SDL Minorfern News AUG

ISSUE 2 moQtoufroavrlietAyhLipLcalersts

News from behind the counter

FROM THE BOARDROOM

We have had an extremely team and I’d like to, once This is our in-house sales
busy few months since the again, extend my thanks to training concept that will help
first edition of the Minorfern everyone for your hard work us develop our own customer
Mail and we anticipate busy and commitment. I know we service and sales advisors
months ahead of this second are stretched in several areas, from within our business and
edition. Our customers but I can also assure you to take on people from our
continue to support us, that everything is being done communities who would like to
trusting us to deliver the parts to recruit new teammates develop their career in a sales
and products they need when where we need them. Please environment.
they need them. remember our Refer a Friend
scheme, you’ll get £200 for Please continue to share your
And whilst our business each new teammate you stories in the Minorfern Mail,
thrives, we’ve invested in our introduce and that joins our we are a great team and I,
distribution centre, adding team. like many of you, really enjoy
a new canopy to give more reading about the people
space as we load and unload, Investment in people will behind the counter, some of
we’ve invested in stock right always be the most important the things you do and to share
across the business to offset investment we will ever make. in some of your celebrations.
some of the challenges within A large part of that is training
transport, distribution and and I’m excited to announce Nick Holland
product supply. that, during September, we will
be launching our new Sales
Of course, none of this would academy.
be possible without our

WHAT’S INSIDE... P5 - Welcome to the World of
Stoxkarts
P2 - Recognition of a colleague P6 - New Starter Paul Mahoney
- Alasdair Ashford P7 - Rebel Troubadour
P3 - Catching up with Ray P8 - And Finally
P4 - Stephanie Takes on Sparkle
- Congratulations Go To...

IN RECOGNITION OF A
COLLEAGUE

Special recognition
this month goes to

Alasdair Ashford

at our Barnsley branch.

Alasdair has been with the company since
July 2012. Since returning from furlough,
Alasdair has been a breath of fresh air for
us, and a vital part of the warehouse staff
here in Barnsley.

Al has easily taken to managing the IBT teams Secondly, we would also like to say a massive
board among many other testing challenges thank you to Andrew Hibbert and Adam
put in front of him recently. Lawson for keeping up the high standard of
work. During some very busy and stressful
And to top this off he currently became a fully times recently, they’ve been two very vital parts
licenced forklift driver! To a non-driver we know in the mechanics of our branch.
this is a huge step for him.
Well done to all!
The management staff in Barnsley would like to
say a big thank you and keep up the hard work.

CATCHING UP
WITH RAY

Ray Taylor, based at our Clay
Cross branch, celebrated a
very special birthday in June.
65 years young!

So we thought it would be good
to have a catch up with Ray to
find out more about his career
with SDL Minorfern.

Ray started with the company in September 2002 along the way. Ray now looks after the shop in Clay
when we only had one branch. Starting off on the Cross and is a firm favourite with our customers.
counter doing sales, Ray was then asked to be a Rep
around the Peak area, Toddington and then moved Ray’s Manager, Adrian Self says:
on to Buxton to service our customer base before we “Congratulations to Ray! 65 years young and still
opened a branch in 2007. going strong. It’s been a pleasure working with
him over the years. He’s always been professional
Once we had established a customer base in Buxton and committed to doing his best. Here’s to many
a branch was opened, and Ray was asked to go and more years to come!”
work there with George Sherratt to grow the business
until coming back to the Broadley’s.

Over the last 18 years Ray has seen many changes Here’s a little bit more
with the expansion to 12 branches and lots of about Ray personally…
technology updates, and meeting lots of great people
I live in Two Dales where I enjoy going
We hope you walking around Upper Peak with my
partner Colleen. I also play boules for

my local pub The Plough and
support Derby County.

had a fantastic

65th birthday

Ray!

SparkleSTEPHANIE TAKES ON THE

Stephanie Wagstaff will be taking on the Sparkle Night Walk on
25th September in aid of Ashgate Hospice.

The Sparkle Night Walk is a 10k walk through To support Stephanie, follow the link below to
Chesterfield to raise funds so the hospice can donate via JustGiving:
continue to provide the exceptional end of life care
for which they are known, both in their Inpatient https://tinyurl.com/yhnflgkz
Unit at Old Brampton in Chesterfield and in the
community. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure.
Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to Ashgate
Hospice, so it’s the most efficient way to give - saving time and
cutting costs for the charity.

CONGRATULATIONS GO TO…

Mathew Smith and
his partner Aimee on
the birth of their baby
daughter Aria Mary
Smith, born on 23rd
June.

Welcome baby Aria
from all at the
Sheffield branch.

WELCOME
TO THE
WORLD OF

Founded in 2003 as Stockkarts the formula never really
managed to take off. However late in 2009 the formula was
purchased by ex-BriSCA F1 drivers Ian & Paul Higgins,
and the formula was rebranded and relaunched in 2010 at
Autosport International as Stoxkarts. Since then, the formula
has grown and has subsequently been the fastest growing
short oval formula in recent years, now with more than 100
karts in circulation. The racing is fast, close, fun and most of

all affordable.

Let’s join Chris Dobson, Branch Manager at Chesterfield, on his SDL are now sponsoring Chris Dobson
first weekend in Stoxkarts. and the SDL Minorfern kart is currently
being sign written!
I’m a massive oval racing fan and have been since I was a small
child. In recent years I’ve been lucky enough to help out in the
pits and during race weekends with the Gilbank race family in
Brisca F1 stockcars. These V8 chevys produce 700bhp and are
beasts of the ovals but also come at great expense.

This June, I decided it was time to have a go myself in something
a bit cheaper and smaller - Stoxkarts. Stoxkarts are Honda
engines, tweaked racing karts made to run on tarmac and shale
with a full race cage and a push to pass attitude…roll overs, big
hits and sore heads all part of the sport!

I turned up to a wet and soggy Northampton raceway early
morning, SDL jacket and mask for extra sponsorship... always
thinking!

The timetable for day was three races and a final to compete in …
in between other racing. BUT this was the British Championship,
so all the big boys were out. Talk about baptism of fire!

RACE 1… late to the party. I’ve never done this again unlike a few others, including a roll over.
before, and a busy pit lane meant I’d ended up Unfortunately, I missed out on the points needed to
without a race receiver…without one I couldn’t race! get in big race.
Finally found one with just 2 minutes to spare but
it left me little time to do anything else. I started at All in all, although I’ve spent many hours in the pits
back of a 30-car grid. Spun on lap 3 and had running and driving the big stockcars on track and during
issues and lumpy engine. Came over line in 21st and parades etc, this was my first venture into proper
completed my first ever race. So happy! bumper to bumper 30-plus car oval racing…and what
an enjoyable day!
RACE 2... A few tweaks to the car meant it ran a
lot better. I managed to complete the race with no I improved so much in just one meeting and I’d got
incidents and on lead lap…overtaking a few much bitten by the bug! Back to work on the Monday a tad
more experienced racers! sore, but with a smile on my face.

RACE 3… Wow…just 3 races in and I’m like One of the most important parts to this sport is it’s a
a new man! On the pace with the 26-car grid. family sport. Both my daughters, age 10 and 3, get
I took a few hits here and there, but this is the stuck in and help out. I’ve even managed to get my
British Championship. Managed to finish the race missus out of her white trainers into boots to get her
hands mucky

CURRENT VACANCIES

We have a quite a few new vacancies across the branches this month!

Please contact the HR department if you are interested in applying for any of the roles
below. If you have friends, colleagues or contacts who you think would enjoy one of
these roles with SDL Minorfern please let them know we are recruiting.

Customer Relationship Manager Logistics Coordinator
Barnsley ● Sheffield Mansfield ● Ossett

Warehouse Operative Delivery Driver
Burton ● Chesterfield ● Leeds Clay Cross ● Derby ● Leeds

Parts Sales Advisor Zero Hours Driver
Burton ● Clay Cross ● Mansfield ● Ossett Various locations

Logistics Support
Castleford

NEW STARTER...

We’re really pleased to give a warm welcome to Paul Mahoney.
Paul joined SDL Minorfern at the beginning of August as Health
& Safety Advisor. Paul brings a wealth of experience from his
10 years in health and safety, helping businesses look after their
premises and people but doing it in such a way that everyone is
part of the process.

We’re really excited to have Paul join the HR team so please j
oin me in welcoming Paul.

Here’s a bit about Paul…

“I’m London born, raised in Kent and moved to Clay Cross in 2019
– so as you can see I’m a real local lad! I live with my partner Cheryl and
our dog, Demba. We became grandparents in January this year when
daughter Kemba gave birth to our granddaughter Poppy.

I love my football, and all sport to be honest, but I’m a Derby County season
ticket holder and looking forward to a better season this time around.

As I’m joining SDL Minorfern, it would be wrong to not mention cars!
My favourite car I owned was a Chrysler PT Cruiser – you just couldn’t
beat that retro look! I did also own a red Fiat 500 and it was known as
the mini-Ferrari. Well, Fiat do own Ferrari after all!

Rebel Troubadour are a trio consisting of
Rob on lead vocals and guitar, Vince on drums
and our very own Tony Rawley as vocalist and
bass player!

Playing garage, punk, alternative and original songs, He says: “Now restrictions have eased, we’re
the band have now recorded and released their first really looking forward to playing more often. We’ve
self-titled debut album. Completed before the first recently played at Real Time Live in Chesterfield
lockdown in March 2020, the album can now be and the Eureka Park Food and Drink Festival in
downloaded from most streaming platforms. Swadlincote and it felt great to be playing to a live
audience again. We’ve also been booked to play in
This has led to their music being played on various Gateshead in September so we can’t wait for that.”
radio stations around the world including the US and
Germany. They have also been added to compilation Rebel Troubadour are on YouTube if you’d like to take
lists alongside some of the more famous and well- a listen.
known bands such as ACDC, The Stranglers and
Motorhead – very humbling! They are available to book for private and public
events too. Find them on Facebook, Instagram and
Tony is a rhythm guitarist, self-taught over the last Twitter.
30 years but recently stepped into the role of bass
player as I was looking for a new challenge. https://www.facebook.com/Rebeltroubadour1/

https://www.instagram.com/rebeltroubadour1/

https://twitter.com/RebelTroubadour/

...AND FINALLY! Why did the OUR BRANCHES
chicken go to
the séance? BARNSLEY

If anyone asks To get to the Unit 12 Beevor Ind Est,
you to make a bet other side. Beevor Street,
on a horse called Hoyle Mill S71 1HN
‘Land Fill’, DON’T! A bear walks into
a bar and says, “Give me TEL: 01226 327 430
It’s a rubbish tip. a whiskey and ……… cola.”
BURTON ON TRENT
Three men were arrested last “Why the big pause?”
night for breaking into a firework asks the bartender. Dale St,
factory. One was caught drinking The bear shrugged. “I’m not Burton-upon-Trent
battery acid and the other two were sure; I was born with them.” Staffordshire DE14 3TE

eating gun powder! What do you TEL: 01283 507 890
call a magic dog?
A police spokesperson said that one A labracadabrador. BUXTON
will be charged this morning but the
Staden Lane Business Park,
other two were let off last night. Buxton SK17 9SZ

What do you TEL: 01298 72569
call a parade of
rabbits hopping CASTLEFORD

backwards? Carr Wood Road,
Castleford WF10 4SB
A receding
hare-line. TEL: 01977 800 300

If you think these are bad you should CLAY CROSS
see the ones we rejected...feel free
Holland House,
to send in any for the next issue. Furnace Hill,
Clay Cross,
If you would like to contribute any articles, stories, Chesterfield S45 9NF
jokes or anything else to the minorfern mail please send
TEL: 01246 864 800
to [email protected]
CHESTERFIELD

2 Foxwood Road,
Dunston Trading Estate,
Sheepbridge S41 9RF

TEL: 01246 459 525

DERBY

14 Cranmer Road,
West Meadows Industrial Estate,
Derby DE21 6JL

TEL: 01332 376 600

ILKESTON

Barker Gate,
Ilkeston DE7 8DS

TEL: 01159 316 816

LEEDS

20 Felnex Close,
Felnex Trading Estate,
Leeds LS9 0SR

TEL: 01138 314 111

MANSFIELD

Unit 6,
Bradder Way,
Mansfield NG18 5DQ

TEL: 01623 626 254

SHEFFIELD

Unit 2C,
Parkway Industrial Estate,
Nunnery Drive,
Sheffield S2 1TA

TEL: 0114 276 5335

OSSETT

146A Wakefield Road, Ossett,
West Yorskshire WF5 9AR

TEL: 01924 666 770