The security team at Lister Hospital working for East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust was a double winner at last night’s Carlisle Support Services’ annual awards, at the ACC Liverpool venue (pictured).
The black-tie evening by the security guarding, cleaning and facilities management contractor began with ‘contract champions’ – some 60 were asked to stand and to take applause from the audience of Carlisle staff, customers and invited industry guests such as Figen Murray. She and fellow campaigner for Martyn’s Law Nick Aldworth presented an award in the name of Martyn Hett, who was among those who died in the Manchester Arena suicide bomb attack in May 2017. The award went to head of operations south John Angel.
Another particularly well-received award was the one for ‘charity superstar’ that went to Matt Greenwood, who has raised £7500 (topped up by Carlisle on the night to £8000) by putting himself through 31 ‘bin dips’. Employee awards went to MAPP City Tower and Tesco in Manchester city centre; ACC Liverpool; Lister Hospital; and James McNulty of Liverpool City Council. Customer of the year was named as car-maker Jaguar Land Rover, while the Coventry University security team was given the award for outstanding and courageous act.
As for an internal award for support team, in third place was asset and fleet management; second, finance; and first payroll. Another award with third-second-first was for contract team, and in that order was Tesco (for security); train operator West Midlands (for cleaning); and Lister Hospital. The award for contract-operations manager, presented by Carlisle’s Group Quality, Environment, Safety & Health Manager Andrew Flanagan, had some 40 nominees was also in third-second-first order: Stuart Smith; Diane Mason; and, for mobilising the Excel London new contract (featured in the January print edition of Professional Security Magazine) and for Camden Council in north London, Matt Ship.
Earlier, BBC broadcaster and the day and night’s compere Mark Clemmit began proceedings, introducing to the stage Carlisle CEO Paul Evans who spoke briefly about the company and set the tone for the day – for the tenth Innovation Lab, about ideas and networking. Beside the conference hall was a room of tech and other exhibitors; robotic cleaning machines were visibly to the fore, besides a drone and landing pad on the Marlowe Fire & Security stand.
The main speaker of the morning was the former Liverpool and England footballer John Barnes, whose talk ranged over conditioning and modern society. That it resonated was obvious by the long queue for paperback copies of his book The Uncomfortable Truth about Race. He also delighted the audience by singing (while confiding that he was unable to dance along owing to shoulder injury) his famous rap as part of the New Order song to accompany the 1990 World Cup, World in Motion (and played on his phone the raps by teammates Peter Beardsley and Paul Gascoigne, deemed not as good as Barnes’ and that did not make the record).
Among afternoon talks, director of rail strategy Steve Cere, who’s interviewed in the February print edition of Professional Security Magazine, chaired a panel about railway security, of Kathryn O’Brien, customer experience director, TransPennine Express; Tom Harty, security and suicide prevention manager, West Midlands Trains; and from British Transport Police (BTP), Jamie McGowan and (on designing out crime) Andy McCullough.
Other security speakers included Steve McCormick, director of licensing and standards at the Security Industry Authority (SIA), a return speaker; and from the corporate sector, at a session chaired by Carlisle COO Adrian White, Adam Stothard, senior business protection leader EMEA for Spotify; and Nigel Brown, head of corporate security for the BBC.
More in the March and April print editions of Professional Security Magazine.
About the firm
Carlisle Security Services is an SIA-approved contractor; its security and stewarding customers include Tottenham Hotspur FC; the Supreme Court, Westminster; and numerous NHS trusts and hospitals such as Alder Hay and Great Ormond Street; and train operating companies (TOCs). Visit https://www.carlislesupportservices.com/.
