News

Domestic Mover of the Year 2010 nominee

March 2010
Britannia Lanes of Somerset have been shortlisted as one of nine companies to be nominated for the Domestic Movers of the Year competition 2010, by the British Association of Removers (BAR) and the office of Fair Trading (OFT).

The competition, which is open to all members of the BAR, is nearing the end and the final shortlist of nine companies has been prepared based on a questionnaire, advertising used and mystery shopping calls carried out by the OFT.

The process is audited by both the BAR and the OFT and encompasses all parts of the removals process with a focus on customer care, training, equipment levels, facilities, client feedback and customer satisfaction.

Director of Britannia Lanes of Somerset – Maria Russell said “We are pleased to be counted in the top ten domestic removal companies in the country and I hope that we will be able to proceed to the final stage based on today’s site visit.”

The winner of the competition will be announced this year at the British Association of Removers annual conference in Bristol in May.

Britannia Members face the ‘big freeze’ head on

January 2010
Severe weather conditions including ice and heavy snowfall have been continuingly effecting the UK, since before Christmas. However, the snow and ice hasn’t managed to dampen the spirits of our removal crews and office staff as the large majority have managed to keep the Britannia depots open for business, and trying to minimise the effects that the ‘big freeze’ has caused.

The snow and icy roads have made undertaking removals very challenging and at times nigh-on impossible. Our members have worked tirelessly to provide the best solutions to our customers needs, even going the extra mile to dig out customers cars trapped on drives and indeed towing one family in Surrey, to get them onto the main roads and on their way to their new house.

New member for North Manchester

October 2009
We would like to offer a warm welcome to our latest Britannia member, Britannia Anchor Removals. Based in Bolton, Britannia Anchor will cover the Bolton, Wigan and North Manchester area. Anchor Removals are well established in their local area and have recently attained the Quality Service Standard, BSEN 12522.

Managing Director of Anchor Removals – Chris Smallwood stated “Britannia shares the values of Anchor Removals and because of this, quality and high service standards are essential to the well being of the business” add to this the membership of the British Association of Removers (BAR), customers can be sure that they are going to get a great service and protection through the BAR Consumer Code of Practice that is recognised and monitored by the Office of Fair Trading.

Britannia welcomes new Member

September 2009
We are pleased to announce that we have a new Britannia member. Based in Newcastle, Britannia George Bernard Shaw will cover the Newcastle-upon-Tyne area. They are well known in the local area and have huge experience in removals and storage within the UK and overseas.

Bournemouth Air Show

August 2009
Britannia Leatherbarrows had a very successful stand at the 2009 Bournemouth Air Show, which took place over four days between the 20th and 23rd August. During the festival there were Aerial displays layed on by the RAF, including displays from the Red Arrows, the Blades, the Wingwalkers, the RAF Falcon Parachute Display Team, and many more. We are told that at least 1.4 million people attended over the 4 days and the newspapers and local towns have talked of little else for weeks. This was for the visitors, a free show and already people are booking to come back to Bournemouth next year! David Trenchard and his team of Britannia staff managed to give out over 1500 goodie bags with useful leaflets on our services and BMI fridge magnets as well as giving out 1500 beach flags to children. They could have easily given out at least another thousand but they ran out as they weren’t expecting them to be so popular. If you didn’t manage to make this years Air Show you must try next years as they get bigger every year.

Well Done Team Britannia!!

March 2009 Out of the eight staff members of Britannia running in the Flora London Marathon, seven of them managed to make it to the start line on the 26th April 2009, and all seven of them managed to complete it! All their hard training and dedication to competing in the London Marathon has paid off, and now that it’s finally over they can all sit back with a beer or glass of wine proudly thanks to their massive achievement! Their times were as follows (hours, mins):

Congratulations to everyone who took part and ran in the London Marathon, it was no easy thing, made even harder by the dry, hot weather on the day. It was the hottest London Marathon on record and St Johns had to treat over 6,000 runners with dehydration! It was excellent for supporters who went to watch the marathon, but all the runners have told me that they were praying for rain! Congratulations to Beryl Poole, who did exceptionally well considering she has been suffering from on-going injuries due to her rigorous training schedule. Beryl still managed to put on a brave face and even complete the marathon in good time even wih her muscle strains and knee injury! So far the team has managed to raise £3,400 as a team not including what they have managed to raise individually for Leukaemia Care. However if you would like to make a donation to this worthy charity there’s still time to do so. The easiest way to send money is to log onto the teams charity website – www.justgiving.com/teambritannia We appreciate that these are difficult times for many; but if you know any of the runners, or even if you don’t, could you please try and sponsor the team for however large or small an amount you can manage. Everyone connected with Leukaemia care will be very grateful for your help. Thank you Team Britannia

Team Britannia at the London Marathon!

March 2009 Eight staff members of Britannia are raising money for a charity – Leukemia Care, while running in the London Marathon on the 26th April 2009. They have been in training now for several months, risking frostbite and their sanity thanks to all their early morning training sessions. A couple of them are already running 15 to 20 mile runs and you might possibly have spotted one of them on the roads or in fields around the UK? Even their pet dogs are having to get involved in training sessions! The team is made up of directors, managers and personnel from our Head Office (Mark Tresler, Gavin McCarthy & Beryl Poole), Britannia Appleyards of East Yorkshire (Andy Dickerson), Britannia Cestrian (Chas Bollen), Britannia W.Harris (Tom Wicks), Britannia Harrison & Rowley (Vinnie Byatt), Britannia Thomas Casserly’s (Martin Thomas) If you would like to make a donation to the marathon runners chosen charity, then please use the link below: www.justgiving.com/teambritannia

Removal Men from Britannia Lanes of Cornwall save two lives

January 2009 Chris Jess, a driver for Britannia Lanes of Cornwall, along with two brave collegues, brothers Mark Peters and Michael Peters have been presented with the Royal Humane Society Award (Chris) and Waley Cohen Certificates (Mark & Peter) in recognition of their courageous actions after saving the lives of a young couple who had a car accident on the M5 near Taunton. Chris risked his own life to pull a teenage girl out of the overturned, burning vehicle moments before it exploded in a ball of flames. The young man driving the car was thrown out when they hit the safety barrier and had a lucky escape with minor cuts and bruises. As Chris rescued the girlfriend, Mark went to the middle of the road wearing a luminus jacket to stop the fast-moving traffic and Michael phoned the emergency services. The couple are now expecting a baby and Chris has been invited to their wedding.

Britannia welcomes new Member

July 2008 We are pleased to announce our newest Member Squab Removals into the Britannia Group. Based in Leamington Spa, Squab Removals will cover local areas including Warwick, Kenilworth and Stratford-upon-Avon. A well established and respected removals and storage company in the region, Squab are an excellent addition to the Britannia family.

Britannia Annual Conference 2008

May 2008 From the 23rd to 25th May Britannia will host their 2008 Annual Conference in Belfast. Britannia are due to welcome members, clients, sponsors and overseas partners from all over the world for this highly enjoyable yearly event.

A Place in the Sun Exhibition

April 2008 Britannia will be attending the next ‘A Place in the Sun’ exhibition at Excel in Docklands, London. The Exhibition is the premier annual emigration and property event and will be open from Friday 25th to Sunday 27th April 2008, we look forward to seeing you all there!

Promotional DVD -Coming soon!

March 2008 We are proud to announce the up-coming arrival of our brand new promotional DVD that tells you everything you need to know about the services and facilities Britannia provide. It was well received by visitors at the recent NEC Exhibition, where it was played for the first time. This DVD will be downloadable from our website shortly for customers to watch online.

Movers & Storers Show

March 2008 Britannia recently took a large stand at the first ever Movers & Storers show at the NEC at Birmingham. With over 1500 trade visitors it was an ideal opportunity to show the removals industry the newly launched Britannia DVD and to meet with existing and potential new members.

New Member For Scotland

February 2008 We are pleased to announce our newest Britannia member. Based in Dundee, Britannia Knight Packing will cover the Dundee and Fife area. They are well known in the area and have huge experience in moving and storage and overseas shipments. We look forward to seeing many more Britannia vehicles operating in and around Dundee in the very near future.