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Students who wish to improve their German are welcome to join weekly lessons on Thursdays from 12.00 – 13.00, starting on Thursday 9 May at Adastral Park.
The lessons are well structured, and taught in an informal and friendly environment by a native speaker. We are opening a short 7-week summer course, and from September the course will run through the year.
For more information phone 01394 383824 or e-mail spanish.specialists@btinternet.com.
In BT and at Adastral Park, we believe that volunteering creates opportunities to support our people to do the things they are passionate about in our local community. But did you know that, particularly as a BT employee, you can use three days of paid work time to volunteer, either as part of regular activities that you are already involved in, or to support some of the opportunities that BT has set up. We are currently working with Age UK Suffolk to help them find volunteers for the telephone “befriending” service they offer.
The service links volunteers to older people in Suffolk who would like someone to call them for a friendly chat each week. Calls are free and usually last for up to an hour once a week and they really can make a big difference to an older person’s life, especially if they are housebound. If you are interested in becoming a telephone “befriender”, whether you are a BT employee or not, please refer to the Latest News from Adastral Park – April 2013 e-mail for the link to record your interest on Formwize. We will then arrange a session with Age UK Suffolk where more details will be provided.
APTA is the Adastral Park Twinning Association. In addition to the established twinning with France Telecom’s Amiens section near Paris, and Deutsche Telecom’s Darmstadt section in Germany, there are a wide range of other travel and activity opportunities to broaden your horizon, make new friends and travel more cost effectively.
The activities for 2013 include visiting our German twinners, hosting the French visitors, hot air balloon meets, cycle, walking & kayak tours, trips to Poland, Madrid, Czech Republic and more. Plus the established language classes on site and access to the French Holiday Villages at special rates. It is open to all employees and former employees in the Ipswich area as well as employees of other companies with offices at Adastral Park. Find out more see the APTA website or contact Andrew Cassy .
Since starting in 1993, more than £880,000 has been contributed by BT staff and donated to registered UK charities at the bequest of members of Helping Hand – the BT staff charity fund at Adastral Park. These contributions have been boosted thanks to the BT GAYE contribution, to allow over £880,000 to be given to charity. We are inviting new members to join, and existing members to consider increasing their contribution, with the aim of giving out an amazing £1m grand total by our 25th anniversary.
In the past two year alone, 71 charity cheques have been written for a total of £44,396. Recent donation requests have been made for many good causes including Families in Need to coincide with the Foodbank launch at the site, the British Heart Foundation after the sudden and unexpected loss of a colleague on site as well as the most popular charities attending the Christmas Market as voted on by the visitors.
Members contribute to the fund via payroll under the GAYE scheme, making it a very tax efficient way of donating money to charity. This can be done in addition to any other payroll contributions you can make. With requests now outstripping our monthly income we are appealing for existing members to review their contribution and to seek new members who can then make their own requests for a charitable donation.
For further information contact the membership secretary Ken West or our new Chairperson Sarah Waterson.
BT Volunteers
Thanks to a small band of BT volunteers we were able to assist over 100 scouts and other local volunteers to litter pick at our adopted Trimley Marsh estuary beach alongside the SWT reserve.
BT Volunteering duties included: manning the car park (Mittal Patel, Claire Mackinder & Afolabi Agbede shown in picture), driving the BT minibus (Ian Buxton, Alan Ritson, Louise Williamson) and assisting with the litter pick (Mark Mackinder, Carol Staunton & Noosha Richardson). Plus lots of other support from our partners: Ipswich & Felixstowe Scouts, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Suffolk Coast & Heaths, Trimley Estates and all the other people who took part.
Wheelie bin and other rubbish collected
This years unusual finds included a crushed blue wheelie bin, gas canister, racing car tyre and safety hats. In all around a tonne of waste was recovered from the foreshore. As usual, most of the litter is plastic based which doesn’t bio-degrade, but eventually breaks down in to smaller and smaller pieces, sometimes over 100′s of years, which can then be injested by the fish and marine life.
Message in a bottle
And finally, the SWT wardens also found two seperate bottles with letters from Holland (see picture). The translation of the letter shown is between two girls and says ”
Dear Floor,
Ships sail to and fro
I think of you,
(I) throw my bottle in the sea
and (I) let my words
go to you
through the water (of the seas)
Love from Sanne
“ ( Thanks to Clazien Wezeman for the translation)
All in all another very successful and satisfying event. Join us next year, Saturday 21 September 2013, to help make an even bigger impact.
Chris Strang from BT Adastral Park has been hailed a lifesaver after he sprang into action when a medical emergency occurred at the London 2012 Olympic Stadium.
Chris, a consultant designer with BT Innovate & Design, was volunteering at the recent London Prepares athletics test event as a BT Games Maker when a 60-year-old female spectator suffered a cardiac arrest. He discovered that two London Ambulance Service paramedics on a stadium familiarisation walkabout had just arrived at the scene and were starting cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the woman, who was lying between rows of seats.
Chris, a volunteer member of BT’s Adastral Park Emergency Services (APES) rapid response team, said: “The paramedics had no equipment with them and it was clear that an AED (automated external defibrillator) was urgently needed, so I ran back to the medical room to grab it. We cut the casualty’s clothing free and applied the AED pads, and we also used my face mask to provide the rescue breaths. I operated the AED, which detected a shockable rhythm and, after instructing everyone to stand clear, I delivered the shock.”
Chris said that after applying a second shock the woman showed signs of breathing and was taken to hospital and is now recovering. In a message to Chris, a senior manager for medical services at London 2012 organisers LOCOG said the woman is well and her family are really grateful as his prompt action saved her life.
Chris signed up for first aid training with BT five years ago after he rescued six people from an overturned car but realised he didn’t have the necessary skills to treat them. Two years ago he was invited to undergo further training to become part of the APES, and a year ago, performed his first CPR when he helped to save the life of friend and colleague Mick Mulvey who suffered a cardiac arrest while at work.
Chris said: “Basic CPR can be the difference between life and death. I would encourage everyone to find out more and to have a go if ever facing a cardiac arrest situation.
The RSPCA Suffolk East and Ipswich Branch would love to take any second-hand books off your hands to sell at their fundraising Pet Awareness Day on Sunday 1 July. It couldn’t be simpler. If you’re clearing out your bookshelves, please bring the books you’re finished with into the Hub and pop them in the box on the old Post Office counter any day week of 18 June. If you have any good quality, unwanted gifts for a tombola or raffle those are welcome too. For further information visit the RSPCA site or contact melayna.yeo@bt.com.
Thank you.
Do you live in Framlingham or nearby and are you interested in helping to create a local radio station?
Radio Castle are looking for volunteers with IT or radio skills to support their broadband station which is based at Framlingham Technology Centre.
Please feel free to visit Radio Castle to discuss any technological ideas or contact Christopher Hudson with any help you may be able to offer the radio station.
The Woodbridge Badminton Club (affiliated to AtLAS) is offering FREE badminton for ladies who want to get “back to badminton”. The free sessions will be held at Farlingaye High School Sports Centre, Woodbridge from 7pm to 10pm on Mondays 12, 19 & 26 March and on Tuesdays 3, 10, 17 & 24 April. For more information contact Glenn Tooke on 07951 443933 or email ladiesb2b@btinternet.com. “Back to Badminton” is supported by Badminton England, Sport England and the National Lottery.
Working over Christmas and reception opening times
If you need to work at the Park 25-27 December or 1-2 January please obtain written permission from your managing director to do so and submit an out-of-hours working form to Reception. The only buildings that will be open over these periods are the flexidesk area in B17 (behind Reception) and Adhara.
Please note Adastral Park emergency number is 643333
Reception openening times over the Christmas period:
Friday 23 December: 07.30 – 14.00
Monday 26 December: Closed
Tuesday 27 December: Closed
Wednesday 28 December: 07.30 – 15.00
Thursday 29 December: 07.30 – 15.00
Friday 30 December: 07.30 – 14.00
Monday 2 January: Closed
Railway shuttle bus
Service for will run up to and including Friday 23 December then resume on Tuesday 3 January.
Restaurant:
21 December: 11:30 – 13:30
22 December: 11:30 – 13:45
23 December: 11:30 – 13:30
Closed 27 December
28 – 30 December: 11:45 – 13:30 (limited menu and no breakfast service)
Normal hours resume on 3 January 2012
Coffee shop:
21 December: 08:15 – 13:30
22 December: 08:15 – 16:00
23 December: 08:15 – 13:30
Closed until 3 January 2012
W H Smith:
Closes 12.00 on Friday 23 December – re-opens Tuesday 3 January 2012
Amigo’s:
21 December: 07:30 – 13:30
22 December: 07:30 – 16:30
23 December: 07:30 – 13:30
Closed 27 December:
28 – 30 December: 08:30-13:30
Normal hours resume on 3 January 2012
Gym:
Closed 24-27 December
28-30 December: 08:00 – 16:00
Closed 31 December – 2 January 2012
