force the roots to grow more enabling more fruit yield next year,” said Jason.

Existing blackberry bushes on the site have been cultivated to make them easier to pick and raspberry and blackcurrant bushes have also been planted.

“Life at Belron® isn’t just about nine to five,” said Jason. “It's about a community of people who enjoy what they do. We’ve created a positive culture and it’s important to support them in every way possible. Our efforts at growing our own have been very well received by all on-site and throughout the company.

“So many organisations talk about health at work but this is as real as you can get. It’s not all about calorie counting and portion control but about ensuring a balanced diet with nutrient-rich, seasonal produce which hasn’t come from miles away or been chemically or genetically altered to look good.

“There’s a buzz on site – and it’s not just the bees and other wildlife that our blossom and plants are attracting! People are genuinely appreciative of what we are doing. It’s about enhancing the working environment, reducing carbon footprint, giving something back to the environment and ensuring that our staff’s diet at work is as good as good can be.”

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Copylines PR. Tel: 00 353 21 435 8517. Email: patkinson@copylinespr.com

Wilson Vale is an independently owned catering company, established by Andrew Wilson and his wife, Carolyne Vale, in 2002. The company specialises in high quality catering services, mainly within the B&I, conferencing and independent schools sectors. Current annual turnover is £17 million and Wilson Vale employs 550 people nationwide.  www.wilsonvale.co.uk

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