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QUARRY PRODUCTS Thanks John Many current and former employees of the Company were very sad to hear the news that John Day, foreman at Latton Quarry was diagnosed with a terminal illness forcing him to give up work for the Company after 31 years. ohn joined as an HGV driver at Kingshill in May 1976, before soon moving to Aggregates as a pit Joperative. He subsequently worked at many pits including Fairford, Lechlade, Sandpool and Barnground and was promoted to foreman in September 1987. At Barnground he was nicknamed the 'Mole' by Doug Wheeler due to his ability to create heaps everywhere! In 1990 John moved to Shorncote Quarry as foreman and started his DAPS course (Doncaster Assisted Private Studies), which he completed the following year, when he was made Quarry Quality Controller. In August 1994 he moved up to Ryall House Farm Quarry in Worcestershire as Production Supervisor. It was there where he was joined by a young Mike Hill who had just left accountancy to join the family firm. “I had a great 5 or 6 months at Ryall,” Mike remembers, “you couldn't have a better man than John showing you the ropes. He was totally in love with quarrying and seemed to really enjoy teaching me how to operate the big machines and explaining how the washing plant worked.” John and Ellie Day John returned to Shorncote as Relief Foreman in May 1996 after Ryall House Farm Quarry was sold to RMC. In November that year, a joint venture was formed with Aggregate Industries to open and run Latton Quarry, and John moved there as foreman working with John Wheeler. In January 2000 Andrew Liddle moved over to Latton to work with John and over the next seven years they moved the Latton operation forward to what it is today. The lakes at Latton have received comment from numerous parties as showing an excellent example of quarry operations and restoration at the gateway to the Waterpark. John remained at Latton until the diagnosis of liver and pancreatic cancer prevented him from carrying on. John has shown a remarkably philosophical, brave and positive attitude since learning about his illness and has not been sitting idle since stopping work. He has enjoyed an evening with work colleagues past and present at the Elliot Arms in South Cerney, as well as a 'thank you ' lunch with his manager, Company directors and shareholders at the Wild Duck in Ewen. He spent a day visiting the last remaining airworthy Vulcan bomber up at Bruntingthorpe in Leicestershire with colleagues and also spent an amazing day at Kemble Airfield in a Bulldog aircraft experiencing aerial combat and acrobatics. John spent much of the time in control of the aircraft and, as can be seen by the childlike grin after landing (cover picture) he thoroughly enjoyed himself. He still pops into Latton to have a 'cuppa' and find out how things are on site. There are a number of things that give John pleasure such as charity work with the Lions Club or regularly attending Institute of Quarrying meetings, but there are three big loves of his life. One is the Vulcan Bomber which he describes as 'his' plane and with which he has been obsessed for as long as he can remember. Another is work. John is a man who lives for working in the quarries and nothing has motivated him more 6 intouch John and Ellie with Company directors and shareholders at the Wild Duck in Ewen
With one of the three big loves of his life – the Vulcan Bomber Peter Andrew New Business Development Manager for Quarry Products Peter Andrew joined Quarry Products recently as Business Development Manager. His remit includes leading the sales function for aggregates and concrete. Following Paul Dixon's retirement in February 2008, Peter will also lead and manage concrete operations. Peter will initially be based at Shorncote Quarry and report to Alan Mackenzie. Above: Getting ready for take off in the Bulldog at Kemble airport Right: Certified as a ‘Top Gun’ than the challenge of sorting out breakdowns or repairs on site. “John enjoyed the involvement in planning the extraction phases,” his manager Andrew Liddle told us, “but always leapt at the chance of jumping on a machine to either dig for England, creating traps for Keith Broadhurst to get stuck in, or to complete a section of restoration as he did in Lake 3, near Latton village, where he created two small islands, which he has unofficially named Joshua and Joseph after his sons!” However his biggest love is his family – his wife Ellie and the two boys. We at Hills would like to thank John for all he has done for the Company for the last 31 years and our thoughts are with him and his family for the times ahead. Above left: The creation of John’s two islands, ‘Joshua’ and ‘Joseph’, in Lake 3 at Latton Left: The lake as it looks today BBC & Hills Nature of Britain A recent ‘Nature of Britain’ programme featuring freshwater habitats included a section on the Costwold Waterpark and the work which Hills has undertaken in protecting the Sand Martins which nest in quarries. You can view the programme by going to the BBC website bbc.co.uk and clicking on ‘Science and Nature’ and then ‘Nature of Britain’. Larkrise to Candleford The art department of the BBC contacted Hills to supply materials for the ten-part adaptation of Flora Thompson’s magical memoir of her Oxfordshire childhood, Larkrise to Candleford, which is to be screened in early 2008 on BBC One. Steve Mead, Telesales Co-ordinator, was able to source 20mm shingle from Shorncote for the driveways, chalk for the children to use on the slate boards and stone blocks for the stonemasons to use. intouch 7
Page 1 and 2: The Hills Group Newsletter intouch
Page 3 and 4: HILLS NEWS Hills secures another ma
Page 5: Every cloud has a silver lining Wel
Page 9 and 10: MRF Picks New Equipment Salisbury D
Page 11 and 12: Girl Power! We are pleased to annou

page 6 See special feature on John Da - Hills Group

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