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As the race for the world community to
become greener and cleaner heats up, Wigan Borough is certainly not
being left in the starting blocks.
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust’s Ground Maintenance team has joined an
elite group of organisations to have been awarded the prestigious ISO
(International Organisation for Standardisation) 14001 standard. The
award is testimony to the team’s dedication to environmentally friendly
work practices and operations.
Grounds Maintenance, who maintain the majority of Wigan Borough’s parks,
countryside areas, outdoor sports pitches and school playing fields, are
now one of only a handful of public organisations to hold this award and
also the ISO 9001 standard for quality management.
Paul Barton, WLCT’s Greenspaces Services Manager, says, “Although the
actual names of these awards may not mean a great deal to the residents
of Wigan Borough they are in fact hugely significant in recognising the
way in which we have improved our services. We are committed to
providing a cleaner, greener and more efficient service that will be of
benefit to everyone who lives here. These standards are world-renowned
and are very difficult to obtain so we are extremely proud to have been
recognised in such a manner.”
To receive the 14001 award the Greenspaces team had to meet very high
standards:
• a demonstrated commitment to an Environmental Policy
• environmental training and awareness for all staff
• all operations must meet current and future environmental legislation
• lower fuel emissions from vehicles and equipment must be achieved
• a significant reduction in the amount of green waste going to landfill
sites
All of the above criteria were met and have had significant
environmental and economic benefits. For example waste disposal has been
reduced by 20% and the team is now able to operate with four less vans
than previously.
The Grounds Maintenance team is part of Wigan Leisure and Culture
Trust’s Enterprises division and as such any profits are re-invested in
the leisure and cultural facilities in the Wigan Borough.
Paul continues, “As well as being good news for local people, this award
cements our position as one of the region’s market leaders in the
Grounds Maintenance industry. Very few organisations in our field hold
both of these ISO standards and so when it comes to competing for
business, we can prove we are up there with the best.”
For more information on the work of Grounds Maintenance please visit
www.wlct.org/grounds.
The ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 157
countries, co-ordinated from Geneva, Switzerland. ISO is the world's
largest developer of standards which have important economic and social
repercussions on a global level. The ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 families are
among the world’s most recognised standards. ISO 9000 and ISO 14000
standards are implemented by some 760, 900 organizations in 154
countries.
-ends-
NOTES TO EDITORS: For further information on this News Release please
contact Chris Dunbar, Public Relations Officer, Wigan Leisure and
Culture Trust on 01942 486937 or at
c.dunbar@wlct.org.
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust: Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust is a
charitable trust working on behalf of Wigan Council to manage and
support leisure and cultural facilities, initiatives and events for over
300,000 residents in the Wigan Borough. See
www.wlct.org.
Getting Wigan Active: Getting Wigan Active is Wigan Leisure and Culture
Trust’s vision to ensure that people across the Wigan Borough have the
opportunity to become more physically, mentally and creatively active.
It also aims to increase community activity and to encourage good
citizenship.
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Paul Barton receives the ISO award from
Wigan Athletic's Paul Jewell
Paul Barton with Emile Heskey, John
Filan, Kevin Kilbane and Andreas Johansson |