In June we joined forces with Buxton Community School to spotlight engineering as a positive and rewarding career choice and mark International Women in Engineering Day 2019.

A group of 24 Year 7 students visited the cement plant and took part in practical workshops. The students are all part of a very successful Lego and robotics club which has been sponsored by Tarmac Tunstead and has won several high-profile competitions over recent years.

A mix of boys and girls, the visitors helped Tarmac draw attention to International Women in Engineering Day, an annual global awareness campaign which is coordinated by the Women’s Engineering Society. It aims to increase the profile of women in engineering worldwide and focus attention on the amazing career opportunities available in engineering and related industries.

The students were given a behind-the-scenes tour of the cement plant where they saw engineering in action in many forms. They were then put through their paces in two 30-minute exercises led by Tarmac STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Ambassador Josie Shereston.

Using giant meccano as the main engineering tool, they had to build a wheelbarrow to transport sand; and construct a self-supporting swing to hold a toy.

AUGUST 2019

TUNSTEAD IN YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY

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INSPIRING FUTURE ENGINEERS

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2...

“I particularly enjoyed the tour and seeing all the machinery from the tower. I’ve been inspired to pursue a job in engineering because of this trip.” BUXTON COMMUNITY SCHOOL STUDENT

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Sarah Barnwell, careers adviser at Buxton Community School said: “This event was such a valuable opportunity for these students. Whilst they have a love of using Lego to build robots, they didn’t have a clear picture of how these skills related to the world of engineering. The activities that they took part in gave them the opportunity to put their skills to the test in fun, creative and educational ways. The tour of the site gave them a really interesting and practical insight into how engineering can be applied in the workplace, whilst meeting employees

and learning about the roles of the men and women who work in this industry was inspirational. I hope that some of them, especially the girls, start to think about engineering as a possible career choice.”

Cement plant manager Chris Bradbury added: “The students were very enthusiastic and totally engaged with the workshops. It was a real pleasure to see them having a go at problem-solving, team working and some basic engineering. Across the UK Tarmac business, we offer a range of engineering roles from mechanical to electrical, and we are keen to promote these, as well as the wider opportunities in such a large organisation. With only 11% of the engineering workforce in the UK being female*, we are also keen to do our bit to redress the balance and show girls how engineering is a great career to get in to.”

*https://www.wes.org.uk/content/wesstatistics

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!Later this year rail sidings manager John Fotherby and quarry manager Phil Shimwell will experience their ’15 minutes of fame’ when they see themselves on the TV screen. John and Phil hosted a camera crew and TV presenter, Rob Bell on site. They were filming for a programme to be aired on Channel 5 in the autumn – Walking Britain’s Lost Railways. But not only did they host the visitors, they were filmed as well!

John explained more: “The programme was following the very old railway line from Matlock to Buxton – which takes in part of the line through our site. Rail has always played

QUARRY MANAGER PHIL SHIMWELL (LEFT) AND RAIL MANAGER JOHN FOTHERBY (RIGHT) WITH PROGRAMME PRESENTER ROB BELL

PROGRAMME PRESENTER ROB BELL (THIRD FROM LEFT) CHATS TO RAIL MANAGER JOHN FOTHERBY (FOURTH FROM LEFT) AT THE RAIL SIDINGS.

an important role in the Tunstead operation and will continue to as we transport cement and stone in bulk for onward distribution via our network of depots around the country. The production team was keen to take a closer look at today’s operation and in particular the use of rail.”

Phil Shimwell adds: “It was interesting to take part in the filming for this programme. As well as spending time at the rail sidings, they also got to view and film a blast in the quarry and gain an understanding of our blasting procedure. With rail such an integral part of Tunstead’s operation both past and present, it was a pleasure to be able to support the programme makers. We are looking forward to seeing the finished ‘cut’!”

“I really enjoyed today. I particularly enjoyed designing the swing and seeing how difficult it is to do something without communicating. In the future I would love to be able to get a job in architecture/designing so this has really inspired me.”BUXTON COMMUNITY SCHOOL STUDENT

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THE STUDENTS ENJOYED A TOUR OF THE CEMENT PLANT INCLUDING A TRIP UP THE TOWER

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LIME

Lime is the most cost effective and widely used alkali in the world. Lime products provide a key ingredient for many essential processes, such as purifying drinking water, making sugar, cleaning gases from powers stations, constructing buildings, producing iron and steel and treating contaminated land. Lime and its derivatives are also important additives for making paper, glass, pharmaceuticals and even toothpaste.

The process to take limestone from our quarries and transform it into lime products for a range of applications is complex and technical. It centres around the lime kilns, one of which is the Tunstead Maerz kiln – a 50m tall structure which was installed in 2009. This kiln takes up to 850 tonnes of stone a day through a process which sees it pass through hot gases up to temperatures of 1000°C. The heat changes the raw material into lime.

“The Maerz kiln operates 24 hours a day and seven days a week,” says project engineer, Steve Bottomley. “We try to avoid downtime so that production is continuous, and customers are not affected. But with this intense use, and the extreme temperatures it contains, it’s important we regularly review its efficiency. This summer we will switch the kiln off for 36 days to let it cool right down, access the inside and replace some of the refractory bricks which line one of the shafts. The bricks protect the metal outer casing of the shaft from the intense heat.

“This is a challenging engineering job and takes months of planning. It takes approximately seven days for the kiln to cool down and the location is difficult to access. As an extra safety precaution, a work platform has been installed and specialist contractors will join us to carry out the repair.”

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE – IMPROVING EFFICIENCY

We continue to work on ways to keep all areas of our operation as efficient

as possible. Over recent months, both in the cement and lime plants, we have

been busy with major engineering projects to upgrade equipment.

PROJECT MANAGER SAM FORD AT THE SITE OF THE NEW CLINKER COOLER BAG INSTALLATION

PROJECT ENGINEER STEVE BOTTOMLEY STANDS IN FRONT OF THE 50M TALL MAERZ KILN.

CEMENT

Tarmac is continually looking at ways in which it can manage and minimise its environmental impact. Our environmental performance is monitored by the environmental regulator, the Environment Agency (see page 7 for a story about a recent visit from them). With future performance in mind, over recent months, the cement plant team has been involved in a major engineering project.

Here project manager Sam Ford explains more: “Whilst the Tunstead cement plant is relatively new, more advanced equipment and technology is being developed all the time. Over the last six months we have been busy on a very large scale project to install a new clinker cooler bag filter. The clinker cooler is where the nodules of cement (clinker) formed in the kiln are cooled from 1000°C when they exit the kiln to less than 250°C when they enter the mill to be ground to the more familiar cement powder. We have installed a state of the art bag filter which acts as an improved physical barrier to capture dust and ensure we can meet the requirements of a new Industrial Emissions Directive.

“The project has been complicated and challenging as we have had to install the bag filter whilst normal production continued to avoid any issues with customer supply. However, with the expertise and teamwork of many people on site, supported by a range of local contractors, I am pleased to say that we are on track for this new piece of plant being ready for use in the autumn this year. Once up and running we will have a cooler bag filter that not only gives us better environmental performance, but also improves our energy efficiency on site.”

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REDISCOVERING 1,000 YEARS OF HISTORY IN NOTTINGHAMTarmac Tunstead is playing its part in an exciting £30 million revamp of Nottingham Castle, ready to unveil ‘a thousand years of history’ when it reopens in 2020.

The project involves the redevelopment of the Castle site, the Ducal Palace and Grounds and the sprawling cave systems hidden within the Castle Rock.

The work on the Castle includes refurbishing three 10th Century arches – that’s where we come in.

Messenger Construction has been carrying out the work. Jamie Lilley of the company explains: “The mortar between the arch stones needed replacing and Tarmac’s Calbux quicklime was the perfect choice. We had to use a product that would be as close as possible to the original 10th century lime – Calbux has very similar properties and colour and has the seal of approval from Historic England as the best match.”

Tarmac’s lime general manager Graham Cooper adds: “The use of lime in applications such as this demonstrates that it is not only an essential, but also a versatile material. Tarmac is very proud to be involved in enabling the project team to restore such an iconic building with our Buxton lime.”

TARMAC’S CALBUX QUICKLIME IS BEING USED TO REFURBISH NOTTINGHAM CASTLE’S ARCHES.

Over recent months we have been to visit several local projects which have been successful in applications to the national Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund. This fund enables landfill operators like Tarmac to donate part of their annual tax liability to a variety of community and environmental projects, via a judging process managed by the Derbyshire Environmental Trust.

Through the fund Tarmac donates around £1 million each year to community projects throughout the UK. The fund is open to applicants who meet the strict criteria for projects delivering community benefit. For more information please go to www.entrust.org.uk.

GREAT ROCKS SOCIAL CLUB, PEAK DALE – A LANDFILL COMMUNITIES FUND AWARD HAS HELPED THE CLUB REVAMP ITS BAR AND KITCHEN AREA, ENABLING THE VILLAGE TO USE THE VENUE FOR WIDER COMMUNITY BENEFIT.

BUXTON TENNIS CLUB – RECEIVED FUNDS TO INSTALL FLOODLIGHTS TO ENABLE THE COURTS TO BE OPEN LONGER AND THEREFORE MORE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO USE THEM.

HIGH PEAK BOROUGH COUNCIL – A DONATION THROUGH THE FUND CONTRIBUTED TO AN OUTDOOR ‘FITNESS FOR ALL’ AREA BEING INSTALLED IN FAIRFIELD.

NATIONAL FUND SUPPORTS LOCAL PROJECTS

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ON THE TRAIL OF BUXTON’S GARDENSThe challenging weather did not deter visitors for this year’s Buxton Garden Trail. This was the fourth year for the popular event and the 38 gardens taking part hosted around 600 visitors over the two days.

We were pleased to sponsor the event for the second of a three-year partnership, helping to enable the organisers to raise £3,000 for local charities: Thomas Theyer Foundation; Helen’s Trust; Grapevine Wellbeing Centre; and the Serpentine Farm.

As well as sponsoring the event, we also provided additional blue metal flowers to mark the gardens taking part. These were made by our apprentices in workshops on site.

The share of the funds raised that went to the Serpentine Farm was donated in the form of bird boxes, seeds and binoculars to add to the outside classroom being set up there.

SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE RESERVOIR VIEWVisitors to Fernilee Reservoir in the Goyt Valley can now ‘sit back and enjoy the views’, thanks to recent work to improve access and facilities.

The project is part of the South West Peak Landscape Partnership Scheme which is coordinated by the Peak District National Park Authority. With a view to improving access for all and as part of the campaign to offer ‘Miles without Stiles’, the Fernilee Reservoir location received major funding from the national Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund (see article on page 4) and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The funding has given a new lease of life to the route along the eastern shore of the Reservoir by contributing towards the costs for improving the path and adding in seating areas. The work has helped provide better access for those with limited mobility, including wheelchair users and families with pushchairs.

A team of Tarmac volunteers from Tunstead went along to help

South West Peak apprentices install new benches and improve access to existing seating areas. The volunteering day was part of the partnership we have with the National Park through the Peak Park Conservation Volunteers scheme. Through this partnership, we sponsor a volunteer coordinator

role; and also offer a team of our own employees for monthly ‘days of action’, working on a variety of projects across the Peak District National Park. As this newsletter went to press, the Tarmac Tunstead team had completed over 3500 hours of volunteering through this scheme since its launch in 2016.

GETTING READY FOR THE 2019 BUXTON GARDEN TRAIL – LEFT AND FAR RIGHT: TARMAC APPRENTICES BEN CLARKE AND SEAN ASHTON (PART OF THE TEAM WHO MADE THE BLUE METAL FLOWERS TO MARK OUT THE GARDENS); AND CENTRE, SCULPTOR LINDSAY PIPER WITH ONE OF HER SCULPTURES WHICH FORMED PART OF A NEW POP-UP SCULPTURE PARK AS PART OF THE EVENT.

THE TEAM OF TARMAC VOLUNTEERS AND SOUTH WEST PEAK APPRENTICES TAKE A BREAK DURING THEIR WORK AT FERNILEE RESERVOIR.

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‘INSPIRING’ PROJECT PROMOTES LOVE OF BOOKS Following a successful first year which reached over 100 young children and their families, High Peak Community Arts is running a second year of a creative arts project to promote the joy of books in Early Years settings around Buxton and the High Peak.

‘For the Love of Books’ sees Early Years specialist Karl Harris and a team of Creative Practitioners bring books and their educational value to life through 10 sessions in each of three settings in the area. The programme introduces five books which focus on developing children’s literacy, communication and early reading skills.

The stories are expanded through playful, open-ended arts, crafts and music activities. At Buxton Nursery, for instance, the book ‘Triangle’ by Mac Barnett with Jon Klassen was explored by musician Margit van der Zwan and her vintage piano accordion (see picture).

The programme is sponsored by charity, the Ragdoll Foundation with match funding from other local organisations, including Tarmac Tunstead.

Karl Harris says: “It’s a real pleasure being able to bring such high calibre Creative Practitioners out to the High Peak to work with young children and their families. The chance to meet and work with a professional artist doesn’t have to be exclusive to the city and this project is proving that children everywhere enjoy and benefit from the experience.”

Laura Bowers, Buxton Nursery manager added: “It has been fantastic to be able to take part in High Peak Community Arts ‘For the Love of Books’ project. Karl and Margit have been amazing leading the sessions and they have captivated both the children and staff with their enthusiasm and inspiring and fresh ideas.”

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MARGIT VAN DER ZWAN BRINGS A STORY TO LIFE FOR BUXTON NURSERY CHILDREN WITH HER PIANO ACCORDION. EARLY YEARS SPECIALIST KARL HARRIS IS SECOND FROM RIGHT.

BOOST FOR CYCLING SKILLS Making cycling fun and safe. We were pleased to help these Buxton Junior School pupils improve their skills by sponsoring a Bikeability scheme.

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CAREER CLIMB FOR GRADUATE JOEJust four years ago Joe Bowers (above) had just finished his final exams at University College London. Fast forward to 2019 and Joe, with his Integrated Masters in Geology, is now production manager of the lime operation at our Hindlow site.

Joe joined the company on our graduate programme in September 2015. He spent time working on the powders plant at our Ballidon site and the stone operation at Tunstead, gaining an appreciation for all areas of the business. In 2017 he took on his first line management role as day supervisor at Hindlow. Then towards the end of last year he applied for the job as production manager, as former manager Andy Flanagan moved to the Tunstead site.

“The graduate programme gave me an invaluable insight into all areas of Tarmac’s lime and powders business,” said Joe.

“This work enabled me to understand how all the pieces of the operational ‘jigsaw’ fit together. I benefitted from spending time with a range of colleagues who have a huge amount of experience. This has definitely helped me achieve my career aspirations. I continue to make the most of the knowledge I have around me, getting the best out of people and solving problems as a team. I am looking forward to continuing to build my skills at Hindlow and keeping the lime plant running as safely and efficiently as possible.”

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WORKING WITH THE REGULATORThe environmental regulator the Environment Agency (EA) has been inspecting the plant with our cement plant manager Chris Bradbury, reviewing our environmental performance and looking at how we manage the quality of waste materials that are used as alternative fuels to fossil-based ones.

The EA also inspects our sister site at Hindlow (pictured below).

COMPETITION

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE BEHIND THE SCENES AT TARMAC TUNSTEAD?Enter this competition for a chance to win a VIP tour for four people.

Answer the questions below and email the answers to tunstead.feedback@tarmac.com

Deadline 1 September 2019.

Q1. How tall is our Maerz lime kiln?

Q2. How old are the Nottingham Castle arches being improved with our Calbux product?

Q3. Which school did we host for a visit to mark International Women in Engineering Day 2019?

8 ©2019 Tarmac Trading Limited.

Do you have any comments on this newsletter or suggestions for what you would like to see in future issues? Do you have any questions about what we do at Tarmac Tunstead?

We would be happy to hear from you – please email us at tunstead.feedback@tarmac.com and we will respond to you as quickly as possible.

WE WELCOME

YOUR FEEDBACK

SAFETY CAMPAIGN RESULTS IN CHARITY SUPPORT During 2018 we carried out a safety campaign which encouraged staff to be extra vigilant on site. Through this scheme, staff were able to raise money for a local chosen charity – last year this was Blythe House Hospice.

In total we donated over £1000 to the charity and Becca Gregory, Blythe House Fundraising and Events Coordinator, came to site earlier this year to collect a cheque for over £500 for the second half of 2018.

She said: “A huge thank you to the staff at Tarmac for choosing Blythe House as the beneficiary for the safety initiative in 2018. The money donated will allow us to continue providing care and support to patients and their families living in the High Peak, and we are extremely grateful for Tarmac’s ongoing support.”

The campaign is continuing in 2019 with money raised going again to a local charity. 

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BECCA GREGORY OF BLYTHE HOUSE HOSPICE RECEIVES A CHEQUE FROM STONE AND POWDERS GENERAL MANAGER, PETE BUTTERWORTH.

SPORTING SUCCESS CELEBRATEDTarmac sponsored the Junior Sports Team of the Year category in the High Peak Sports Awards, run by the Borough Council. There were two separate awards within that category - one for the Schools and one for the Clubs. We congratulate the winners (seen here) - Chapel en le Frith High School –Fell running Team ( Schools award); and Glossop North End Juniors & Ladies AFC U13 Girls (blues) (Clubs award).

AWARD WINNERS: GLOSSOP NORTH END U13 GIRLS (LEFT) AND THE CHAPEL EN LE FRITH HIGH SCHOOL FELL RUNNING TEAM (RIGHT)