Pinnacle responds to help The Ebbsfleet Academy’s students and teachers return to school safely this September
With children across the UK returning to school this September, in Kent, the Pinnacle team providing The Ebbsfleet Academy with facilities management (FM) services have been working hard to make sure that the 700+ pupils can return safely to school to resume their studies.
In fact, the school never fully closed last term and around 10 students continued to attend the Academy throughout the lockdown with their parents supporting the region as Key Workers. Pinnacle quickly responded to the emerging COVID-19 outbreak by bringing additional COVID-secure cleaning of frequent touch points such as toilets, door handles and light switches and handrails.
Over the past few weeks, across the large secondary school, the specialist FM team have worked to help The Ebbsfleet Academy in redesigning the building’s layout to implement a one-way system to allow for social distancing, carried out deep cleans and increased daily cleaning requirements, installed additional sanitation stations to allow for regular handwashing and increased the capacity of the dining hall for the lunchtime rush!
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“I must take a moment to stop, reflect and applaud the tremendous effort, patience and resilience shown by the Pinnacle Team who have gone above and beyond this summer to ensure that we are ready to welcome our students back safely after being away from our school gates for over 100 days!
Nothing has been too much trouble for the team and the word 'no' just does seem to exist in their vocabulary. I am humbled by the team's efforts and I thank you for everything you do each and every day.”
Gurjit Kaur Shergill
Principal at The Ebbsfleet Academy
“Being able to play our part in getting The Ebbsfleet Academy’s students back to school safely has been incredibly rewarding for the Pinnacle team. The COVID-19 outbreak has forced everyone to rethink how they approach everyday tasks and at Ebbsfleet this has been no different. I would like to thank the whole Pinnacle team along with the staff at The Ebbsfleet Academy for their hard work in making sure the changes we have been forced to make in order to keep the children safe have been completed ahead of the new term and we can open the doors once again.”
Matt Morrell
Director of Total FM at Pinnacle Group
Pinnacle provides FM services including; cleaning, grounds maintenance, lifecycle, repairs and maintenance, major works and catering services to The Ebbsfleet Academy over the course of an eight-year contract.
The Pinnacle team have introduced a top four tips for students returning to school, in line with Government guidance this September:
- Ensuring that your hands are clean! Keep washing your hands with soap and water throughout the day;
- Making sure you catch coughs and sneezes in tissues and put them in the bin! Then wash your hands again;
- If you sneeze, try to trap this in your elbow rather than sneezing across the room; and,
- Please wear your face coverings if you need to wear one, make sure it covers your mouth and nose.
Keeping Wandsworth tidy during lockdown
During the first
few weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown, Pinnacle Group mobilised a new cleaning
services contract with the London Borough of Wandsworth.
Since 1st
April 2020, Pinnacle has been working with the Council to provide cleaning and bulk
refuse collection services to more than 14,000 properties and units in Putney
and Roehampton. Despite the emergence of COVID-19 and the ensuing lockdown of
society, our staff rose to the challenge and continued to provide key services
to the residents of Wandsworth throughout this crisis in a COVID-secure
way.
Our cleaning
service covers internal building areas, external communal areas of estates and
adjacent streets, while Pinnacle operatives also collect waste and are
continually available via a 24-hour contact centre service. Much of our day to
day work had to adapt to the new social distancing requirements and additional
safety measures.
This included taking a proactive approach in respect of prioritising specific cleaning tasks, namely concentrating on the cleansing of high-risk areas to try and limit the spread of the virus. These are the areas that come into direct contact with residents, such as entry panels, door plates, door handles, door frames, glass in door panels, lift controls, handrails and stair rails.
This service
included engaging with socially distanced residents, many of whom were
shielding or were otherwise unable to leave their homes, and our teams rapidly
adapted and deployed to support these communities.
Often the core
cleaning services in which Pinnacle provides can go unnoticed, however, with
more of us staying at home, are teams have been recognised, and we have
received fantastic feedback from residents of Wandsworth.
We wanted to take
the opportunity to thank the communities of Wandsworth for their appreciation
of our colleagues during this difficult time.
Some highlights of the residents’ feedback:
- “Just a quick note to say what a brilliant job our cleaner has been doing during lockdown… she is much appreciated.”
- “Just a quick positive note on our new cleaner and gardener teams. They are doing a great job and the place has never looked better!”
- “I would like to compliment the new cleaner … He has been working here for the past few weeks and has been doing a brilliant job… I can’t praise him enough.”
Feedback also
included messages of support for our workers and their positive attitude
towards residents and their work, during lockdown. Pinnacle Group is immensely proud of the
contribution that our key worker have made during the COVID-19 crisis; they are
a testament to our commitment to the safety, health and wellbeing of the
communities that we serve and our role as a key UK facilities management
specialist.
For more information about the services we provide in Wandsworth, and many other London Boroughs please click here.
London Tenant Management Organisation appoints Pinnacle as housing management and maintenance partner
Pinnacle Group has been re-appointed by CTR Triangle TMO to provide housing management and maintenance services to 291 council-owned properties in Canning Town. The appointment follows a competitive tender process and continues Pinnacle’s provision of services to the TMO, which began in 2010.
Pinnacle’s team will provide tenancy management, rent arrears recovery, responsive day to day repairs as well as ongoing resident engagement and social events. The team will continue to run the contract from the existing offices, while our 24/7 Contact Centre will provide residents with out of hours support.
The CTR Triangle TMO was set up by residents of the estate in 1996. The TMO is directed by a team of volunteer board members who live in the community and collectively take on the responsibility for the management of the estate, including the appointment of contractors. The TMO incorporates properties on Avondale Court, Cliff Walk, Radley Terrace and Trinity Gardens in Canning Town, Newham.
This new 10-year partnership responds to tenant priorities and will focus on high quality, comprehensive services which focus on upholding high standards and adopting best-in-class cleaning and management practises.
Nimisha Patel, Group Head of Housing, said of the appointment:
“CTR Triangle TMO are a long-term client and we are delighted to renew our close partnership to continue delivering first-class services. We are committed to working closely with the board and wider community to ensure the services we provide respond to the individual needs and priorites of the TMO’ residents. This is one of a number of recent appointments for resident-managed housing contracts, demonstrating our capacity to work closely with members of the community to provide a high-quality, personal and responsive service.”
Nimisha Patel
Group Head of Housing
Pinnacle strikes silver in Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme
Pinnacle Group has been awarded Silver on the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme. This award signifies Pinnacle Group’s continued commitment to the military community. We are proud to be an employer which supports the employment of those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces and their families.
The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme acknowledges those organisations which actively demonstrate support to the armed forces community, by proactively demonstrating their forces-friendly credentials as part of their recruiting processes, actively ensuring that their workforce is aware of their positive policies towards defence people issues and advocating support to partner organisations, suppliers and customers.
Part of Pinnacle’s commitment includes an additional two weeks of paid leave per year to Reservists specifically to enable them to attend annual camp.
Pinnacle Group has also recently established an Armed Forces Network, made up of mix of veterans, reservists, CFAV’s and families of serving personnel or veterans. The Network is intended to link up these employees to provide support, to consult with them to review our current policies and practices and identify ways in which employment opportunities can be made more attractive to spouses of serving personnel, personnel who are exiting the service and veterans.
"We are delighted to have been awarded the Silver Award in recognition of our support for the Armed Forces Community. We are deeply proud of all of our colleagues who are current and former members of the UK’s Armed Forces. Across Pinnacle, colleagues with military experience show valuable transferable skills such as leadership, project management and communication, and we are committed to continuing to expand the support we provide to them and the wider Armed Forces Community."
Perry Lloyd
Group Chief Executive
“As a former member of the armed forces, I was apprehensive about entering the civilian workplace. However, the team at Pinnacle have been very helpful invited me to join our Armed Forces Network. This network gives me and other former servicemen the opportunity to discuss the policies and practices at Pinnacle which is fed back to the senior leadership team. Pinnacle’s commitment to reservists is also very helpful, as this ensures that we can fully commit to serve our country while working in ‘civvy street’.”
Paul Driver
Business Manager, FM
"The breadth and diversity of the winners this year shows how business support for the Armed Forces continues to grow no matter the sector, company size or location. I am grateful for the positive attitude and flexible policies these organisations have adopted towards the defence community, which is testament to the fantastic contribution our serving personnel, veterans and their families can make to any organisation.
“I am delighted that so many companies are supporting our people and that, through this scheme, we can give them the public recognition they deserve.”
Johnny Mercer
Minister for Defence People and Veterans
Learn more about our support of the Armed Forces:
Pinnacle Group launches CAEHRS Partnership to tackle the UK’s employment and health challenges
Pinnacle Group have announced a
strategic partnership with a leading employment services provider from the
Australian market to deliver employment and health services across the UK.
The partnership brings together expertise to deliver market-leading employability services to help people find and stay in work. Combining Pinnacle’s successful and established delivery model with the Australian partner’s innovation and knowledge from an overseas market enables this partnership to offer new ways to combat employment and health challenges here, in the UK.
Pinnacle Group has been a trusted partner to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) delivering a wide range of employment-focused solutions since 2008 and is a current Prime provider of DWP’s New Enterprise Allowance (NEA). Pinnacle has helped more than 40,000 customers to find sustained work through the delivery of a range of community-led solutions that engage with customers in their communities, on their own terms, and through an organisation they trust.
The Australian partner helps people move into work by enabling them to gain the skills they need to make them employable. They provide employment and training services to thousands of people each year in over 150 locations across Australia and are appointed to all of the Australian’s Government three major program contracts: Jobactive, Disability Employment Services, and Community Development Programs.
“Pinnacle has a strong track record of delivering employability contracts and we are delighted with this collaboration which explores innovative ways to tackle today's UK employment and health challenges.”
Claire Kober, Managing Director, Homes at Pinnacle Group
The partnership will be bidding for the DWP’s new
method for contracting employment support – the Commercial Agreement for the
provision of Employment and Health Related Services (CAEHRS). CAEHRS will contract
for five years and will be used to facilitate the provision of employment and
health services on behalf of the Government and other contracting bodies.
Raising money for our Armed Forces community
Pinnacle Group is a proud supporter of SSAFA, the Armed Forces Charity, who provide lifelong support for our Forces and their families. During the recent Armed Forces Week (22-28 June) Pinnacle were the headline sponsors of the charity's 13 Bridges Walk.
The 13 Bridges Walk was due to be one of London's premier Armed Forces Day events, however, due to the circumstances around Coronavirus, it became a ‘virtual event’.
Rather than a group walk across the capital's bridges, SSAFA
invited everyone to take part by walking or running 10 miles over the course of
Armed Forces Week to show support for our Armed Forces and raise money for
SSAFA.
During the course of the week, Pinnacle colleagues clocked up the miles to showcase their local bridges and pay their respects by visiting local war memorials, bases and landmarks.
Paul Driver, Business Manager at Pinnacle Group, walked over 13 bridges in his local area to raise money for SSAFA, he said of the challenge:
“After serving in the 3rd Battalion The Queen’s Regiment and now being a Sergeant Instructor at the Kent Army Cadet Force, I am passionate about supporting the good work SSAFA does for the Armed Forces community.”
Paul Driver, Business Manager at Pinnacle Group
Bill Pearce, Marketing Manager at Pinnacle Group, ran 10 miles a day for five days and visited some of London’s notable war memorials. Bill said it was an “honour” to raise money for such a brilliant charity and he is looking forward to taking part in next year’s event.
So far, over £11,000 has been raised for SSAFA. If you wish to contribute to this worthy cause, please click here.
To find out more about the amazing work SSAFA undertakes please visit: ssafa.org.uk
Virtual viewings make affordable new homes a reality for Greenwich residents
A partnership between Meridian Home Start and Pinnacle Group saw the first residents move into Woodpecker Gardens a new development in south east London. Meridian Home Start, a Community Benefit Society set up by the Royal Borough of Greenwich to develop affordable homes for rent, took handover of the site on 1 June 2020, with Pinnacle providing lettings and management services to 32 affordable homes.
Reflecting current COVID-19 restrictions, Pinnacle’s letting
team have worked to offer virtual showings of the properties and engaged
remotely with applicants to let the units in Charlton, London.
The Meridian Home Start development, which includes four
adapted houses, provides affordable housing to local families at discounted
rates, on average 65% of the market rent.
Each house has its own front courtyard and terrace areas.
There are also 12 onsite parking spaces with four accessible spaces for the
adapted properties.
Cabinet Member for Housing Cllr Anthony Okereke said: "We're proud that Meridian Home Start, which was set up by the Council to access previously unavailable funding streams, has delivered another high-quality and affordable housing scheme for local working families. Tackling the housing crisis is a top priority for the Council, and we are delivering on that commitment through both Meridian Home Start schemes and our Greenwich Builds programme, which will see 750 new council homes created across the borough."
Richard Reynolds, Chair of Meridian Home Start, added: “The team at Meridian Home Start are delighted to be handing over at Woodpecker Gardens, our second low rise housing development in Partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich. This is a very real milestone in our 600 unit development programme with a further two schemes already on site at Farmbank SE9 and Duke Court SE8 with more to follow, one in Woolwich and one adjacent to Falconwood Station.”
As the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s Local Housing Company,
our sole task is to provide a continuous supply of much needed well designed
good quality affordable rented homes for local residents in housing need in the
Royal Borough of Greenwich for many years to come.
Sophie Moore, Head of Operations, PRS at Pinnacle Group, said of the handover: “We have been extremely proud to assist with the move-in process and allocation of affordable homes to applicants. In such challenging times we have seen impressive amounts of patience and resilience from all applicants who have progressed their applications remotely with our team. We have been able to offer virtual viewings and have successfully moved-in tenants in a phased manner to put the tenants at ease and minimise risk to those moving in and our staff.
The site handover was straightforward, and the finished site is beautifully presented. We look forward to continuing to welcome people to Sandpit Place throughout the course of the month and will ensure we are on hand throughout the process.”
“We are delighted to be working in close partnership with Meridian Homes Start to deliver services across the Royal Borough of Greenwich. We are excited for the opportunity to deliver first-class services to an increasing number of families as Meridian’s provision of affordable homes in the Borough grows in the coming years.”
Oliver Miller, Group Head of Build to Rent, PRS at Pinnacle Group
Pinnacle provides a range of tenancy management and
maintenance services to Merdian Home Start, which includes; tenancy engagement,
income management, lettings services, cleaning and grounds maintenance,
responsive repairs, void works and planned maintenance.
Pinnacle Group responds to and supports Coronavirus recovery with specialist COVID-secure cleaning service
Pinnacle Group, one of the UK’s leading facilities and property management service providers, have launched a Specialist COVID Cleaning Service to provide cost-effective antimicrobial surface protection using the latest electrostatic technology.
With the antiviral protection lasting for 25 days, the treatment ensures that corporate, office, residential, and school spaces are safe for use and remain sanitised even as surfaces are touched and used.
Traditional cleaning methods currently being used to tackle COVID-19 are ineffective because they deliver very small droplets that passively deposit on surfaces based on the direction of spray; resulting in uneven coverage. Conversely, Pinnacle’s electrostatic application delivers charged droplets that are actively attracted to surfaces and guarantee a complete disinfection coverage.
The product, which contains no harsh chemicals, provides a physical barrier to disrupt viruses attempting to cling onto surfaces. The cleaning process has been found to kill germs on the skin for up to 24 hours, even after washing, and can be applied to door handles, textiles and in dining environments.
Neil Fergus, Managing Director, FM, Pinnacle Group, said, “We are pleased to be able to respond quickly to the COVID-19 outbreak and introduce our Specialist COVID Cleaning Service as part of the UK’s recovery. Our dedicated team and innovative cleaning practises are enabling organisations to support returns to work, school and play.”
Across the UK Pinnacle supports over 300,000 homes, 200 schools and 80 public buildings and this new COVID-secure cleaning service is being rolled out to a number of key contracts in the coming weeks.
"Our dedicated team and innovative cleaning practises are enabling organisations to support returns to work, school and play."
Neil Fergus
Managing Director, FM
Waltham Forest Housing Association (WFHA) is one of the first housing associations in the UK to use the innovative technology at their head office. Nicky Anderson, Operations Manager of WFHA said of the COVID Cleaning Service:
"As part of WFHA’s recovery from the COVID-19 outbreak we want to make sure that our staff and residents are comforted that we are using Pinnacle’s cutting-edge antiviral cleaning technology at our offices. The antimicrobial surface protection allows peace of mind that surfaces stay sanitised and safe for up to 25 days. Pinnacle, our long-term cleaning partner, provided an efficient and professional service. They did a fantastic job!”
Nicky Anderson
Operations Manager, Waltham Forest Housing Associati
Find out more about our COVID Cleaning
Crucial Care for the Community
Pinnacle Group delivers services in West Kensington and Gibbs Green. Four years ago, we saw an opportunity to add real value to the vulnerable members of the community by providing a Community Champions programme.
The initiative is led by Sara Benjamin, Community Champion Project Manager, delivering vital services to those in need – making a real difference to people’s health and wellbeing in the area. These services include a foodbank, yoga sessions, fun days, trips, clubs and training in mental health and first aid.
The Community Champions know that people need their services now more than ever during the Coronavirus pandemic. They have gone out of their way to post a leaflet through the door of all residents on the West Kensington estate, asking for anyone who needs help or support to get in touch.
They are also continuing to run their weekly foodbank, which many people rely on for vital food supplies. Donations are still coming through every Monday from the well-established food charity City Harvest London and once it arrives the team opens the doors at Gibbs Green Tenant Hall for anyone in need. Unlike some food banks, visitors do not require a referral to receive assistance and can simply turn up on the day.
Dependent upon the food donated, the team distribute groceries, with people taking a full carrier bags worth away with them and sometimes even more.
To safeguard the public during these challenging times the team has added extra precautionary measures for food collections, including restricting the number of people inside at any one time, as well as social distancing and the use of hand sanitisers upon entry.
Over recent weeks the use of the foodbank has increased and due to the nationwide lockdown measures the team is making sure that everyone who needs it can still access the service by additionally providing home deliveries.
"It’s important that we all support each other through these unprecedented times. I am so proud of the Pinnacle teams who are doing fantastic work to help protect the public and provide vital services and supplies. I can’t thank them enough for their efforts. Every day I hear of how our teams have gone above and beyond to help, as well as many other communities and companies alike. It is through this kindness and compassion we will get through. Please stay safe everyone.”
Claire Kober
Managing Director, Homes
Legal & General appoints Pinnacle as management partner for its Affordable Homes business
Pinnacle Group has been appointed by Legal & General as a management partner for its Affordable Homes business which has a delivery pipeline nationwide of 3,500 affordable homes. Pinnacle is the only private company – alongside 13 Housing Associations – to be appointed.
Following an extensive, two-stage tender process involving 140 companies, Pinnacle has been chosen by Legal & General to work across 97 designated areas in the North East, Midlands, South East and South West, in addition to every London borough, building upon its established nationwide delivery infrastructure.
The partnership will last for a minimum of 10 years and allow Pinnacle to focus on service delivery and resident experience, in line with Pinnacle’s Community Stewardship approach which prioritises long-term involvement in day-to-day community-facing services.
“Legal & General’s entrance into the affordable housing market is an exciting proposition for everybody committed to increasing the supply of good quality, affordable homes,” said Claire Kober, Managing Director, Homes at Pinnacle Group. “Pinnacle is delighted to be working with Legal & General and proud to have been selected as part of the network of affordable housing providers. We believe we can make a considerable contribution to Legal & General’s ambition to provide the highest quality customer experience.”
Legal & General’s entrance into the affordable housing market is an exciting proposition for everybody committed to increasing the supply of good quality, affordable homes
Claire Kober, Managing Director, Homes, Pinnacle Group
Ben Denton,
Managing Director, Legal & General Affordable Homes,
commented: “After a rigorous tender process, focusing on the quality and
customer service offering of 140 UK-wide housing associations, we have now
established an experienced panel of management partners. With residents already
moving into our first schemes, this represents another milestone as we continue
to pioneer the Institutional Registered Provider model. There is an urgent need
to keep innovating in this sector and to provide quality, stable homes for the
1.1 million households on waiting lists in England.”
Grain Connect moves to the next level for UK full-fibre broadband installation programme
Grain Connect, part of Pinnacle Group and one of the leading providers of ultrafast broadband for new build homes across the UK, announces £10m (GBP) investment by the Albion Real Assets Fund, a newly raised fund managed by Albion Capital.
This latest phase of
investment by the Albion Real Asset Fund will enable Grain Connect to expand
its network and service offering, grow its team and capitalise on the latest
phase of new housing developments across the UK. Grain Connect will continue to
work with Pinnacle Group, its founding shareholder and long-term funding
partner, to further unlock opportunities to support communities across Pinnacle’s
UK portfolio. At the same time, Grain
has concluded an agreement with Solway Communications, its other founding
shareholder, for the acquisition of certain network assets from Solway, the transfer
of staff and expertise to Grain and the provision of services to Solway’s fixed
wireless business.
Rich Robinson, Managing Director of Grain
Connect said of the announcement: “We are delighted to announce the next phase of our growth and the integration
of the full end-to-end customer experience with Grain Connect’s operations. We
are committed to providing the highest quality of service in delivering full-fibre
broadband across the UK. Albion Capital understands the opportunities for the
UK communications sector and has a proven track record investing in
organisations that deliver for customers and shareholders. This investment
enables the Grain Connect team to consolidate its position as one of the
leading installers of full-fibre broadband in the UK, whilst retaining
flexibility for housebuilder clients and ensuring the highest level of service
for homeowners.”
Adam Chirkowski, Investment Director at Albion Capital added: “The opportunity to invest in the growth of one of the UK’s most exciting communications providers is highly exciting. Capitalising on the increasing demand for future-fit broadband services, Grain Connect is working to provide new housing developments nationwide with a resilient, high-quality broadband service that is meeting the needs of homeowners. Albion has been extremely active in the FTTP market, particularly investing in the growth of alt-nets to enable them to reach critical scale. Grain Connect’s dedication to every home, ensuring residents have the foundations and the choice to receive the best quality network for them is critical to the growth of the business and makes the investment an exciting next step in Albion’s fibre portfolio.”
Perry
Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Pinnacle Group, said of the investment: “At Pinnacle we are committed to working with communities across the
UK to deliver the highest quality of service through understanding the needs of
residents and adapting to changes in our modern world. This continued investment in Grain Connect
underlines our commitment to supporting the digital transformation of
communities, enabling them to benefit from the rapid improvements to broadband
technology. Through Grain Connect, we see strong synergies across the Pinnacle
Group businesses, unlocking opportunities to provide the essential services
that enable communities to make a space, their home.”
Pinnacle begin comprehensive management contract in Greenwich
Pinnacle Group today announces that it has secured a
contract to deliver management services to Meridian Home Start, a Community
benefit Society providing affordable housing in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
Pinnacle will provide tenancy management and maintenance services for tenants of Meridian Home Start including; tenancy engagement, income management, lettings services, cleaning and grounds maintenance, responsive repairs, void works and cyclical and planned maintenance. Pinnacle’s ability to deliver a comprehensive and integrated range services means tenants have a single point of contact, easier reporting of issues, and ultimately, a better tenant experience.
Delivery of Pinnacle’s management services began on
30th September for over 50 units, and will extend to a planned 250
by 2021 as additional new schemes are completed. All of the homes managed are affordable
homes for local families to rent at discounted rates, on average 65% of the
market rent.
Nimisha Patel, Group Head of Housing at Pinnacle
Group, said: “We are delighted to be working in close partnership with Meridian
Home Start to deliver services across the Royal Borough of Greenwich. We are
excited for the opportunity to deliver first-class services to an increasing
number of families as Meridian’s provision of affordable homes in the Borough grows
in the coming years.”
We are delighted to be working in close partnership with Meridian Home Start to deliver services across the Royal Borough of Greenwich. We are excited for the opportunity to deliver first-class services to an increasing number of families as Meridian’s provision of affordable homes in the Borough grows in the coming years
Nimisha Patel, Group Head of Housing
The contract will last for an initial 18 months.