NEWS
Powering through
lockdown
Power cables for the country’s first
specialist coronavirus-fighting NHS
Nightingale Hospital were supplied
by a Tees company.
Leading global cable and accessory
supplier Cleveland Cable Company
was asked to supply the project at
the massive ExCel exhibition centre
in London in double quick time.
The Middlesbrough-based firm - known
across the world for its expertise in the
field - supplied cables to provide power to
the hospital in the capital before going on
to provide 150km of cables to the other
emergency hospital sites which were
designed as specialist centres to help the
NHS treat patients with Covid-19.
They also supplied 20km of temporary
power cable fitted with connectors to
mobile Covid-19 testing facilities across the
UK.
The company has continued its
operations throughout lockdown,
providing its essential services from vast
stocks to strategic industries including rail
and healthcare.
Founded in 1978, Cleveland Cable
World leaders -
Cleveland Cable
Company.
Company exports
cables and cable
accessories around
the world and is
the world’s first
cable distributor
to hold BASECregistered
stockist status.
The firm, which is a key supplier
to healthcare, road, rail, utilities and
construction industries, continuously
carried more than four months’ supply of
its fastest moving products to all industries
and provided its manufacturing partners
with “essential product” notices.
As lockdown is eased, Cleveland Cable’s
furloughed workers are being brought
back in phases to ensure their safety
and the maintenance of social distancing
regulations.
“The safety of our employees is
of paramount importance to us,” said
Cleveland Cable Company’s health and
safety manager Geoff Porritt.
“We will be bringing staff back in a
phased manner which will increase as
demand grows, operating rotational
shifts within our warehousing to ensure
maximum output while still maintaining
social distancing.”
He added that the firm had undertaken
full Covid-19 risk assessments as they
prepared to release employees from
furlough back into work, saying: “We have
identified the relevant risks in bringing
more people onto our sites and have
arrived at mitigation measures to ensure
we provide a safe place of work for all our
staff and visitors.”
A Mademoiselle dragonfly pictured
in all its beauty by Naturally Wild
MD Graeme Skinner.
Nature watch
Plans to become the north’s primary ecology
consultants are firmly on track for Teesbased
experts Naturally Wild.
While Covid-19 has proved
challenging, the Stockton
company has blossomed
during the pandemic.
They advise clients on the protection
of wildlife, protected species and
invasive habitats, undertaking
preliminary ecological assessments,
wildlife and protected species surveys
prior to planning applications.
Managing director Graeme Skinner
has grown the workforce from seven
to 13 during the last three months and,
on July 1, opened a second office in
the south.
With major contracts as far afield as
Aberdeen and Pembrokeshire, Graeme
felt confident to push forward with
expansion plans.
“Being an essential service meant
we could continue to work at sites
including London’s Waterloo Station,
though I did most of the long journeys
myself to take the pressure off the
team,” said Graeme.
“Waterloo was surreal with no
passengers and I was stopped by
police on the way to sites in Scotland
and Wales, where I had to explain why
I was on the road. Saying that, travel at
the start of lockdown was a pleasure
as there were so few vehicles on the
road.”
Having recently appointed a team
member at the Stockton HQ and with
another due to relocate from Northern
Ireland as lockdown struck, Graeme
reassured them that their jobs were
safe.
“The team is the key to our
success,” he says. “As well as having
the right academic backgrounds,
everyone is a strong team player. We
kept in contact via Skype and Zoom
while working remotely, but now
they’re champing at the bit to really
get stuck in.”
Stockton’s Cornerstone Marketing
have been tasked with the job of
digitally promoting Naturally Wild and
creating a video to showcase their
talents, and while he acknowledges the
Tees region may be in for tough times,
Graeme is positive that good times are
ahead.
“There is likely to be a recession
but we will adapt, work hard and do
well. There will be casualties along the
way but we will keep delivering. It’s all
about staying positive and believing in
yourself.”
For more details, visit
naturallywild.co.uk
34 | Tees Business