new teamspirit issue 4

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M A G A Z I N E VIP - PINK DAY - MOVEMBER - LIGHTING UP HQ - PHAB - NEWS - NOTICEBOARD & MORE ISSUE 4 - AW11 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I HAIRY

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Quaterly Colleague Magazine

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Page 1: New TeamSpirit Issue 4

M A G A Z I N E

VIP - PINK DAY - MOVEMBER - LIGHTING UP HQ - PHAB - NEWS - NOTICEBOARD & MORE

ISSUE 4 - AW11

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!I HAIRY

Page 2: New TeamSpirit Issue 4

Director’s Column ANDY HILL

Managing Director

As we approach Christmas, even if we haven’t seen enough snow (although there’s time yet!) to sell all our thermals, we can focus on the many positive aspects about who we are and what we do at Damart. This festive edition of Team Spirit is a great reminder of the fact that great people make a great business.

Inside this issue we celebrate our very first VIPs and Employees of the month. I am sure you will agree that each one of our VIPs demonstrates a commitment and loyalty to Damart that is evident throughout the business. The fact that our winners are nominated by their colleagues also demonstrates the appreciation we feel for each other……all adding up to great team spirit.

Our belief that a healthy company leads to a successful company is also demonstrated in the numerous activities that have recently been supported by many of us (…..and no it wasn’t my stunt double cycling to Lille and

running the 10k….although the week after I wish it had been!) Big thanks go to my fellow cyclists for not leaving me behind when I parted company with my bike. Well done also to everyone who took part in the Great North Run, Leeds Abbey Dash, Our Step Challenge and many more events and activities.

Not only do these activities contribute to a healthier lifestyle but they also help to raise important funds for our chosen charities. This isn’t just restricted to sporting events, as can be seen by our support for “Bosom Pals”, “Wear it Pink Day” and “Heart Research UK” along with our colleagues’

charities of choice.

Of course we are all aware of the very difficult times that we are living in today – the poor economic climate and widespread unrest in places like Syria, Egypt and Libya. Added together it is hardly

surprising that there isn’t a great deal of confidence around at the moment. We can’t and shouldn’t ignore this situation but we don’t need to let it get us down either.

So, whilst times are very tough, and we certainly cannot expect to repeat the tremendous financial result of last year, we will continue to demonstrate what a great team spirit we have at Damart, one that will ensure we get through the current challenges and get back to winning ways very quickly.

With only a few days left to Christmas, I sincerely hope you all have a great festive break

with your family and friends and that 2012 will be a successful year for us all.

Helen L Taylor | Joanne Phipps | Geraldine VernonMark Scurr | Steve Baker

To submit your news or ideas, please e-mail the team [email protected]

Contributors

Thank you to everyone who contributed to TeamSpirit Magazine

Andy HillSean MorrowLorna SimpsonAngi GrahamSarah SinclairRachel WysockiRichard FalkinghamAndrea WrightDenene CapperLeanne MawsonStephanie ShawAlison DunnMichelle WiddopCraig Edwick

Andrea MilliganSandra Lane-RaffTrina ZylaJayne BearderSandra GarnettYvonne HillWendy HattonStephen CarterGemma GarforthMCG

The Editorial Team Welcome to the Christmas edition of teamspirit, another bumper issue packed with colleague and business news.Thank you to everyone who submitted photos, pictures and ideas for the cover competition. Congratulations to the winners, Sean Morrow and Jamie George. They wanted the movember crew to invade the Christmas cover. I’m sure you will agree they succeeded.

We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

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Page 3: New TeamSpirit Issue 4

With a fantastic kick-off to our 'Values In Practice' reward and recognition scheme, we've seen great examples of our company values being demonstrated throughout the business. This has given us the opportunity to celebrate with our winners and the superb work they've achieved.

Congratulations to 13 of our colleagues from across the business who became our first 'VIP' winners in October: Claire Brown, Mark Cooper, Craig Edwick, David Haley, Stephen Hallet, Wendy Hatton, Richard Howes, Damian Northrop, Susan Osbourne, Simon Phipps, Zenna Rowe, Daria Szyprka and Sarah Webb. We also had 21 VIP winners for November, congratulations to Sohail Ayub, Lyndsay Barrick, Claire Birch, Ragan Coope, Anne-Marie Crotch, Agris Dirins, Charlie Doherty, David Evans, Jurjis Gailiss, Victoria Hayward, Jameela Khatoun, Julie Laughlin, Amanda Loftus, Aisha Rehman, Mark Scurr, Jayne Sharp, Sue Shoesmith, David Speight, Keith Whyte, Michelle Widdop, and Mo Zulfiqar.

Many of our colleagues have gone the extra mile, brought additional benefits to the business and in some cases given up their personal time to complete work.

We also announced our first Employees of the Month for October and November, which went to David Haley from the IS Department and Keith Whyte also from the IS Department. Great examples of our values in practice and we are excited to announce that as our Employee of the Month (EOM) both won an extra day's holiday and a bottle of champagne. Don't forget to vote for who you would like to be a Damart VIP.

David worked for over 27 hours with an external engineer to resolve a server issue in order to minimise business critical disruption when the server failed. His actions allowed over 200 warehouse staff to continue work which in turn allowed Damart to continue dispatching orders.

DAMART VIP - Employees of the Month

VALUES IN PRACTICEREWARD & RECOGNITION WINNERS

Recognising 'U' in our Values

David Haley – IS Performance Focused

Keith Whyte – IS Performance Focused Who will be EOM?

October 2011 November 2011 December 2011

?Keith has gone above and beyond the call of duty, putting in an exceptional amount of extra hours to help meet business needs. His commitment, determination and patience ensured the business received their deliverables on time, thus preventing delays and risks to the success of a major project.

Don't forget to vote for who you think deserves to be a Damart

VIP for December. They could also become Employee of the Month.

You have to be in it to win it.

VIP 3

Page 4: New TeamSpirit Issue 4

Damart USA has been principally a web-based service running since 2004. In October and November of this year trial mailings were sent to 150,000 selected USA customers. 70% of the first test catalogue mailing were sent out to customers in the Eastern Time Zone and the other 30% to the West of America in the Pacific Time Zone. In order to ensure that potential telephone orders could be taken the Contact Centre had to be available throughout the night.

In the run-up to the catalogue landing, 38 Advisors attended a half-day training course to update them on the new OPRA screens created for Damart USA orders. The training also

included soft skills and the expectations of American customers. Bethan Wallis, Training Officer, said “It was great to be involved in the training for this trial project. We didn’t just train on how to take an order, but also on how American customers may differ to Damart UK customers.”

After the advisors completed their training the team started their shift patterns to cover the time difference, working on USA telephone orders between 1pm and 4am, with 4 colleagues covering the 8pm-4am shift. The team has worked very hard and has been flexible to the company’s needs, helping with correspondence as well as mail orders. The figures of the trial have so far been above forecast.

Work has also been happening behind the scenes in Logistics to make sure that once the orders were placed they would be prepared for the pick, pack and despatch of items. There has been a great amount of team spirit and hard work to streamline the process. Thank you to everyone for their dedication throughout this trial period.

U.S.A.

Damart has recently started working with the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) and we are now Corporate Members of the Institute! We join companies such as Asda, Boots, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s in this prestigious membership.

In conjunction with the ICS we will recognise our high levels of Customer Service and the individuals that contribute to this. ICS focus on Customer Service best practice and working with organisations to help them develop and perform at their best by raising standards and supporting individuals in achieving professional recognition.

Damart will be working closely with the ICS over the coming months in order to pursue the ServiceMark accreditation and to continuously improve our standards of Customer Service. ServiceMark is the organisational certification from ICS and involves a combination of gauging responses from staff and customers alike as well as external assessments. Your input to staff surveys will be really valuable in order to gauge your views on Damart’s delivery of Customer Service. So, watch this space!

Achieving the ServiceMark will help:

• Identify areas for improvements• Develop action plans for service

improvement• Demonstrate our continuing

commitment to service improvement• Improve customer retention reducing

the cost to serve per customer• Increase customer referrals• Improve colleague satisfaction and

reduce attrition rates

DAMART JOINS FORCES WITH ICS

If you are interested in learning more, please either visit the ICS website www.instituteofcustomerservice.com or speak to Phillippa Hutchins in the Customer Services team.

In September, Gemma Garforth joined Damart as our new Recruitment Advisor. Gemma brings a wealth of knowledge to Damart as she has over 10 years experience in the recruitment industry. Gemma has worked closely with Chis Aitken (Logistics Supply Chain Manager) to recruit 7 new apprentices for the launch our first apprentice scheme. The new warehouse and logistics apprentices started with the logistics team in December. Gemma said “Its a very exciting venture for the business and the new starters, I’m sure the Damart team will give their usual warm welcome to Liam Andrew, Mark Wass, Samuel Cooney, Robert Laughlin, Faisal Ismail, Tom Gibson and Ryan Humphreys.Damart is committed to developing our colleagues and we want to know if there is a place for you in our Damart ‘Talent Pool’. This is your opportunity to let us know about your skills and previous experience that may benefit other areas of the company. Are we using your skills to your full potential? To make sure you don’t miss out on new opportunities please contact Gemma at [email protected] for more information or send her your CV. If an opportunity arises Gemma will be able to contact you. r

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Page 5: New TeamSpirit Issue 4

Why is there concern?*1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime*This year 37,000 new cases of the disease will be diagnosed

*1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime*26% of men are less likely to go to the doctor compared to women

The funds raised will go towards helping make a real difference to the lives of others. The Movember Foundation, The Prostate Cancer Charity and The Institute of Cancer Research, will receive the money raised to champion a broad range of initiatives to bring awareness, education, survivorship and research.

Since its humble beginnings in Melbourne Australia, Movember has grown to become a truly global movement inspiring more than 1.1 Million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to participate. Joining in, our colleagues from Logistics donated their top lip over Movember and have also taken over the front cover of this edition of Teamspirit.

The purpose of Movember is to change established habits and attitudes men have about their health, to educate men about the health risks they face, getting them to act on that knowledge thereby increasing the chances of early detection, diagnosis and effective treatment.

Movember (formerly known as November) has been dedicated to growing moustaches to help raise awareness and funds for men’s health; specifically prostate and testicular cancer.On Movember 1st, guys register at movember.com with a clean-shaven face and then for the

rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the archives of fine moustachery. Mo Sistas are the women who register to support the men in their lives, raising funds by seeking sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.

If you would like to donate please see Sean Morrow

or Jerry Burton from Logistics for more details, or go online and sponsor them at http://mobro.co/

SeanMorrowDamart.

Top row L - R. Dave Smith (Planning Manager), Sean Morrow (Logistics Systems & Stock Planning Manager), Jerry Burton (Engineering Manager), Chirs Aitken (Logistics Supply Chain Manager).Bottom row L-R. George Cook (Head of Logistics), David Barnett (Mail and Print Operative), Jamie George (Logistics - DC Returns & Shops Department Manager).

Raised£488

THE USUAL SUSPECTS - LOOK WHO TOOK PART!

AROUND THE BUSINESS 5

Page 6: New TeamSpirit Issue 4

HEALTHY HEART CAMPAIGNHeart Research UK is a fantastic charity that is pioneering the treatment of heart disease. Damart are proud to support and work in partnership with them by promoting lifestyle advice throughout the business. We’ve been part of some great activities over the last few months that have given us the opportunity to get our hearts active.

Well done to all our Great North Runners, for their training efforts, and making us proud by completing the 13.1 miles and raising a fantastic £5,187. For some it doesn’t stop there, Damian Northrop said “My aim is to carry on with the running. I want to increase my speed and distance”.

Also a big well done to all our runners who took part in this year’s Leeds Abbey

Dash, this was Damart’s third consecutive year entering into

the race.

Another recent event was the Damart Step Challenge which involved over 130 colleagues from all

departments. We saw colleague’s competitive side

as they stepped up and walked a fantastic distance. Our winning teams were Data Entry (Bingley) Team 1 who walked a fantastic 946,535 steps and the Returns Team (Steeton) who walked an

amazing 1,117,870 steps. The grand total of all our steps reveals that we walked a very impressive 11,153,634 steps. This amounts to over 4,686 miles walked in just 6 weeks! We saw great competition but it also gave people the chance to get moving over the summer months. You don’t have to be a runner to stay healthy as making sure you get your body active by walking can also improve your health and strengthen your heart.

We’ve also received the fantastic news that 4 of our colleagues have all received places for the 2012 London Marathon. The London

Marathon is the world’s biggest one day fund raising event and is notoriously hard to obtain an entry place for, so well done. They have committed to raising £6,000 for Heart Research UK, so look out for more information on how their training is going. If you would like to support them please go to http://www.justgiving.com/damart-marathon-2012. More details coming soon....

The Healthy Heart Team has also been working on information about smoking aids that can help you cut down or stop. To find out more details on cutting down or stopping smoking please come and speak to Jo Phipps or Amanda Loftus in the HR Department who have more information on different options you can choose from.

Remember the Healthy Heart Campaign is a scheme for everyone and we want to hear from you on how we can help each other get o u r hearts active.

If you have any suggestions for future Healthy Heart activities, please send your ideas/suggestions to [email protected]

Jeanette Askin

Kaye Leatham

Gemma Smith

Keith Whyte

David Smith

Diane Smith

Alex Ryan

Phil Myerscough

Sarah Wright

Chris Aitken

Steve Crossland

Damian Northrop

Andy Ingham

Great North Runners

Gemma SmithAndy Ingham Andy HillDamian NorthropAmanda LoftusLouise ShawMarice MarriottSharon LloydSarah WrightMichelle RhodesRichard FalkinghamAdam ZiemniakLuke NavmanKeith Whyte

Abbey Dash Runners

DAMART-NET HEALTHY TIPS

Part of the Healthy Heart campaign is not only to help promote an active lifestyle but to provide useful tips and information to help us improve our fitness on a day to day level. We all know we should find time to exercise but its not always possible especially when you feel you are on the go, the whole time with your family life etc. Healthy Heart tips are monthly information sheets designed to provide quick ’n’ easy tips and tricks to help keep us all active and healthy.

The Heart research tips are written by the charity and cover a variety of subjects, ‘Coffee can be good for you’, ‘Let your dog lead the way to a healthier and happier you!’, ‘Healthy Valentines day meals’, ‘Christmas Party tips’, ‘Sitting incorrectly will make you gain weight’ to name but a few.The health tips can be found on the Healthy Heart page on Damart-net under Communications > Healthy HeartThe tips can also be found on the home page as a health headline.

Leeds

Data Entry Team 1

Returns Team

Returns Team L- RHoward BriscoeDariusz ZieloskoCaroline WoodsJamie GeorgeMaureen ShuttAngie Briscoe

Data Entry Team L- RGarry Green

Martin FalkinghamBarbara BrierleyMichele GibbsLuke NaumanAndrew Turner

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Page 7: New TeamSpirit Issue 4

Congratulations to Debbie Farren and Margot Nowell, both from Logistics, who were the lucky winners to attend this year’s Heart Research UK photo shoot at the end of October, after successfully choosing this year’s model. Here’s how they found the day:‘It was a particularly early start for us, as we were up at 5am and, after making our way to the station, we were soon on our way to London. With plenty of coffee and magazines to hand we arrived at Kings Cross in no time and were welcomed by a beautiful, if unusually sunny October day. A quick taxi ride and we arrived at the studio in South London where we were greeted by the photographer Alan and professional hair and make-up artists. We didn’t have to wait long before the star of the day, Nell, breezed through the door. With hair tied back and without a scrap of make-up on, Nell still looked lovely and straight away rushed over to say hello and made us feel very welcome and at ease.The hair and make-up artists set to work and we watched Nell’s transformation before our very eyes. After an hour and half, and plenty of tea, Nell was ready for her close-up. Popping on the charity top, Nell jumped in front of the camera and set to work. Despite everyone watching Nell’s every move, she wasn’t fazed in the slightest, even when the balloon she was holding for the shoot unexpectedly burst within a few minutes, however the photographer got all the shots he needed. It was amazing to see Nell at work and we soon realised that being a model isn’t actually all that fun! We were also lucky enough to receive our very own mini makeover and received plenty of useful hair and make-up tips.’

Nell McAndrew is this year Damart’s ‘Love Your Heart’ vest campaign model, raising money for Heart Research UK. The limited edition vest-top, was designed by Rachel Cuckson from the Product Division and profits from the sale of the vest will be used to fund pioneering projects into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease, the biggest killer amongst women in the UK.

At the photo shoot, Nell said, “I'm really proud to be the face of this campaign and support the fantastic work that Heart Research UK does. By buying this versatile vest top you too will be helping a great cause. Wear it with your jeans, leggings or at the gym. Please help make a difference and buy one today!”

Damart’s Marketing Director John Bottomley said, “We are delighted to be working with Heart Research UK for a fifth year and have the support of Nell McAndrew this year. The majority of our customers are women and don’t seem to realise how at risk they are from heart disease, particularly as they grow older. We hope to not only raise as much money as possible for the charity, but also increase awareness about the disease in order to help our customers, staff and people around the UK look after their hearts.”

Barbara Harpham, the national director or Heart Research UK said, “To have Damart’s support is fabulous. Heart disease touches so

many lives, some people are born with it and others develop it later in life, often through making unhealthy life choices. In fact around 270,000 people have heart attacks in the UK every year- that’s one every two minutes- ad 1.6 million people live with heart disease everyday.

The money raised from this campaign will fund pioneering research to improve the treatment for youngsters who have undergone heart surgery or are living with a congenital heart condition. Pioneering, unique projects will develop specifically-designed exercise and healthy eating programmes to suit their particular problems. We aim to help them leave hospital with the confidence they need to keep as fit and healthy as they can and with Mums, Dads and carers all given this advice and support as well, they will have the best chance to lead happier, healthier, longer lives.

The fitted black vest top is made from 100% cotton, and will be available in sizes 10/12, 14/16, 18/20 priced at £12- all profits go to the charity. Look out for the limited edition Heart Research UK vest coming soon.

HEALTHY HEART CAMPAIGN LOVE YOUR HEART VEST

L to R, Margot Nowell, Nell McAndrew, Debbie Farren & John Bottomley, strike a pose!

HEART RESEARCH UK

MODEL COMPETITION WINNERS

HEART RESEARCH 7

Page 8: New TeamSpirit Issue 4

A trend that is sweeping the world of promotion is the art of building illumination or, to call it by its proper name, BPM (Building Projection Mapping) is a clear winner at grabbing attention. Several companies that have successfully used the BPM as a PR tool; have been Ralph Lauren (The Ralph Lauren 4D Experience) and Carlsberg (projecting in Liverpool and on the white cliffs of Dover).

There are many PR stunts that go unnoticed, but one new Damart PR event certainly couldn’t be missed.

The Damart PR team were extremely curious to see how projection could work as a promotional tool for Damart and set up a test with local projection company. Lumen who have a lot of experience in large scale projection, set up the projector and helped the PR team with there vision. The projection of various Damart images onto the front of the Bingley building.

As soon as dusk settled, anyone passing by or leaving work on Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th October were treated to a spectacular light show, creating a stunning effect.

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Page 9: New TeamSpirit Issue 4

There are many PR stunts that go unnoticed, but one new Damart PR event certainly couldn’t be missed.

Bystanders saw the amazing sight of previous Pink Vest models including Beverley Knight, Sally and Sophie Webster stretched across the building, more than 10 feet high! Other images included shots from the AW11 Look Book, Damart’s Twitter and Facebook links, as well as the Damart logo which impressively turned pink and enveloped the building creating a wrapped present effect.

As you can see from the pictures, the trial was extremely successful and the response from the local press has been amazing, creating some excellent PR for the business. As soon as we know of plans for the next projection, you will be the first to know.

FEATURE 9

Page 10: New TeamSpirit Issue 4

In the last edition of Team spirit we revealed the limited edition Pink vest for 2011, modelled by Sally Dynevor and Brooke Vincent from Coronation street, pictured right.

Thank you to everyone for all your brilliant efforts and generosity on Wear it Pink day. It was a fantastic day with bold and creative outfits, with plenty of fun activities to raise money for this charity that is close to many people’s lives. Lots of our colleagues through out the business got into the spirit of things, wearing the brightest, wackiest pink outfit they could find and there were plenty of comedy pink wigs on show!

Some fantastic events took place, Tannoy Bingo, Raffles, , Cake & Bun sales, Quizzes, Guess how many sweets in the jar, and much much more...........Just look at what everyone got up to!

This time it was OUR turn to get dressed up!

PRETTY IN PINK!WEAR IT PINK DAY 28.10.2011

SCARY PINK FINANCE!

PINK SALES RETAIL

PINK ANDY BEADLE & CRAIG O’LEARY

PINK ANGELS RECEPTION

PINK PR SHOTPINK STEETON RETURNS TEAM

PINK FRANK WALKER & NIKKI KAY

ANGELA HIRST & ALI DUNNWhere does my wear it pink donation go? –All Wear it Pink donations are used to fund innovative, world-class research throughout the UK and Ireland to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure.The charity currently supports 105 projects, worth around £17.3 million in 31 centres across the UK & Ireland and funds research into many areas including prevention, genetics, education as well as diagnosis and treatment.

PINK LADIES, STEPH SHAW, SUSAN GARVEY & JAYNE SHARP

PINK TRACY ROWN

PINK QUALITY CONTROL TEAM

Together we raised well done everyone!£1303.36

PINK CAKES

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Page 11: New TeamSpirit Issue 4

Together we raised well done everyone!

Damart has donated £1000 towards the Bradford charity PHAB (Physically Handicapped and Able-Bodied). PHAB do fantastic work supporting young people in the local community by providing a setting in which physically disabled and able-bodied young people can mix and develop understanding. The Club is keen to promote and encourage opportunities where disabled people can share experiences on an ‘equal’ basis and work towards changing attitudes and assumptions about disability.

Stephen Carter from the Contact Centre has been involved with PHAB for over 35 years and helps to run the Club at St Stephen’s Primary School in East Bowling. Stephen applied for Damart sponsorship to help fund the Club in order to continue fulfilling its aim of providing regular, social, fun and educational experiences for young people. Stephen commented “The children are transported to and from the club each week. We provide supervision and support, offering a break from everyday life, with a chance to mix with and make new friends”.

The group is entirely reliant upon volunteers, with no paid staff; however transport costs are one of the biggest drains on the Club’s resources.Stephen added “Damart’s kind funding enabled us to take a group of young people and their families for a day out in Scarborough, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all!”

If you would like to apply for the sponsorship fund, please contact Paula Drake in HR on ext. 6379 for further information.

Damart’s sponsorship program continues to support community initiatives and has recently donated £400 towards new shoes for children affected by the aftermath of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station explosion 25 years ago.

Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline charity provides support by taking the affected children in small groups to other countries to stay with host families for a period of 3 to 6 weeks. The children benefit by living in a less contaminated environment and from an improved standard of living even for this short time.

This year the Bradford/Halifax section of the charity brought 15 children and a group leader over from Belarus for a 3 week stay. They have very few spare clothes or shoes, so in preparation for their visit the charity collect good quality second hand clothes for the children and were also able to buy brand new shoes with the Damart sponsorship money.Wendy Hatton (HR Advisor) said “Many of our host families were hosting for the first time, so there were a few nerves just before the children arrived. It wasn’t long before everyone was settled in, happy and enjoying some of the organised activities such as bowling, swimming, roller blading, and the ever popular visit to Blackpool, which all the children love”.

Preparations have started for next year’s visit and the charity are looking for new host families. If you are interested in finding out what is involved in being a host family please contact Wendy Hatton in HR on ext 6150.

SPONSORSHIP PROVIDES NEW SHOES

Once again, Damart has supported this year’s Bosom Pals Fashion Show and helped to raise awareness and money for Bradford Cancer Support. Each year Bosom Pals organise a fashion show. All the models are volunteers from the group and have all been directly affected by breast cancer.

Our Product team put together a superb range of outfits from our current collection for two scenes in the show. The show was a sell out audience and raised £6,000 pounds for the charity.

Angi Graham who attended the event said “The show was fabulous and full to the rafters with Bosom Pals group supporters. We had 2 scenes, with 6 models showing styles from the AW11 range. Shoes and accessories were also featured. It was an exciting night to be involved.”

Bosom Pals put on a marvellous show. Some of the comments from the audience were: “Wow! I didn’t realise Damart had such a great range of clothes”, “The fit looks really good” and one lady said “Oh, it’s not just older lady clothes and thermals; I need to get one of their catalogues.”

Our Pink Vest was worn by the models as they performed front of house duties and also on stage to introduce the show. Well done to everyone involved for making it such a fantastic night.

amart als PHAB SPONSORSHIP

SPONSORSHIP PROVIDES NEW SHOESCHARITY 11

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At the beginning of September, eight Damart colleagues from across the business set out on a 200 mile charity bike ride from Ilkley to Lille in a bid to raise as much money as possible for Cancer Research UK.

The team was made up of (Left to right) Brent Carr (Design Manager), Bruno Tessier (Director of Operations and Customer Relations, Afibel), Andy Jenner (Customer Services Team Leader), Stefan Macina (Buying Services Manager), Andy Beadle (Marketing Executive), Stuart Creeley (Finance and Customer Services Director), Andy Hill (Managing Director), and Loic Delacroix (Manager of Delaby), not forgetting invaluable help from finance work placement student Craig Jackson, who kindly transported the overnight bags to Hull.

The team covered almost 200 miles in 2 days, cycled across 3 different countries and managed to raise over £1,100 forCancer Research UK. A big thank you to everyone who supported the team and donated to the great cause.

We interviewed Brent Carr (far left) to get an exciting insight into what really happened on this demanding challenge.

Q – How did the preparations go before the challenge? A – We were all very prepared for what lay ahead, as everyone taking part were experienced cyclists. But on the morning of the challenge we all assembled nervously at Riverside Hotel in Ilkley. We made quick last minute checks of tyres, equipment and the all-important water supplies.

Q – I hear the team chose the scenic route rather than the easiest, why was this?A – Choosing a particularly scenic route for our journey allowed us to enjoy the beautiful Yorkshire countryside and show off a bit of home to our French counterparts, who were particularly impressed. As we headed towards Leathley, unfortunately for our legs, the hills started to appear. From there we climbed to Armscliffe Crag, the highest point in the ride – a massive 320m above sea level!

Q – How was the weather? A – Despite some parts of the UK course being fairly flat we had an easterly headwind which made it tough work and it grew increasingly stronger from York to Hull as we approached the coast. But throughout Belgium we were fortunate to be bathed in unseasonably warm sunshine.

Q – What was the hardest part of the challenge? A – The final leg to the ferry port at Hull was the hardest part of the challenge. I’m sure most, like me, even questioned what we were doing to ourselves!! But with combined good spirit and camaraderie, the whole group held it together, reaching the port having covered 98 miles!!

Q – How was the last leg of the journey? A – When we finally got to France, we noticed a clear change in our surroundings. We skirted around Roubaix and headed South of Lille where Bruno and Loic unleashed their grand finale – a 2km cobbled stretch that is part of the famous Paris-Roubaix cycle race. Something they certainly didn’t tell us about that morning!

Q – Was it not extremely painful cycling down the famous cobbled roads on your bikes?A – It was brutal….but absolutely fantastic and certainly a great way to end the ride. For a cycling fan like myself, let’s just say it was the equivalent of playing football at Wembley!

Q – How did you feel when you completed the challenge?A – Amazing! We ended the day on an absolute high. We wearily arrived at Loic’s house extremely tired and perhaps even a little bit sick of the sight of our bikes, but pure exhaustion soon turned into exhilaration when we realised we had actually done it!

Q – Would you do it again?A – Oh yes! But not just yet, in a week or two, but maybe, just maybe, we’ll do something bigger and better next year….

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Technical OperaTOrs Training

After submitting our guesses at the beginning of the year for the Champagne Draw we had 3 winners with the nearest figures.

Congratulations to Josephine Familio (left) from Returns in Steeton who came first and won three bottles of vintage Moët & Chandon Champagne with a guess of £71,400,000. Second place went to Lynda Heaton (right) from Stock Control in Steeton, winning two bottles of champagne and Andrew Field (middle) from the Product Division in Bingley came third, winning one bottle of champagne.

The customer demand forecast for Spring-Summer 2011 was set at £69,542,000. However we beat this figure by finishing the season at £71,494,000.

All our guesses for the Autumn-Winter 2011 Champagne Draw forecast are now in, so look out for the winners in early 2012.

CHAMPAGNE DRAW WINNERSCHAMPAGNE DRAW WINNERS

Ice grippers were a must have item last year due to all the snow and ice we had, and this year is no exception! Back by popular demand and this Autumn Winter, Gavin Ward (Merchandiser Planner) ordered 20,000 ice grippers to fulfil the demand! The grippers will be sold until the end of February 2012 and will equate to £200k sales using multiple sales channels.

Teams from around the business have been working cross functionally to achieve the sales target, making make sure that all our customers know about this fantastic product! They have been offered with the special offers at the end of calls by the contact centre advisors, selling over 1000 in just one week! The

E-commerce team have also seen a great uplift in sales since they have appeared on the Damart.co.uk homepage, numerous emails and even on our Facebook page!

Ice grippers have also been added to our online pay per click campaign to attract new customers. Pay per click works when someone searches in Google using the phrase containing the words ‘ice and/or grippers’, a link is then

displayed on the Google directing the customer directly to the product.

Working together has been a great success and hopefully it’ll start snowing soon so we can sell more and more ice grippers! If you would like to purchase some ice grippers (small £10, large £12, ref no H707) remember you can order them via the colleague ordering process and receive a 25% discount.

GAVIN SAYS ‘GET A GRIP!’

in the Mail and print centre (Maps) five colleagues completed their technical operators training. The training was based on sitma training (poly machine) by integra, an external company. This enables the technical operators to set up the feeders, inserters, main tracks, poly wrapper, stackers, film set-up and all operator controls. This will bring a higher level of efficiency and ultimately production within the Mail and print centre.

We would like to congratulate from left to right - David evans, ray anderson, David Barnett, aldis cepuris, and Miroslaw rozanski.

NEWS 13

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THERMAL LOOKBOOK AW11

It’s been a busy few months for us with many magazines and newspapers featuring lots of fantastic Damart stories, from fashion to internal good news and achievements.The new AW11 Look Book, which featured in the last edition of Teamspirit, certainly proved popular with the fashion journalists. The Yorkshire Post magazine loved the story and featured Damart in a four page double spread back in September, with another similar feature planned for December in the regional lifestyle magazine, Living.Other fashion hits include a tried and tested review of Damart’s jeans in Take a Break - one of the largest weekly magazines in the country, read by an astounding 803,555 people each week! The Lady magazine featured the lovely AW11 purple ankle boots and Reveal magazine featured Damart as part of their weekly

store trawl fashion feature, with lots more exciting pieces to come.The Pink Vest has proved popular tying in with Breast Cancer Awareness month throughout October with coverage in OK magazine, Take A Break, The T&A, and many more to name a few. This season, we’ve also targeted various fashion bloggers with items from our AW11 collection. Some of our Damart fashion fans include Sarah Scribbles, Stylaurista and A Daisy Chain Dream who all have posted great blogs on different items from the current collection. All the features can be found on the ‘In the Media’ page on Damart-Net.Make sure you keep your eyes peeled for more coverage in the next few months...P

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Damart’s PR team has been busy promoting our thermals in the press, on Facebook and Twitter and also to celebrities and presenters across the UK during the autumn.With competition from everyone including Marks & Spencer, Next, Topshop and Uniqlo, it’s important that we ensure that everyone knows that Damart thermals are the original thermal and the best.The thermal Look Book featuring all the key thermal styles has been sent out to the media to encourage them to feature our products. And the reaction has been great. Look out for a special two-page spread in Chat Magazine in January.We’ve also sent thermals to celebrities such as Kirstie Allsopp (right) to keep her warm while she’s filming Location, Location, Location as well as Chris Moyles (far right) for his early starts on Radio 1 and the Radio 4 Gardeners’ Question Time team (bottom middle right) to keep them warm in the garden.We’ve also given them to a team climbing Kilimanjaro as well as some of the Bradford Bulls to keep them warm when they slept out all night to raise money for Action for Children.

Damart has donated 1,000 coats to ITV’s Daybreak show ‘Donate a Coat appeal’. The scheme aims to help those on low incomes who struggle to afford adequate winter clothing. We contacted the programme after seeing the appeal and our colleagues pulled out all the stops to put together a thousand coats from the warehouse for delivery to The Salvation Army.Major Ray Irving, Territorial Social Services Secretary for The Salvation Army said: “We really appreciate the generosity of Damart. The Salvation Army has a long history of offering practical support to people who are vulnerable or in need and this donation will make a real difference to people struggling to make ends meet this winter.” If you would like to make a donation, coats will be accepted at more than 150 Salvation Army drop off centres around the UK. People can also donate coats to 340 ASDA stores that have Salvation Army-branded clothing banks.

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Page 15: New TeamSpirit Issue 4

Dear Alison.....I am new to the business andI am very interested to know when you joined Damart and what your role is within the company?

From Gemma Garforth (Recruitment)

Thank you for such a good. question, Sometimes I just presume everyone knows me, I have been here so long! I joined Damart in the 1960s, to help write letters to customers. Many companies create pseudonyms when they send out marketing literature so customers have a name to write to. I was the name that appeared at the bottom of all the Damart mailings and catalogues, which I still do to this day.

Over the years customers have come to know Damart through our mailings, with my name on the bottom of them, and I have built a great rapport with them. Many of them feel they know me personally now and I receive a lot of personal invitations to their events and I receive many gifts, photos, letters and cards at Christmas.

Some of the many stories that have appeared over time include, (which I can neither confirm nor deny!) That I was once a secretary that worked at Damart and was used as a customer contact point. Another claims that I was an actress employed by the Marketing department to represent the company and was paid quite a substantial fee for my name to be used.!

Nowadays I am not only a contact point and familiar name to our customers, but also a contact point/agony aunt for all our colleagues here at Damart to answer any questions you may have about the business or even life in general. If you ask me I will always do my best to answer.

Merry Christmas Alison X

ALISON’SSTARLETTER!

Ask Alison......I would like to thank everyone for all your fantastic letters! I’m just sorry I can’t publish them all. It was a hard choice but below I have managed to answer a few.Congratulations to Gemma Garforth who is my ‘star’ letter of this edition and wins the ‘Ask Alison’ mug and prizes. Merry Christmas and have a fantastic New Year.

Dear Alison.....Can I ask how many VIPs each department is allowed each month?

From Anon

Dear Alison.....What will you be doing at Christmas?

Merry Christmas, Steve Baker (Translations)

What a good question, but please remember to provide your name and locations so I can consider you as my ‘Star’ letter. In answer, a department can have as many VIP nominations as they want. The judging panel will then have the tough job of selecting the winners looking at the reasons and why these may quality for a VIP prize. The VIP reward and recognition team work with all the departments to ensure each area is well represented..

Warmest regards Alison X

Christmas is such a busy time for everyone, whether it be at work, shopping, spending time with the family. I have been very busy helping out in Logistics, Picking and Packing and I still have to buy all my presents.Christmas day will be spent cooking with my family. Apparently my roast potatoes are the best, (so I have been told!), Feel free to pop round!,

Alison X

If you wish to respond to any of the letters, or would like to write to me then please e-mail me at [email protected] or text me on 07544 026677.

Don’t forget to include your name and area, or I cannot select you as a winner.

ALISON ANSWERS 15

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NOTICEB O ARDC

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Thank you to everyone who purchased merchandise and made donations to the Royal British Legion (RBL)Poppy appeal. The appeal which is run by Judith Hill in the Contact Centre (also a Welfare Case Worker, for the RBL raised a fabulous £425. Judith said ‘We at the Bingley British Legion are very grateful to everyone at Damart who

contributed. The RBL spend over £1million each week on welfare for serving and ex-service personnel and their families. Recently £50million was committed to The Battle Back Centre a state of the art recuperation centre for wounded and sick soldiers to recover and either return to Service or successfully re-join civilian life’.

Lolly Tebbs from Marketing

welcomes her new baby boy Lewis

James, weighing 6.6lb on the 24th

October.

Congratulations to Laura Mckie from

Finance who was delighted to announce

the safe delivery of Tobin Thomas

Rowntree On the 14th October.

Charlene Frear from the Contact Centre became a proud mum to Corey James Ethan. Also congratultions to the delighted grandparents Sean Morrow (Logistics) and Julie Morrow (Data Entry).

Shubusolay Owoeye

from the Contact Centre

is happy to announce

the arrival of her 2nd

daughter Lauren.

Alan Duxbury and Lynne Hepworth from the Contact Centre were engaged on the 13th Novemberwe would like to send them our best wishes for the future.Georgia Nugent from the Product Division is the proud mother of Dexter James Nugent born on the 12th October weighing 7 lb 11 oz.

Michael Stoodley from IS

became the proud father of

Chloe Stoodley on the 18th

November.

Chrissie Lamb from Business Support is

a grandmother again.Penelope was born on Oct 16th weighing

6lb 15 oz.

MS 2011

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