Jangro, the largest network of independent janitorial distributors in the UK & Ireland, says training is critical for success in 2022. Independent janitorial distribution network, Jangro, is urging cleaning businesses to make training a priority for 2022 in order to uphold standards and keep spaces clean and safe. With end-users’ expectations of cleanliness and hygiene currently higher than ever, ensuring that professional cleaning staff receive high quality and relevant training is essential to maintain excellence.

A charity home in Cardiff, which provides free accommodation for families of children being treated at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales, has received a donation of Christmas trees to help create a home away from home for parents and children staying this festive season. phs Greenleaf, which supplies ready-decorated trees, delivered and installed the trees at Ronald McDonald House Cardiff, based opposite the Children’s Hospital at the Heath Hospital site. Run by Ronald McDonald House Charities UK, the 30-bedroom house has three day rooms, which act as communal lounge areas for residents. Each features a 6ft ‘Winter Spice’ Christmas tree, decorated with a warm and cosy red and gold theme to help create a homely atmosphere for families staying during the festive season as their children receive treatment.

phs Group has ditched the traditional ‘Secret Santa’ and teamed up with the charity KidsOut to buy gifts for children living in refuge this Christmas. The organisation, which is the UK’s leading hygiene services provider, has created four ‘Giving Trees’ at its sites across the UK. Each Christmas tree is decorated with tags containing the name and age of a local child who is living in refuge and may otherwise not have a gift at Christmas. Employees from phs choose a tag, buy a gift suitable for the recipient and place it under the tree to be delivered to the child by KidsOut in time for Christmas.

With COVID-19 concerns very much still in the air, companies have added pressure to keep their employees safe this winter. In addition to measures traditionally brought in at this time of year to ensure a safe working environment, the rising numbers of people returning to their workplace means there’s even more to factor in. Where employers might once have focused their concerns on annual maintenance or the risk of slipping during the winter months, COVID-19’s contagious characteristics present a new dimension to duty of care.

Jangro is delighted to announce that it has reached its fundraising goal for MacMillan Cancer Support. The independent janitorial distribution network has been working in partnership with this worthy charity since 2013 pledging to raise £100,000 to help them support people living with cancer.

As it grew into one of the UK’s leading liquid food and beverage specialists, Framptons made a commitment to develop its business sustainably. That commitment included recycling 100% of the waste produced on site. To achieve its goals, Framptons needed the best equipment. phs Wastekit, one of the UK’s leading psuppliers of compactors and balers, worked with the team at Framptons to provide a new WK2000 portable compactor, which allowed Framptons to compact over 20% more waste at a time, increasing capacity from around 6,000kgs to 7,500kgs a week. This has not only reduced the number of trips needed to collect waste, in turn reducing carbon emissions and costs, it has also increased the volume of waste which Framptons can recycle every week.

phs Greenleaf has won five industry-leading awards, including a special ‘Good Will Leaf Award’ for its unique rainbow Christmas tree which was created during the pandemic to bring hope and raise money for a mental health charity. The Plants at Work Awards, run by the association representing interior landscapers, also awarded phs Greenleaf with gold awards for its maintenance work at the Trafford Centre in Manchester and its Christmas designs at Studley Castle Hotel in Warwickshire. It awarded silver awards for its design and installation work at Barton Square in Manchester and its contract work with Sodexo across the UK.

As part of its continued expansion, leading crate services provider phs Teacrate has appointed Nicole Bruce as its new business development manager. Nicole, who is also trained chef, joins the team with decades of experience in the food manufacturing and food and drinks packaging industries and will be responsible for developing business in the food sector.

Businesses are being urged to ‘act quickly’ and turn their waste into revenue as cardboard prices in the UK hit new heights. According to figures from letsrecycle.com, cardboard prices are at their highest since their records began 20 years ago, with dry bales of cardboard commanding between £120 and £138 per tonne at UK mills in July 2021. That is a 50-60% increase from January 2021, where bales could reach between £73-£92 per tonne.

As more workplaces start to fully reopen and welcome back employees, phs Compliance has warned of the hidden safety risks that may be waiting for them on their return. The leading provider of facilities management and compliance services says non-compliant electrical items, Legionnaires’ disease and new fire risks present the greatest dangers for businesses reopening.