We are pleased to announce that two of our Divisions have been shortlisted in this year’s Highways Heroes awards, taking place on 30 November at DeVere Grand Connaught Rooms, London.
Our heroes from M Group Services’ Transport and Energy Divisions have been shortlisted to honour their hard work, success and ability to handle themselves commendably in the face of adversity.
Firstly, Kevin Bending, Project Manager, for the London CMO (Construction Management Organisation), a contract between Morrison Energy Services and Cadent Gas Ltd. has received a nomination.
Kevin has been recognised for his amazing work and support during a site visit with a team from the Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD) to film guidance videos for the upcoming Highways Authorities and Utilities Committee (HAUC) app
Kevin met the team from RAD on Horseferry Road, London and arranged for Cadent Gas Ltd to film the content on site.
Gary Hawkins, Streetworks and Reinstatement Manager, for Cadent said:
“Just wanted to pass on my thanks to Kevin Bending and the team at Horseferry Road.
“We had three members from RAD on site, with two of the team completely deaf, and we walked around the site filming scenarios to raise awareness for site staff and enablers around the impact of our works for people with hearing loss. Throughout the day, Kevin and the team were fantastic.
“Can’t thank you enough for the time, it was great that you have supported it. The site was also great and well maintained.”
Congratulations to Kevin on this amazing recognition for his work to ensure that a community which sometimes gets overlooked is supported and represented.
Our second nomination comes from our Transport Division. Jack Gibbins, Supervisor on Milestone Infrastructure’s contract with Hampshire County Council, has been recognised for his recent bravery in assisting an elderly couple whose vehicle had overturned.
After safely stopping his gritter, Jack rushed to the scene and began to check on the status of the elderly couple inside the car. The driver had a head wound which was causing excessive bleeding and the passenger had a back injury.
It was unsafe for Jack to attempt a full rescue; however, he did administer first aid, while contacting the emergency services.
Carinna Board, Operations Manager, for Milestone Infrastructure said:
“Jack had to leave his family on Boxing Day to carry out this grit run. Regardless of what was waiting for him back home, Jack stayed with the couple, kept them calm and attended their injuries. When his first aid kit gauze pads were insufficient to deal with the amount of blood, he used the cleanest thing he could find to help stem the bleeding – his brand-new shirt that was a Christmas present from his wife.
Our third finalists are Milestone Infrastructure’s Highways Operatives who work on the Cambridgeshire Highways Contract. Kerrie Wykes, John Moore and Nigel McMullen were on their way to a job when one of them noticed someone in a state of distress on the side of the road.
The team turned their vehicle around to check and found a female member of public unconscious in the carriageway at the end of a dead-end road they had just driven past.
When approaching the individual, they noticed she was unconscious and was bleeding, so they put her in the recovery position for safety.
It appeared as though she had fallen over and scraped her face on the carriageway. After a short time, she started to come round but appeared confused, then started trying to walk away and was calling out. She then walked into the local supermarket and was sick. The crew followed to make sure she was ok and finally got a number from her to call her partner who was able to come and collect her.
The team showed true compassion and looked out for the lady’s wellbeing.
This was a true act of kindness and should be recognised as such. It’s pleasing to know that the teams working on the highways network go the extra mile to support others and use their training to help where they can.
We are proud of Kerrie, John and Nigel for staying at this lady’s side until they knew she was safe, demonstrating true teamwork and are deserving of the Community Hero Award.
The individuals who have been shortlisted will now receive an invitation to attend the gala evening. These awards not only recognise those who have gone above and beyond their duty, but also those that have helped someone or improved a situation, either in the communities where they work or to unconditionally support fellow workers in their team.