Page 2 - WM Donald Newsletter - Edition Four

2In this edition of ‘Making it Happen’ you will find several stories referring to charitable fund raising events for our ‘40for40 Challenge’. To mark our 40 years in business, W M Donald employees are looking to raise £40,000 to reduce the stress and strain on cancer sufferers and their families. This has given me cause to look back and reflect on changes over the four decades.When I first set out I was heavily influenced by the way many of the large local farms operated. From my perspective at the time it seemed they managed to keep a large number of small tenant farmers motivated by making them feel as though they had a key role to play both in their own success and that of the collective enterprise. I have aspired to do something similar at W M Donald and our success in winning ‘Business of the Year 2017’ at the recent Trades Awards was undoubtedly due in large part to the teamwork and camaraderie that exists throughout the W M Donald workforce.At the same Trades Awards I was delighted that Keith Murray won ‘Tradesman of the Year’. I have worked with Keith since he was 20, and over the following 27 years he has not only consistently delivered work of the highest quality, but also provided a great example for younger colleagues to follow. Well done Keith, the award was truly deserved.We continue to emphasize the fundamental importance of health and safety. We now have defibrillators on sites where we are the main contractor and our ‘Start with Safety’ (Stop, Think, Assess the Risk, Take Action) campaign has led to a significant increase in the reporting of ‘hazards’ and ‘near misses’. Raymond Black’s experiences covered in this newsletter are a critical reminder of the importance of minimising exposure to direct sunlight and applying sun cream where this is not possible.So, what of the future? In the short term the local economic prognosis is one of cautious optimism. I believe we will be experiencing slow growth for several years to come. We are fortunate there are several major projects that have boosted construction activity: AWPR, the harbour at Nigg, and the new exhibition centre. If you believe, as I do, that construction tends to lag the oil and gas industry by 15 years or so, then the trend is towards a greater emphasis on compliance and an ever-growing use of digital technology. My concern is that this is not achieved at the expense of common sense and basic engineering skills and understanding.Finally, I am extremely proud that nine apprentices have completed their qualifications this Spring. Whilst we look forward to welcoming clients, suppliers and employees past and present to our 40th anniversary celebrations in August, the future belongs to a younger generation.WillieWillie’s Welcome40 for 40To celebrate 40 years in business, the team at W M Donald has set itself the target of raising £40,000 for local cancer charity, Friends of ANCHOR, in 2017.At the time of writing the total raised has already reached £25,000.If you’d like to make a donation, simply go to www.justgiving. com and type ’40 years of W M Donald’ into the search bar.Clients, sub-contractors and W M Donald team members have walked, climbed, travelled, golfed, cycled, run and more to raise money for the cause. Huge thanks to all that have taken part and those that have sponsored them.Willie’s 40 mile walk and cycle challenge along the Deeside Way£40,000 target amount£25,000 achieved so farDonate on www.justgiving.com Search for ‘40 years of W M Donald’Wolseley win at Aboyne... ...and Nicol of Skene triumph at Ballater