Could we be the Family Business of the Year?

So we got an email yesterday evening confirming that we're up for the Family Business United Family Business of the Year award... like, totes amaze, right? And in our 50th year of Making London Beautiful too!

We are shortlisted alongside some big household names and feel honoured to have been recognised in this way.

We are so proud to be shortlisted and it's  amazing  recognition for our people and our values, so PLEASE CLICK and vote for us! 

A year of celebrations

We promised news this week and on this fabulous Friday we are delighted to share some of our plans for 2013- the year we celebrate 50 Years of Making London Beautiful.

Our origins are in the North- our CEO Frank's grandfather Robert established a specialist restoration business in Yorkshire in 1919, passing the business to his son Derek when he retired. It was Derek who brought Bastows to London in 1963, setting down values of quality, care, and a love for what we do that we still work with today.

We could wait until 2019 to mark our centenary as a family business, but we are so proud to have served London's finest homes and estates that we couldn't let the big 5-0 slip by unnoticed.

In this special year we want to look back on the projects and people we remember as well as keep an eye on the future as we move into the next fifty years.

STUBBING OUR TOES DOWN MEMORY LANE!

Starting today on our Facebook page, we'll be sharing fifty photos over the coming weeks that capture a memory from the past five decades.

BADGE OF HONOUR

We'll soon unveil a special 50th Anniversary edition of our logo that you'll see appearing online, on our social media and on our vans (spotted all over London!) Take a snap of a van sporting the special logo in 2013, tweet it to us at @BastowsFamily and win a special little piece of history from 1963.

FIFTY SHADES OF... 1963

We'll be blogging weekly about an event from the past fifty years, covering the story of our Family as well as topics from news to music, fashion and society. What was life like when Derek set up in London? We'll be welcoming guest bloggers, too- so do you have your own memory you'd like to share?

BRINGING US TO BOOK 

This year will see the release of a handy new book that will provide our Family and friends with the story behind Bastows' growth and values, offering insight, honesty and incredibly useful tools for business and life. Indispensable advice, free and on us- because you're worth it.

GROWING AND EVOLVING

We'll also be posting some video interviews with our people over on YouTube about how Bastows has grown and changed in their time. How different are things from their first day with us? What's the best bit of being part of the Bastows family? What are our plans for the future?

There will be lots more happening, including a family party in the Summer when we can be (almost!) sure of better weather- watch the blog, Facebook page and Twitter feed for news!

A better way

Our business has always prided itself on the highest standards of safety and care for employees, residents and anyone affected by our works. We work hard to minimise disruption, inconvenience and risk and have been recognised many times over for our success in doing so.

A combination of training, expertise, teamwork, experience, respect and conscious effort means we deliver a service to prestigious clients and their residents that we believe is unparallelled  in our market.

We believe that when working on homes, we must be mindful to keep people safe and happy, and leave them with a positive impression of both our business and the construction industry.

We set down a clear code of conduct for our people, and are proud to say that we rarely receive any reports of concern or anxiety about our works, and that any we do hear are speedily resolved with care and the right information. In six years with Bastows, I can honestly count the number of issues raised with me on one hand- all resolved with prompt action, clear communication and a desire to find a better way to move things forward.

We never dismiss a resident's concerns, no matter what. We will always work with them to resolve things and go on Making London Beautiful.

Family- the evidence!

Check out a Wordle cloud based on this blog. Seems we do talk about Family a lot!

Health and safety: our duty to our past

This week saw the 150th anniversary of the London Underground and a plethora of articles about it- some informative (did you know over 500,000 mice are estimated to live in the underground system?) and others seemingly an excuse to indulge in a good old fashioned whinge.


However, we'd ike to remember the workers who created this astonishing feat of engineering for the people of London past and present, and for one sobering moment we'd like to remember the sacrifices made by too many of them. We'd ask you to read Paul Richards' excellent piece on the importance of health and safety and the impact the building of the Tube system had on the lives of workers involved. 

Bastows have always demonstrated a clear and solid commitment to health and safety of our Family and all affected by our projects, and will continue to do so. Our concern is first and foremost for the wellbeing of our employees, clients and residents, and we are saddened by the cuts to both Health and Safety resources and the initiatives that may see less conscientious practices creep in to our industry and pose a real risk to the lives and safety of construction workers and the public. We are proud to state that Bastows will never settle for less than the high standards we have attained, and will work always to improve safety and care for our employees and those we work with.

London was built by those who believed in craftsmanship, hard work and creativity. Continuing in their spirit, and adding a commitment to safety in their name is something we should be proud to do.

Christmas Spirit

On Friday we had some fun transforming our London office into a party venue for our guys to get together and celebrate the coming festive season. 

It took almost a whole day to decorate the place but the end result was worth it!

We shared a few drinks, good food, and lots of laughs.

Thank you to all our guys for their hard work this year, and for being such a huge part of the Bastows story. 

We go into 2013 with more to celebrate as we mark our 50th year of Making London Beautiful.
 
Thank you to all our Family who joined us to see Christmas in in style, and who will be  a part of a fantastic year in 2013.
              Merry Christmas!

The Spirit of Giving

Happy Christmas

The Bastows Family Gift to Crisis

 

As we approach Christmas at warp speed, we’ve been reflecting on the amazing year we’ve shared.

The main thing that stood out for all of us was of course the London Olympic and Paralympic Games and the passion, spirit and determination shown by the athletes, Gamesmakers and the millions of supporters here and around the World. This summer, we came together to celebrate the best of humanity and the spirit of sharing.

We want to keep this feeling going. After receiving overwhelming support from our clients for the idea, instead of sending Christmas cards and gifts, we’re going to give a gift to Crisis. They work tirelessly to help homeless people all over London by offering them food, warmth and safety so that they are not left alone and vulnerable at Christmas.

We will fund fifty places at Crisis centres around London. Thanks to us all, fifty people will have a brighter, safer Christmas than they'd expected. We make this donation in the name of all of our Family, and thank you for the support you have given this initiative.

We wish you and your loved ones a safe and memorable Christmas and we will see you all in 2013.

With very warmest wishes and thanks for your friendship in this incredible year,

The Bastows Family