News April 2008
The glamour of it all...
Who said that the world of the sameday courier isn’t glamorous? In recent weeks we’ve been hob-nobbing with a premiership footballer and a world-renowned, award-winning wildlife film maker not to mention helping the Toyota Formula 1 team prepare a race car.
In March we delivered a pallet of sports drinks to Newcastle United midfielder Alan Smith. Alan himself was busy witnessing the third coming of Kevin Keegan so our courier ‘hand-balled’ the goods into his garage. The drinks have seemingly worked with the Magpies unbeaten in five games (at the time of writing).
We also couriered an urgent parcel to the Welsh home of one of the world’s top wildlife film-makers. Simon King is familiar to viewers of Big Cat Diary and Springwatch and has been responsible for some of the spectacular footage for the Blue Planet series. His CV charts a fantastic career behind the camera and the great man signed for his delivery in person.
In April we got the call from a client to ship a box of foam to Cologne. This was no ordinary foam but material needed for the Toyota F1 cars for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. We got the call at lunchtime and by early evening had delivered the package to a grateful Toyota F1 team member in Germany. We watched the race closely ready to bask in the reflected glory of the inevitable podium finish but Nico Rosberg could only manage 8th place.
Also in April we hand delivered the new Norwich City football kit to the Carrow Road home of the Canaries. The shirt sponsor has changed from Flybe to Aviva and the new 2008-2009 shirts were urgently needed for a photo shoot. Promotion next season is almost assured…
News March 2008
Sport Relief
Sunday 16th March was Sport Relief Challenge day and
ten people from Anglia braved appalling weather to run 3 miles to
raise money for the charity. Hundreds of people turned out over the
course of the day, many choosing to run in fancy dress.
There were gorillas, fairies, Robin (the assistant super hero not
the bird), clowns and even one man in a Leicester City shirt.
The event took place at Victoria Embankment in
Nottingham and involved running along the banks of the Trent -
half a mile into the teeth of a wintry gale and half a mile with a
tail-wind. After a brief step-aerobics warm up (girls joining in,
boys shuffling awkwardly) we all ran or walked the three miles,
without one of us troubling the paramedics.
The photo shows Mel and Julia from the office glowing with the satisfaction of helping those less fortunate...
In all we raised a total of £1050 for Sport Relief.
Ashes to Ashes
As we announced towards the end of last year we
commissioned the planting of a further 500 trees in the National
Forest, this time in Melbourne, Derbyshire. The photo shows Chris
Scothern and Jon Jenkinson about to plant Ash trees near Poppy Wood.
We're proud to support the work of the National Forest Company and
look forward to working with them again in the future.
Anyone wishing to get involved with the project should visit
www.nationalforest.org.
News February 2008
What a relief!
We have entered a team of eight people from our offices for the Sport Relief mile in Nottingham on March 16th. Actually we’re doing the three mile event after some brave soul suggested that "a mile doesn't sound that far…"
Watch this space for photos and a report on how we got on next month.
www.sportrelief.com
News January 2008
Our neck of the woods.
As part of our ongoing commitment to the National Forest we have planted a further 500 trees. This brings the number of our saplings to 950. The latest batch was planted in Poppy Wood on the edge of Melbourne, Derbyshire.
We are delighted to continue to be involved with the National Forest and we see it as a wonderful leisure, educational and environmental resource for the East Midlands and one that will bring benefits to everyone over time.
www.nationalforest.org
News November
Reaching New Heights
Congratulations to the six members of our staff who recently passed their fork-lift training examinations; particularly those who had no previous experience. Everyone managed to complete the course without dropping a pallet or running over the instructor.
Our warehousing and pick and pack operations have grown significantly over course of the year and having six qualified FLT drivers ensures that we have 24 hour cover for deliveries and collections.
News September
When a couple from Nottingham arrived at Southampton docks on the 26th of September they were looking forward to a Caribbean cruise. Horrified to discover that they had left their passports back at home they rang us to see if we could help.
We got the call at 12.55, picked the passports up at 13.14 and with the ship (The Oriana) due to sail at 17.00 there was no time to hang around. In fact we only had until 16.30 before the gangway was to be drawn up and the vessel made ready to sail. As the couple nervously paced the poop deck, our courier, Paul, was driving as quickly as (legally) possible down the A34. Satellite tracking allowed us to keep in touch with our clients and reassure them that their dream holiday, in the form of our white van, was on schedule. Paul arrived at the dockside at 16.20 to be greeted by a very grateful and relieved client. As the van turned round and headed north, the 69,000 ton Oriana was easing out of her berth and our clients, along with 1820 other holiday makers, were heading for the sun-kissed beaches of Antigua.
News Summer
In June we were asked to courier some vital packages to the MEN Arena in Manchester where Beyonce was playing that night. The items had been left at Nottingham Arena after her show the previous night and were required before she could take to the stage in Manchester. We weren't told what they were (suggestions on a postcard please…)
It is always interesting to know what our customers do. July saw some of the worst flooding the country has ever experienced and one of our clients was kept busy supplying self-heating cans of food to the fire brigade to keep them going as they battled with the rising waters. The victims of the floods also received the benefit of this culinary innovation (if that is the appropriate term for the self-heating Full English breakfast in a tin). Our client received a vote of thanks from the fire service which was copied to us in recognition of our part in ensuring that the deliveries got through in testing circumstances.
News May
The Beautiful Game
As one of the largest sameday courier companies in the East Midlands we believe it is important for the region to have sporting as well as commercial success. So congratulations to Derby County on promotion to the Barclays Premiership following victory in the play-off final at Wembley. Commiserations to Nottingham Forest on missing out on Championship football next season and also to Chesterfield FC on relegation from League 1. At least next season 'The Spireites' will be able to play Notts County, Lincoln City and Mansfield Town. Still, local derbies tend to be feisty affairs and one of our contracts is to courier video tapes to FA headquarters in London for disciplinary hearings. Every cloud..
Let's hope for success for all East Midlands clubs next season!
News March
First pick & pack operation
Our first pick and pack operation is now fully functioning. We have been contracted by a Sheffield-based exhibition and communications specialist to manage the distribution of marketing materials for one of their clients, a multi-national pharmaceuticals company. The operation involves the storage and picking of literature, exhibition equipment and promotional gifts etc for distribution to conferences and exhibitions around the UK and across the world. Orders are received electronically and stock levels updated via the client's website.
Material often has to be returned from exhibitions and we manage that extremely cost-effectively using our own vehicles when they are passing empty, returning from a delivery. Reverse logistics, as we know it these days! Utilising our own couriers as far as possible ensures security and control over the operation from despatch to return.
News February
UKWA Accreditation for Warehouse
We are delighted to announce that we have been accepted as a member of the United Kingdom Warehousing Association.
Although we have fewer than 300 pallet spaces we considered it important to gain UKWA accreditation to show that we take the matter of storing other companies goods seriously and adopt best practice.
To quote the UKWA;
"To become a member of the Association, all applicants must undergo a rigorous inspection .....to ensure that they operate to the highest minimum standards in 11 critical areas of warehousing".
So you can be sure that if we're just storing your goods or operating a pick, pack and despatch operation, you couldn't be in better hands.
For more information about the UKWA visit www.ukwa.org.uk
News January
Today Mansfield , tomorrow..
In an exciting development we are opening a new office in the Mansfield area, about a mile from junction 28 of the M1.
Due to an increasing amount of business coming from this area we have signed a lease on an office in Huthwaite, on the Fulwood Industrial Estate. (See the 'contact us' page for telephone number).
The new office will enable us to offer a genuine rapid response service to north Nottingham, Mansfield, Alfreton, Barlborough, and the surrounding areas. The office will be opening in mid-January and we'll keep you posted with further details.
News December
Yogurts are us!
We were delighted to welcome the first clients for our new warehouse this month.
Eighty four pallets of yogurt making kits came in during December before being shipped out to a well known TV shopping channel in time for Christmas. The ideal last-minute gift idea for men too lazy to go to the local garage!
News November
We're in!
November saw us finally move into our fantastic new head office building in Castle Donington. Moving premises during the busiest period of the year probably wasn't the best idea we've ever had but everything went as smoothly as we could have expected.
We've unpacked all the boxes and plugged in the computers and everything seems to work. The offices and warehouse represent a significant step forward for the company and we look forward to welcoming clients and prospective clients to visit us.
News October
Digital Drivers
We're taking delivery of eight brand new trucks in mid-October. The DAF 7.5 tonne lorries will replace the current fleet and will move us into the digital tachograph era.
Four of the vans will be curtain-sided and the rest 'box'-bodied. Three of them will have tail-lifts. Once they've been wired for our GPS tracking system and decorated with a new livery they'll be coming to a town near you!
For details of all the different vans that we use please go to the 'Vehicles' page.
Call the Copse!
Ever mindful of the impact of our business on the environment we have taken a small step towards reducing our carbon footprint by planting some tress.
We have commissioned the planting of 450 trees at Rosliston Country Park in Derbyshire as the first part of a five year partnership with the National Forest Company. Apart from their long-term benefit to the environment the trees will form part of the fantastic natural resource that is The National Forest. Look out for pictures of us in our wellies at the planting ceremony later in the year. For more information about the National Forest please go to the official website at; www.nationalforest.org
News September
Odd Jobs
Job of the month for September: We were asked to courier three boxes of fresh strawberries from a farm in Staffordshire to the head office of a major high street store in London . The strawberries arrived in tact and no, the courier didn't get stuck in any congestion.
News July 2006
The Big Fire
As building work on our new unit nears completion we narrowly escaped disaster when a huge fire in a neighbouring pallet yard threatened to engulf the whole estate. The fire was powerful enough to melt overhead power lines which came crashing down on our roof. Superficial damage aside, we escaped lightly.
Other companies on the estate were not so lucky and face months of upheaval as their brand new premises have to be pulled down and rebuilt. Our hearts go out to them.
Job of the Month
Job of the Month for July must surely be the football shirt that was flown down from Scotland to Nottingham for ex Nottingham Forest and Hearts star John Robertson to sign for a charity auction. With the ink still drying we couriered it back up to Glasgow in time for it to go under the hammer. Let's hope it raised a lot of money.
News June 2006
New website launched June 2006.
Welcome to our new website at angliacouriers.com . We hope that the site is informative and easy to navigate around. We have tried to give you useful information about the services that we offer, the vehicles that we run and the approach that we take to our work.
Why the new web address?
Well, the old site now belongs to our former sister company in the South East who have undergone a management buy-out and now trade as Anglia Courier Express (East Anglia) Ltd. Whilst we do still work closely with them, we are separate companies and not to be confused. Hence our new look and new site.
News. May 2006
New head office building purchased.
Exciting things are happening here. We have signed on the dotted line for a brand new 4,500 sq ft industrial unit on a new industrial estate in Castle Donington. The offices are being built as you read this and should be ready for occupation later this summer. The new building will give us more space for expansion and storage, better office accommodation and more secure parking for our fleet of trucks. And we'll still be only minutes from the A50, M1, A42, and A453! We'll keep you posted......
NEWS & EVENTS 
