Norse scores high Security Industries Authority audit rating
Norse Commercial Services, and its security subsidiary EventGuard, has achieved a high rating in its recent Security Industries Authority (SIA) audit.
The audits are conducted every year by the security industry s governing body in order to maintain members accreditation. The audit is very thorough, covering everything from quality processes and procedures to legal compliance, right down to the way we communicate with clients and staff, said EventGuard Managing Director Martin Leeder. The auditors look at our Corporate Social Responsibility policies and interview clients and staff in order to verify facts.
We are delighted to have yet again achieved among the best ratings in the region, a real credit to our staff and reassurance for our clients that our training, communications and service delivery are of the highest standards. This year Norse has become eligible to join the elite Pacesetters scheme, being amongst the UK s top 10% of SIA contractors exceeding its audit rating pass mark. The Pacesetters scheme is a high benchmark group of companies that have proven they really are at the leading edge of the industry across the country, Martin Leeder explains.
To have a score high enough to enter demonstrates that you are a professional, high quality service provider with robust and vigorous policies and processes which set you apart from the competition. This is a very important achievement for Norse. Between Norse and EventGuard, which each hold SIA accreditations in their relevant market sectors, around 200 staff are fully SIA approved.
EventGuard adopts EACH as its Charity of the Year
EventGuard has adopted East Anglia s Children s Hospice (EACH ) as it charity of the year.
EACH was selected following discussions with EventGuard staff who felt it was a charity close to everyone s hearts. Having a Charity of the Year is a first for us and we are really looking forward to helping EACH raise the vital funds the Hospice needs to deliver its terrific services, commented EventGuard Managing Director Martin Leeder. We have already planned a number of fundraising activities and events, he said, and our staff are really looking forward to getting involved.
EACH does tremendous work in the region and we are delighted to be able to help them with fundraising over the coming twelve months. Garry Cook, EACH Norfolk Fundraiser said, We are delighted that Martin and the EventGuard team have chosen East Anglia s Children s Hospices (EACH) as their charity of the year. EventGuard s can do attitude and ethos means we are already discussing a number of different interesting and exciting fundraising initiatives that the staff can get involved in.
Working in partnership and being supported by a company such as EventGuard is absolutely fantastic, he continued, not only in terms of raising awareness of EACH to the EventGuard staff of over 300, their customers and suppliers but also in raising funds that will help us to continue to deliver our services of caring for local life threatened children and young people and supporting their families. To deliver
EventGuard video used in Norfolk Olympics celebrations
An 8-minute film about EventGuard s, involvement with the London 2012 Olympics is being used as part of a week-long celebration of Norfolk s contribution to the games. Norfolk County Council are staging a visual presentation of all the activity and successes of the county at the Forum, the Library and centre for information, arts, events and tourism in Norwich city centre.
The video presenting EventGuard s contribution to, what was billed as, the The UK s biggest ever sporting event , is being screened on a huge video wall in the Forum s permanent digital gallery, Fusion . EventGuard s involvement in the Olympics began nearly two and a half years before the event, when the company was approached by main contractor Mott MacDonald to run security at a number of Park and Ride sites. The company had to vet, select and train almost 400 personnel, who worked for 17 days at 18 Olympic venues across the South of England.
The number of locations had had to increase at the last minute to cover additional sites which had originally been allocated to other security suppliers. Delivering such a contract, with significant last minute changes adding to the incredible logistical challenges of recruiting, training, mobilising and then feeding and accommodating that number of staff, at 18 different remote locations, was a fantastic achievement for Norse, comments General Manager Bill Logan. We are immensely proud to be part of Norfolk County Council s celebrations alongside so many other individuals, communities and local business that also played their part in making the Games such a success.
New General Manager for EventGuard
Bill Logan has joined Norse security division EventGuard as General Manager.
Following 15 years military service, Bill worked for seven years in the private security sector including locations in the Middle East. Prior to joining EventGuard he was an Executive Officer with a staff of 1,500, providing security services to the United Nations and International Press alongside supporting reconstruction programmes in various hostile environments. Bill will have ultimate responsibility for operations, compliance, vetting and quality assurance and report to Managing Director Martin Leeder.
EventGuard security at Ipswich Borough Council
EventGuard has been awarded the contract to supply a range of security services to Ipswich Borough Council.
The three-year contract covers manned security, keyholding and mobile patrol at three of the Borough Council s sites in Ipswich. Karen Tucciarone of IBC said EventGuard Ltd were selected through an open tendering process, that involved over 10 interested parties. EventGuard Ltd were appointed both because of their flexibility and strength in accessing appropriately skilled local labour, as well as their cost competitiveness.
Ruth Metcalf Commercial Director at EventGuard parent company Norse commented, The agreement continues the shift from one-off event work to contract based agreements for EventGuard, making the company one of the largest players in the local security industry. This type of work also secures employment within the company and offers increased job and internal career development opportunities. Four staff have transferred from the previous contractor and an additional three staff are being recruited to fulfil the contract.
UEA contracts Norse for Library services role
The University of East Anglia has awarded the library services contract to Norse Commercial Services, subsidiary EventGuard.
The 2-year agreement, with the option to extend for a further 2 years, covers front-of-house security and services outside normal office hours when the library is unstaffed. During University closure periods the contract provides for 24-hour cover. We will be providing a range of services, said Martin Leeder, Managing Director of EventGuard, including checking that only authorised users gain access to the building, book stock and reading floors, and ensuring that no un-issued items are taken out of the building, including responding to gate alarms.
In addition the company will deal with basic enquiries and referrals, including floor walking on reading floors and in IT areas. We will also be supporting users in locating items, assisting with the moving and re-shelving of books and managing and monitoring use of Library space to meet student needs, Leeder added As well as all the usual student services procedures relating to the building and its resource, Norse will be responsible for carrying out full handover to our daytime staff, Heather Wells, Head of User Services at the UEA said.
They will also be acting as fire wardens to aid swift evacuation of the building, liaising with UEA Security and Library staff as appropriate.
EventGuard awarded Academy construction site security contract
EventGuard has been awarded a mobile security contract for the new Thetford Academy site, including overnight security and day and night security over weekends and during bank holiday close downs. The contract is with Mansells, the construction company working alongside Balfour Beatty on the new Thetford Academy building due to open in September 2013. The contract is currently scheduled to run until May/ June 2013 with possible extension as required.
Greatest year ever for Norse and subsidiary EventGuard
Norse s security subsidiary EventGuard has had the most successful year in the company s history following a summer of high profile events.
From the Tour of Britain cycle race to torch relays, from the games to music concerts, and from agricultural shows to processions, racecourses and carnivals, EventGuard has provided security services and stewarding at some of the country s greatest events in 2012 This short video1 covers the build-up, the joys and the challenges, and the memories of some of those taking part and responsible for delivering Norse and EventGuard s contribution to just one – albeit the greatest – of those events.
Busiest summer ever for Norwich based security services firm
It s already been the busiest summer in the company s history for Norse s security services division EventGuard, according to General Manager David Stuart.
The Norse Commercial Services subsidiary has provided traffic officers, security, stewarding and marshalling along a number of the Olympic Torch routes, the Lord Mayor s Procession, the Royal Norfolk Show, music festivals and concerts, race days at Newmarket, Huntingdon and Great Yarmouth, the Suffolk Show, Diss Carnival, and the Lowestoft and Feltwell Airshows. And still to come are the Tour of Britain cycling event, the Lowestoft Carnival and a number of major sporting events.
With turnover expected to double this year to 3.3 million, EventGuard has increased its staff to around 400 full and part time roles.
Deploying over 100 marshals, along 17 sections, covering 1900 miles, and liaising with 7 local district councils was just the start of the logistics planning EventGuard had to face when providing stewarding and security for the Olympic Torch s progress through the region.
The company was awarded a number of contracts to provide staff along the route, in some cases, at short notice.
One council recommended us to a couple of others but we only had a few days to arrange the deployment of the 100 trained people in the new areas, commented EventGuard Deployment co-ordinator Lesley Smith. People see the Torch coming through and assume that we are just there for that brief time, but weeks of work goes on behind the scenes with some of our staff working 12-hour days when the Torch passed through our areas, she says. For the Torch relay we started planning back in December.
As recognition of its handling of the relay security the company received personal praise from the Chief Executive of Suffolk Costal District Council and the Police for their crowd stewarding on the county s sections.
At the Royal Norfolk show, where EventGuard now has sole responsibility for general security and stewarding, over ninety security personnel were on duty over the two days of the show and during the build-up and break-down days either side.
The Lord Mayor s Procession required 120 people to cover the 2.5 mile route through the city centre with preparation and planning starting around three months ahead of the event.
This was the fifth year we have handled security and crowd marshalling for the Lord Mayor s Procession, said Martin Leeder, Managing Director.
One-off events such as a music festival, although they last only a few hours, from the security provision angle can take up to seven days of planning and staff organising. Even regular contracts such as the horse racing meetings will involve around 50 security approved personnel on the day, and require detailed advance planning.
EventGuard is in the middle of its busiest year so far, and by some margin, Leeder concluded. The unique nature of some of this year s events, such as the Torch relay, not only offer great business development opportunities for the Company, but are also tremendous experiences for our staff.
Some of these events will not be seen in this country again for many years.
Solus security contract for Norfolk Show
From June 2012, security for the prestigious Royal Norfolk Show has been awarded to Norse subsidiary EventGuard on a solus contract basis.
For the past five years the company has been responsible for around 40% of the annual 2-day, 100,000+ visitor show s security.
This is a really prestigious event in the Eastern region, and we are immensely proud to have been entrusted with responsibility for the entire security arrangements, commented General Manger David Stuart.
The new three-year contract will see over 80 EventGuard staff marshalling car parks, managing 24-hour security for the premises and acting as stewards around the site.
EventGuard wins business park security
Norse subsidiary EventGuard has won the contract to supply the security at Ransomes Europark in Suffolk.
EventGuard will be providing 24 hour manned security guarding at the 280 acre site, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
The contract which began in April 2012 covers a mix of retail and industrial units.
EventGuard took on the six staff from the previous supplier, ensuring continuity of employment under a TUPE arrangement.
This is an important win for EventGuard, commented Operations Manager, Andy MacMillan, consolidating Norse`s strong presence in Suffolk and building a strong foothold for further progression into the Ipswich and Suffolk area
Crowd Safety NVQ training at EventGuard
32 staff at Norse subsidiary EventGuard recently attended a Crowd Safety with particular emphasis on event stewarding, ahead of the company s full programme of summer events. The course had a mix of NVQ level 2 and level 3 candidates and was run by training specialist John Macintyre. It was run over two days at the Norse s head office in Norwich, and included some classroom based work followed by a table top exercise and presentation.
The candidates then had a portfolio to complete, and will then undertake an assessment of their capabilities whilst at an event, principally at race meetings at Great Yarmouth and Newmarket, two EventGuard clients who help the company with its training needs. This level of training is vital for our frontline staff, commented Managing Director Martin Leeder, they are responsible for crowd safety at events where there can be tens of thousands of spectators, and knowing automatically how to handle potential problems can ensue that we help to deliver a safe and enjoyable occasion.
First 60 new security division staff of 2012 inducted
The first of around 300 new staff to be employed at Norse s security division, EventGuard, undertook their induction course in early February.
60 people, some of whom had worked in security before, and some who were new to the industry, took part in a training course that covered staff responsibilities, maintenance of a safe environment, customer care issues, emergency aid and basic fire awareness and evacuation and contingency planning.
It is vital that all new staff are aware of the processes and policies that enable us to deliver safe and secure events, siad EventGuard Managing Director Martin Leeder. The summer months are going to be really busy for EventGuard, and with 300-plus new staff coming on board we have to make sure that they are fully trained to do their jobs in the most professional and efficient way, he added.
We are still looking for more staff to train for unique security opportunities this summer, Martin Leeder said, and want to encourage anyone interested, with or without experience, to contact us as soon as possible to be included on the next induction course.
(L to R: Andrew MacMillan, Tony Kidd, Lesley Smith)
New staff at EventGuard
EventGuard has announced further appointments to strengthen its management team.
Andrew Macmillan has joined as Operations Manager, in charge of static guarding, mobile teams, alarm response and key holding services.
Prior to his new role Andrew was Security Manager at Norwich s Chaplefield shopping mall.
Tony Kidd is the company s new Deployment Manager, deploying EventGuard s casual teams to events and other commitments. Tony will be supported by Lesley Smith in the role of Deployment Co-ordinator. Tony and Lesley have both been with EventGuard for a number of years, working as part of the casual team.
Their new roles, says Managing Director Martin Leeder, reflect the excellent career opportunities that now exist within the company.
Managing Director appointment at EventGuard
Martin Leeder has been appointed Managing Director of Norse Commercial Services subsidiary EventGuard Ltd.
He had previously been General Manager with the Norwich based security and event stewarding company for two years.
Norse s Commercial Director Ruth Metcalf says that the senior management appointment comes at a time of continued growth for Norse and EventGuard.
EventGuard has seen significant new contract wins, retentions and extensions over the last 18 months, requiring an expanded management infrastructure which Martin s new role reflects, Metcalf said. The company will be announcing further new senior management appointments over the coming weeks, she added.
Prior to joining EventGuard, Martin Leeder was Security Manager at Chapelfield Shopping Centre.
Traffic control at international skills competition
EventGuard provided traffic control and logistics at the world s largest ever international skills competition and careers event in October 2011.
The Worldskills London 2011, staged at the London Excel, attracted young people from 51 countries to compete to be the best in their chosen skills.
EventGuard had 60 staff on duty over the five-day event, which attracted over 200,000 visitors including Prime Minister David Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson.
Business success creates 80 new jobs at EventGuard
A busy summer that has already included the provision of security and stewarding at concerts, parades, race meetings, festivals and the Royal Norfolk Show, has created 80 new jobs at Norwich based security firm EventGuard.
The firm, part of Norse Commercial Services, has seen a steady increase in business during 2011, with a number of major contract wins through to 2012.
2011 has already been an extremely successful one for the company, commented Managing Director Martin Leeder, and going forward we have some very high-profile contracts that will mean significant additional growth over the next twelve months.
The firm, the largest single security and stewarding employer in Norfolk, has won a number of new contracts across the region, including prestigious deals to provide stewarding and security to the London road race on 14th August, the British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton, the World Skill competition at London s Excel and the Tour of Britain cycle race.
EventGuard is also responsible for security at the annual Walsingham pilgrimage, twelve Race 4 Life events in East Anglia, the Norfolk and Suffolk half-marathons, eighteen concerts at a number of Royal Parks, major events throughout the UK and at horse race meetings throughout the year at Newmarket, Huntingdon and Great Yarmouth.
Earlier in the year the firm worked along side Norfolk Constabulary and the city council, providing security at the Norwich City FC promotion parade and at the Lord Mayor s Procession.
Growth continues and we are still looking for more staff in both our stewarding and security fields Leeder said. The work over the next 18 months will take in some of the biggest and most popular events.
The work we have for London in 2012 is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Security is Premier League
Once again EventGuard was asked to handle security at the Norwich City FC promotion parade.
With 92 staff, and 27 students form the Bridging the Gap scheme, EventGuard ensured that the event was safe and enjoyable for the estimated 35,000 fans who turned out to celebrate the teams promotion to the Premier League.
Working alongside Norfolk Constabulary, the entire event was planned and delivered in just six days with excellent feedback from both police and other authorities.
Managing Director Martin Leeder was full of praise for his staff: EventGuard staff did a magnificent jog of the evening, and I am particularly gratefully to those that had to be flexible with arrangements when last minute changes meant some sudden alterations to deployment.
EventGuard goes the distance with local running events
The two 2011 Norwich half marathons, in March and September, and the Ipswich half marathon in September, will have carpark security and traffic management provided by EventGuard in conjunction with the two counties constabulary forces.
The company is also responsible for security, crowd stewarding and road traffic management at 11 of the Race for Life Cancer Research fundraising events around the region in 2011.
Concert security hits the right note
The new organisers of the music concerts at Norfolk s Blicking Hall have confirmed EventGuard as the security providers for the two events being staged in 2011.
The contract comes on top of further recent deals that handed EventGuard responsibility for event security, carpark and crowd stewarding at the September Norfolk Spectacular, the Heart FM Summer Party and the JLS concert at Hylands Park in Chelmsford.
The company has also been appointed by four separate concert organisers to provide security at individual events across East Anglian, including a performance by 70 s Scottish band, The Bay City Rollers.
The 2010 Staff Awards saw around 100 people attending the annual dinner and presentation.
The category winners, chosen by votes from their peers, were: Employee of the Year
Trevor Collet
Outstanding Commitment
Jimmy Price
Best New Recruit
Ryan Hembling
EventGuard fine display lands extended 2 year contract Norwich City Council has awarded a two year security and stewarding contract for the entire Sparks in the Park fireworks concert to EventGuard.
The new contact extends EventGuard previous responsibilities to include the fireworks and bonfire exclusion zone, previously handled by a separate provider.
The company will now have around 95 staff at the event.
EventGuard has been involved with the annual event for 5 years, and Managing Director Martin Leeder says the award of the additional contract is the result of all the hard work and professionalism of the staff involved.
Our Site Security Manager and his team have received high praise from the City Council, he commented, who have repeatedly said that it is the can do attitude which makes them stand out from other security operators the council has worked with.
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