Compass Environmental Consultancy Becomes A Newbury Soup Dragon!

We are proud to announce that Compass Environmental Consultancy has become a Newbury Soup Dragon!

For a number of years Compass has been supporting Crisis at Christmas by donating money to provide a meal at Christmas for those less fortunate – 1 x meal for each Compass staff member.

It is perhaps at this time of year that we realise just how fortunate and privileged we are.  Sure we all have issues and challenges in our lives from time to time but hopefully not to the extent where we find ourselves homeless, no job, sleeping rough, vulnerable and with little hope.  I am sure we have all seen individuals in need of help, support and a few kind words – these people are in need 365 days a year, not just at Christmas.  We may not know their names, but they are someone’s son, daughter, dad, mum, brother or sister. As a close-knit family business it seems incomprehensible how relationships may break down to the extent that you find yourself alone and on the street.

We have been looking for a good cause to champion for some time.  Perhaps fund some barn owl or bat boxes in our local community to help protect these vulnerable species.  But at the end of a recent night out in London enjoying some pre-Christmas corporate hospitality we came across a group of people, of all ages, laying out newspaper and cardboard and bedding down for the night beside a platform at Paddington Station.  It hit home hard and was literally a very sobering experience – vulnerable humans.

Time to act.  We pitched it to the Compass team and with their wholehearted support we started to make some enquiries.  It was at this point we came across the Newbury Soup Kitchen, a local voluntary organisation founded by Meryl Praill and supported by her team of volunteers – “Nourishing Hope, Rebuilding Lives”.  The NSK takes an holistic approach addressing not only physical hunger but also the emotional and social needs of each person they encounter.  Treating each as an individual with dignity and compassion regardless of their circumstances.

 It is our privilege to be able to support Meryl and her team by becoming a Newbury Soup Dragon, one of over 20 local companies that provides monthly financial donations in support of the soup kitchen, allowing it to provide over 60 meals a night to the homeless and vulnerable in the Newbury area.

Launch of our new Chemical Hazard Awareness Training

We’re excited to announce the launch of our latest training course to be added to our Responder training suite: Chemical Hazard Awareness Training.

This program, which we’ve worked hard to develop, has just been approved by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), a huge achievement for our team and a mark of the course’s high quality.

Our goal with this training is to equip professionals across various industries—whether it’s manufacturing, healthcare environmental management, or any other industry —with the essential knowledge and skills they need to manage chemical hazards in the workplace safely. The course covers everything from understanding chemical behaviours and reactions, interpreting Safety Data Sheets (SDS) as well as having an appreciation of the complex world of chemical safety regulations. It's designed for anyone who deals with hazardous substances in the workplace, and it's structured to be both informative and practical.

As a team, we believe that chemical safety is critical not just for protecting employees but for safeguarding the environment as well. By offering this course, we hope to empower professionals to take a proactive role in managing chemical risks, ensuring compliance with regulations, and making their workplaces safer for everyone.

“When delivering our Spill Responder training courses, I would often be asked if we ran any courses specifically on general chemical safety awareness. This course has been developed to answer that need and is designed to provide a general awareness of hazardous chemicals in the workplace.

It is recommended for anyone who handles, stores, or otherwise works with hazardous chemicals and needs to know how to reduce associated risk to themselves, others, and the environment.”
— Johnny Catchpole, Head of Training Division

We can deliver this course at your premises or offer an enhanced version of this course at our specialist facility in Cheltenham which includes an interactive laboratory session.

For more information or to book a space on one of our upcoming courses, click on the button below!

The Weigh In - Compass Pumpkin Competition 2024 🎃

The infamous Compass Pumpkin Growing Competition made its return for a third year with all eyes on who would take this year’s crown.

Matthew Thomas’s Seedlings

Off the back of last year’s shock loss, Matthew Thomas was on a warpath to reclaim the title from his fiercest rival, Harry Ower.

Preparations began in early Spring where seeds were distributed amongst the team and plots were being mapped out to enable maximum growth.

Contestants were treated to a year of mild weather and record amounts of rain that pushed our growers right to the edge!

After a house move last year, Stewart and Helen Ower had acquired a vegetable plot that was ready to go! A strong start was soon disrupted after deer invaded the garden and ate everything, bringing their competition to an abrupt end.

The plucky rookie, James Harrington made an impactful debut in the competition by forgetting to plant his seeds at all. He received an automatic disqualification when he suggested purchasing a finished pumpkin from the local Supermarket.

Johnny Catchpole didn’t fare much better with a no-show from him due to sharing a garden with his neighbours - in a statement from him, he told us that “it would be selfish of me to take over the entire garden with a behemoth pumpkin and I don’t want to receive an eviction notice.”

Tom Ower kept his cards close to his chest not revealing any information until the time was right.

Months of exchanged WhatsApp messages were shared updating the team on each contestants progress until the final weigh in took place the day before Halloween. Seven contestants started, three made it to the finish line, but there was to be only one winner.

Harry’s Pumpkin Compared to a Brick (Summer 2024)

Once all produce was placed, the scales determined the final winner:

1st Place - Harry Ower

2nd Place - Matthew Thomas

3rd Place - Tom Ower with a prized Pineapple

Harry continued his winning streak with style, becoming the first person in Compass history to achieve two wins in a row. Commenting on his victory, he said:

“I like to compare my relationship with Matthew to some of histories greats, Mr Miyagi and the Karate Kid or Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

In all great stories we know there comes a time where pupil becomes master, today is that day with a second historic win in the greatly anticipated Compass pumpkin growing competition.

I cannot thank miracle-gro fertilizer enough for its contributions to the crop produced this year. With the help of Google and some prime chicken manure I hope to make next year another victory.”
— Harry Ower, Compass Pumpkin Champion 2024

Harry Ower with the Compass Pumpkin Trophy, which is hand painted annually by Matthew Thomas

A two week trip to Florida was ultimately Matt’s downfall where his plot remained unsupervised, malnourished and parched. In a tearful statement, Matthew said:

“Competing against a family who’s surname is two letters away from grower is always going to be a challenge.

But combine this with poor growing conditions in Shropshire during 2024 and a poorly planned holiday at the peak of the growing season and it’s a recipe for disaster.

I must do better next year, for my fans. A post incident investigation has been completed and procedures amended to avoid a recurrence.”
— Matthew Thomas, Sore Loser

So there ends another year of pumpkin growing for the Compass team! With just 364 days to the the next weigh in, plans are already underway for next year’s competition.

Will Harry achieve a threepeat?

Will Matt get his redemption?

Will Stewart and Helen unlock their potential?

Will James remember to plant his seeds?

Will Johnny find a suitable space for a plot?

Will Tom actually produce a pumpkin for once?

Or will our new degree apprentice, Oisin, show us how it’s done?!

Tune in next year!

Spill First Responder Training Opens Its Doors!

To date, our Spill First Responder Training course has only been available as a private booking for one company - we are happy to announce that this is set to change!

Our Spill First Responder course is now available as an open course for multiple companies to attend!

“An informative & professional course keeping us all interested with real-life situations & examples. Great knowledge and trainer answered all questions thrown at him.””
— Spill First Responder Delegate

This change allows companies of all sizes and sectors to benefit from the training, making it more accessible for a wider audience. Many companies book as part of maintaining their ISO 14001 Environmental management systems certification and to ensure professional competence and safety when handling emergency spill response situations at work.

The first open course is scheduled to take place at our Theale Head Office on Tuesday 10th December 2024, with subsequent sessions planned for 2025! To book your space on this course, click on the button below or to view any of our upcoming courses, visit our training page where you can find booking information!

Our New Apprentice!

18 months ago, we received a knock on the door from a student looking to undertake work experience with us.

In the days where online applications and LinkedIn job adverts are the norm, it was refreshing to see somebody so young muster up the courage to try something a bit more personable!

After a brief chat with the team, we decided that Oisin had left enough of an impression on us to give him a chance!

Two sets of work experience later, Oisin expressed an interest in completing an Environmental Practitioner degree apprenticeship with us - a five year course with one day spent at University and four days gaining practical experience with us.

He has been accepted onto the course at Kingston University after his successful A-Level results and joins the team this week to begin his employment with us!

“I am really excited to start my journey with Compass as a degree apprentice. This is a huge step towards my future, and I’m really grateful for this opportunity to learn and gain hands on experience in such a dynamic and supportive work environment. I’m eager to contribute to the team and take on new challenges.”
”
— Oisin O'Shaughnessy, Degree Apprentice
“From our initial meeting, we immediately warmed to Oisin. He is somebody with a can-do attitude who isn’t afraid to get stuck in!

He has achieved all of this off his own back and we couldn’t be prouder to have him join our team as a full-timer!””
— Tom Ower, Business Development & Marketing Manager

Compass Celebrate Turning 7!

Last month, Compass celebrated turning 7 years old with a BBQ in our car park!

The team came together to enjoy some seasonal favourites curated by Kings of the Grill, Harry and Stewart Ower - both were closely supervised by health and safety expert, Matthew Thomas.

In fact, the team enjoyed it so much that we have decided to make it an annual tradition!

Our Managing Director, Stewart Ower marked the occasion by saying:

“The past 7 years has flown by, there is never a dull moment when you are running and growing your own business! We are delighted that our products, services, team and office have all expanded as we have carefully and selectively grown the business.  We have the privilege of working alongside family every day and amazing colleagues who have become like family, whether they like it or not!

A huge thank you to our clients and partners, you have been fantastic – you will never be taken for granted.  In return, we hope you have received a high quality, great value service delivered by personable and engaging people with superb skills and with good humour.  We are all excited to see what the next 7 years brings!”
— Stewart Ower, Managing Director

Odour Control!

A big congratulations to Harry Ower who has recently sat the IICRC Odour Control Technician exam and passed with flying colours!

 At Compass we believe it is crucial to develop and train staff in relevant fields to ensure that we continue to work and deliver projects in line with recognised and certified standards.

 Here is what harry had to say about the gaining his new certification:

“The course was interesting and covered the key principles of odour and vapour control and removal. It was good to see that our current procedures for vapour control align with internationally recognised techniques and I’m really looking forward to developing our vapour control techniques on site to ensure we employ the most effective and efficient methods for our clients.

It was useful to understand the variety of odour and vapour sources outside of our usual fuel oil sector and meet people from multiple industries sharing experiences in controlling vapours and odours in our respective fields.””
— Harry Ower - Senior Environmental Consultant

Our Training Facility is Open for Business!

Responder Spill Training Partners Darcy Spillcare and Compass Environmental Consultancy launch new training facility. Left to right: Rob Stackpoole, Mark Carlton and Richard Proctor of Darcy and Stewart Ower of Compass.

Following on from our recent office move to Theale, we are thrilled to announce that our training suite is now open for business!

This represents a key development in our continued Responder joint venture with Darcy Spillcare as we are now able to offer up the following as open courses for individuals or small group bookings:

  • Spill First Responder

  • Spill First Responder Train the Trainer

Our new suite will also play host to several of our Driver CPC Courses throughout the year.

“Whilst searching for a new, larger office premises, we knew having a flexible learning space was at the top of our wish list.

By having access to both the indoor classroom and outdoor environment for our practical sessions will help to further enhance our Responder Spill Training courses going forward.

We look forward to welcoming delegates to our new training suite!”
— Stewart Ower, Managing Director of Compass Environmental Consultancy

Located just off of Junction 12 on the M4, our training suite can provide space for up to 10 delegates at a time with plenty of on-site parking for visitors (and practical sessions)!

For those who don’t drive - fear not! We are a short 7 minute walk away from Theale Station which is well connected to the rest of the rail network.

Want to book yourself in for one of our Responder Spill Training courses? Click on the button below!

We've Moved!

Compass Environmental Consultancy have moved to new Head Office premises!  The Compass team has relocated from its Wokingham office to new, larger offices in Theale.

Located at the end of Theale High Street, the new offices retain the historic character we are renowned for, being 3 old cottages knocked into one to create a great work space. The new site has expanded facilities including a dedicated training suite, bright and airy office space with plenty of room for growth and on-site parking for staff and visitors.

“Our office move to much larger premises represents a step change in the development of our business.  As we continue to grow and expand, we need the extra space for staff, equipment storage and dedicated training facilities for our range of training courses. 

The whole team are excited and invigorated by the move which has become both necessary and possible due to the continued success of our business. 

Our plans for future growth are in place to ensure we fully capitalise on the fantastic opportunities a larger premises allows.  Situated right on the M4 junction at Theale, near Reading, we have great access to the motorway network and our visitors and training delegates will find that we are quick and easy to locate. 

Our expansion has only been possible due to the hard work and commitment of our staff, the quality of the services we provide and the loyalty and support of our customers – thank you to all of them”.”
— Stewart Ower, Managing Director

Stewart Ower with Head of Security, Tess.

“The dedicated training suite and outside areas available for practical exercises makes our new office perfect for running open training courses.

We normally deliver training at a client’s premises, but this will open up additional options to run open courses for Spill First Responder training, Driver CPC training and other courses which are currently under development with our training partners but now made possible by our new premises. 

We cannot wait to welcome our first training delegates to the facility.””
— Johnny Catchpole, Head of Training

Johnny Catchpole, Head of Training in our brand new training suite!

Our new address is as follows:

Compass Environmental Consultancy Ltd
1-3 Church Street
Theale
Berkshire
RG7 5BU

Compass Achieve Acclaim SSIP and Constructionline Gold Again!

We are pleased to announce that we have once again achieved SSIP and Constructionline Gold Accreditation.

Constructionline Gold is a prestigious accreditation awarded to companies that demonstrate exceptional levels of professionalism, competence, and efficiency. It signifies that the company has successfully met stringent criteria related to financial stability, technical capability, and adheres to the highest standards of health and safety.

In addition to Constructionline Gold, we have also secured Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) accreditation. SSIP is a collaborative initiative aimed at streamlining health and safety pre-qualification processes. The accreditation confirms that Compass complies with rigorous health and safety standards, ensuring a secure working environment for its employees and subcontractors.

“Constructionline Gold and Acclaim SSIP accreditations reflect a very high standard of health and safety compliance, so I am tremendously proud that Compass Environmental Consultancy have achieved reaccreditation for a second year running! 

Our team has worked hard during 2023 to ensure that our management system is consistently implemented across all of our activities, and we have actively measured our performance throughout the year to ensure that opportunities for continuous improvement are recognised.

  We have an exciting year ahead in 2024, with so many opportunities in front of us, and I look forward to working with the team to ensure that health and safety remains at the top of our agenda as we continue to grow. ”
— Matthew Thomas, Operations Director