Cleansing - Community

Celebrating One Year of the Redcliffe & Temple Cleansing Team

Get to know our cleansing team as we celebrate one year of their hard work!

02/12/2022

BID Lead

Sabrina Shutter

In partnership with Bristol Waste, the Redcliffe & Temple BID cleansing team operate a five-day-a-week dedicated response service on cleansing and unwanted graffiti issues in the BID area, and this month we are celebrating the first year of its service. In the past year, our amazing team have responded to 63 Levy Payer requests, removing a whopping 1631 items of graffiti in over 1061 locations, whilst covering an astounding 4054 miles. To celebrate their hard work and continuous support, we asked the team a few questions to let you get to know them better:

Richard and Martin, Driver Team Leaders, have worked tirelessly over the past year, helping to keep Redcliffe and Temple a clean and welcoming place for everyone, and their positive attitudes shine through.

Q. What has been your favourite memory whilst working in this role?

When asked what their best memory was working for the BID, they unanimously responded saying that everyday was a good day as they feel their hard work is appreciated by the Levy Payers and the BID team and that they enjoy working together as a team. They both enjoy their breakfast meetings with Sabrina and when she surprised them with an ice cream in 35 degree heat in the summer!

Q. What do you love the most about Bristol?

They’ve both lived in Bristol all of their lives and said they sometimes take what they have for granted, appreciating Bristol’s rich history and the architecture including the likes of the Bristol suspension bridge. They both love to discover new parts of Bristol’s history as they cleanse their daily routes, including the leaning church, Temple Church – likened to the leaning tower of Pisa by Richard!

Q. What motivates you to work hard?

Both Richard and Martin said that working together over the past year has motivated their hard work, as they enjoy working together and undertaking new challenges as a team. With a combined 40 years of experience working in the business, the pair are able to bounce off of each other with their extensive knowledge in the industry, with Richard joking that it is like man and boy working together!

Q. What is your go-to Karaoke song?

Martin is a huge Elvis and Frank Sinatra fan and has the voice to match, whilst Richard stated that when he is at a bar, he prefers to be entertained rather than entertaining (we have to agree with him there!)

Q. When you were younger what did you want to be when you grew up?

Martin wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a Fireman like his Dad, whereas Richard was open to whatever life threw at him and is now pleased with how his career has planned out, but, if footballers were paid the same wage back then he might have reconsidered!

Q. Do you have any hobbies outside of work?

Both Richard and Martin enjoy getting outside and going for walks, gardening and doing some DIY around their houses. Martin has a national trust membership that is used regularly for exploring Bristol and its surrounding areas. Richard is a competition winning fisherman who also has a creative side making battle scene models from scratch!

Q. What was your first job?

Martin at the age of 16 used to deliver old pint soft drinks, including lemonade across Bristol for £22 a week whilst Richard at 16 used to deliver dry cleaning to hotels across Bristol before going on to drive 7.5tonne lorries at the age of 17 for £54 a week.

Q. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Richard wants to visit the Island of the Pigs in the Bahamas, where wild pigs swim on the beach in paradise! Martin wants to see the Northern Lights.

Q. What does a typical day look like at work?

They are up at 4.15am, get into work at 5am and have a quick cup of tea before filling the van up with its water and equipment before getting out on the road. Every morning they check certain hotspot areas for unwanted graffiti and stickers and ensure Levy Payers are looked after, before focusing on their strategic deep cleans. Some days they can get through 300 kilos of water in a day before finishing work at 1.30pm.

Lynn Seehasuth, Operations Manager, Novotel Bristol Centre

“We are very grateful to have Rich and Martin (aka The Tag Boyz) in our area. We find it quite difficult to remove graffiti ourselves and to maintain, especially in difficult places. They are always available when we need them and are also pro-active and will pop in to let us know about a tag we weren’t even aware of! Thank you Rich and Martin, we appreciate you!

Sabrina Shutter, Project Manager

“It’s been a real pleasure working with Richard and Martin. They have done a fantastic job getting to know the BID area and all its levy payers. The team plays an integral part in the BID and is an invaluable resource for keeping our area clean and welcoming for everyone working, living and visiting. The team truly goes above and beyond and we congratulate them on their 1st year anniversary!”

We are so thankful to both Richard and Martin for all of their hard work, it does not go unnoticed and the Redcliffe and Temple area would not be the same without them. They have been such a joy to work with and we wish them a very happy one year anniversary for working at the BID. Look out for our Cleansing Team next time you are out and about. You won’t miss them in their Redcliffe & Temple branded uniforms and van and make sure to give them a wave!