The second half of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship resumed last weekend, at the new Snetterton race circuit in Norfolk. The weekend turned out to be a special occasion for young driver Frank Wrathall and his Dynojet race team, as they became the first team of the series to gain a point running a Next Generation regulated Touring Car.

Team Dynojet

The talented driver who’s sponsored by Angel Springs, the UK’s leading water cooler service provider as part of the Rising Stars Scheme, got off to a great start securing an outstanding seventh place on the grid for Sunday’s race day. Achieving a qualifying time of 1m 59s his best ever BTCC qualifying performance and the fastest yet for any of the four Next Generation Touring Cars, Frank was just four tenths off the pace of pole sitter Jason Plato.

Angel branded Toyota at qualifying

Success continued from the qualifying rounds as starting from seventh on the grid and avoiding the danger of a spinning Matt Neal, Frank went down the inside of James Nash at the Agostini Corner and took fifth position on lap two. Frank then targeted Tom Chilton for fourth place. After applying pressure to the tail of the Ford Focus, Frank sent Tom Chilton wide out of the Riches on lap six comfortably taking fourth and trying to catch the leading three who were four seconds clear of him.

“I was a little worried about the start,” said the 24 year old Lancastrian, “but I pulled away well from the line and put myself in the best possible position. I was tucked right up in the pack; then there was a lot of dust and a Honda spinning in the middle of the track. I used my head and picked my way through it.”

BTCC 2011 Round 6 Snetterton

In race two the orange Angel Water Coolers, branded Toyota Avensis retained its performance by gaining third place from the opening lap, defending it against veteran Jason Plato. Frank continued to hold third place until lap eight when an overheating problem caused by damage to the radiator from an earlier contact caused him to retire from the race and unable to take part in race three.

Frank Wrathall in 3rd holding off Jason Plato

“I got hit from behind into the first corner,” said Frank, “and as a result I hit someone in front. From then on the car started to overheat, and it worsened as I came up behind Nash. I dropped back from him in the hope that some fresher air would help it, but it didn’t.”

Frank Wrathall celebrating his milestone victory

As a result of his exceptional performance in race one Frank secured maximum BTCC Drivers points and a well-deserved place on the podium. After stepping down from the podium he had these comments,

“I can’t believe it… it’s absolutely incredible. It’s been such an epic journey from the first round in April. Now here I am standing on the podium. I’m speechless.

Frank alongside winners from race one

“The aim for the year was to get into the points. To get fourth overall and top independent at the sixth meeting of the year is way beyond our expectations. From day one we’ve known that the Avensis had the potential. To put everything together and to get a podium is the best reward for all the hard work that’s gone in.”

Frank Wrathall ITV 4 interview

Frank Wrathall ITV4 interview (2)

John Dundon (Angel Springs MD) congratulates an overwhelmed Frank Wrathall

The official media day was held yesterday at the Molineux Stadium, home to the Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, and like any other media day there were photographers and journalists from various newspapers, among these people were official partners and sponsors such as Sky, BBC West Midlands and Angel Springs.

Angel Springs the UK’s longest established water cooler company and official water supplier to Wolverhampton Wanderers were there to show support, not to mention keeping everyone hydrated with personalised bespoke Wolverhampton Wanderers branded sports cap bottled water.

Angel Springs are the leading suppliers of both bottled and mains fed point of use water coolers, and have an extensive client base including some of the Wolverhampton Wanderers players themselves. Pictured below are two of the clubs most recent signings who are currently customers of Angel Springs.

Angels Regional Sales Director Mark Cross who looks after the clubs account, and attended the media day commented,

“As a Wolves supporter it was a treat to be on the pitch as the Squad for next season had their individual and team photos taken. It was also good to meet a number of players including Angel customers Matt Jarvis and George Elekobi.”

The wait is over as the second half of the British Touring Car Championship 2011 continues, this weekend at Norfolk’s redeveloped Snetterton race circuit.

The end of the first half, of the BTCC saw rising young star Frank Wrathall Jr achieving his best race finish of the championship so far, finishing 12^th at Croft (June). Frank is now determined to show the top 10 pace that the DynoJet Next Generation Toyota Avensis has to offer.

It has been a busy summer for Frank and the DynoJet team. Earlier last month they took part in the Goodwood Festival of Speed showcasing the stunning orange, black and chrome finished Toyota Avensis.

Since then DynoJet have tested and redeveloped the car whilst setting new objectives for when the season resumes. The young and talented driver sponsored by Angel Springs the UK’s longest established water cooler company as part of the Rising Stars scheme commented,

“I think the changes we have made will result in some big improvements. We have been developing the geometry of the Avensis, putting a lot of effort into trying to find the sweet spots… Hopefully that will pay off and be visible to everyone at the next round.”

“We’ve developed a new exhaust system, which we hope will not only improve performance but also ease of working on the car, while retaining the great sound of the Avensis. The new Toyota engine was really strong at Croft, a match for anything out there, so I am hopeful for a good set of results at Snetterton. Hopefully I can do the Avensis justice.”

Be sure to tune in this weekend and look out for Frank and his Angel branded car, live this Sunday on ITV4 and ITV4 HD from 11:30am to 6pm with highlights on later ITV1.

The employees at Angel Springs play an integral part in the day-to-day activities of the business, from being the first point of contact to raising brand awareness. The Sales department in particular are a key element to the business, as they are the sources which potential customers rely on for information. The Sales Team also provide support in the decision making process by offering the best suitable water cooler options, tailored to meet the requirements of the potential customer.

Together with our Customer Relations team, the Sales department have been able to meet and exceed their targets for the past four months, demonstrating that as the UK’s leading water cooler service provider Angel Springs are the right choice when it comes to hydration.

Commercial Manager Rachel Jones commented,  ‘It has been a fantastic start to our new financial year!  Through an intensive training programme we have developed and promoted our staff from within, which has lead to these exceptional results.  Well done to everyone in my team!’

From Left to Right - Andrew Foster, Heidi Bills, Richard Smith, Lisa Fletcher, Rachel Jones, Sophia Slater, Julie Law, Imogen Jackson, Karina Leach, Pam Bamrah, Caroline Griffiths, Lindsey Westwood

A great time to change your lifestyle is during the summer months. With hotter temperatures and longer days, it is the perfect time to adjust your daily routine. Encourage yourself to try something new whether it be a big change or a small adjustment.

Improving fitness at any time of the year is important, but during the summer months our bodies need to be fitter. When the climate is warmer, it is important for everyone to maintain high energy levels. By incorporating exercise into your daily routine you are allowing your body to cope better with the heat. Make the most of the fresh air and go jogging after work or go for a walk whilst on your break. Small amounts of exercise will boost your fitness.

Be careful not to exercise during the hottest parts of the day. Our bodies lose water at quicker rates in hot weather and whilst exercising. Fluid intake in summer months needs to be high, so be sure to increase your water consumption. In the heat we are susceptible to dehydration and are at risk of heat induced illnesses like heat stroke. A water cooler at home and at work will help ensure you drink the necessary amounts of water. Water dispensers provide the chilled water you need at convenient times of the day.

With the extra daylight hours, be inspired to get outdoors. Use your time in the summer to adopt a new hobby. Be adventurous and take up surfing – a popular summer pastime. Join a local club, such as cricket, tennis or swimming, which would easily slot into your current routine. Try a new activity every week and encourage family orientated activities.

 A small change that is easy to make during the summer is how you travel to work. It is the perfect opportunity to leave your car at home and perhaps walk or cycle. You can enjoy the better weather, save money and boost your fitness. Encourage colleagues to do the same and walk together. Change your family’s daily routine by walking your children to and from school.

It is always important to eat healthy food. It is easier to eat healthily in the summer with a large variety of delicious fruit and vegetables in season. Pick up seasonal recipes from supermarkets and look out for different foods you’ve never tried before. Summer is a great time to consider dieting as we naturally want to eat lighter meals. Enjoy dinner al fresco by arranging impromptu picnics and barbecues.

There are various ways to change your daily routine in the summertime. Incorporating exercise into your daily life is important and during the summer you are open to more options. As the weather is generally warmer you should be encouraged to explore the outdoors by enjoying new sports and hobbies. Improve your diet and fitness by trying new foods and drinking more water. Summer is the ideal time to make changes to your lifestyle.

There are several different ways to save on your energy bills. These considerations all involve cost saving solutions and matters of safety. These range from installing an instant hot water boiler to building solar panels to insulating your home.

The first way to save on your energy bills is by using a water cooler as a cost effective way of getting water, rather than switching on taps and using up needless water. The water is not only clean but also is easy to connect and this is the case with the most common wall mounted cooler. The cooler refrigerates the water and a container holding the cooled water can allow you to select the coolest water whenever you like.

An instant hot water boiler is constant, instant and consistent. You can  have an instant hot water boiler rather than boiling the kettle each time you have a cup of tea or coffee. Often when a kettle is boiled steam comes out and heat is dispensed. Therefore instant hot water boilers are cost saving and are a greater way of generating water. A hot water dispenser can reduce heating costs far past 50 per cent. It can relieve such stresses as running out of hot water as all the hot water it provides is virtually instant.

Solar panels can also help you save on energy bills, as well as being eco friendly energy source. Solar panels are cheaper and more efficient and practical. Also by building solar panels have a fair amount of supplies to last you a while. This is energy from direct sunlight, which is converted into electricity. A solar panel does cost a bit to install, however the money is soon made back saving money through using energy from the sun. You will, with solar panels, soon find your energy bills coming down.

Insulating your home makes sure you are kept warm in winter and cool in the summer. Types of insulation include fibreglass which is easy to install and does not cost much at all. You will also save money through its energy efficiency. The government also are trying to help insulate houses better in the UK, in order to do this they have to find ways of making house insulation cheaper for households in the UK.

Energy saving light bulbs are far more efficient than usual light bulbs, which heat up at growingly intense rates. With energy efficient bulbs households are saving up to £20.  Better fuel efficiency is what these energy saving bulbs bring and are being increasingly encouraged by governments to help the environment and reduce consumer waste. The fact they are long lasting and save on energy bills mean they are a desirable means of saving and helping the environment. Changing an energy supplier can also help save bills. There are numerous deals that can be offered, including a dual fuel contract where an energy company can save you money by supplying both gas and electricity.

The best ways of saving on energy bills therefore include use of water coolers, instant water boilers, building solar panels, insulating your homes and using energy saving light bulbs. These are cost effective methods from which you can start seeing improvements in your energy bills.

When you own a business you expect to make an impression on people, to greet visitors in a way they feel is not only hospitable but would make them feel at ease and want to visit again. There are five main ways identified here in which a business can create a welcome space for visitors:

The first is the installation of water coolers into offices. These are a good welcoming tool for many reasons. Firstly, they can be offered upon arrival if you are required to wait. Water can greatly affect the mood, not only will the person be grateful for the kind way in which it was offered but their circumstances, for example walking to the premises in the heat, may have required them to have a cool drink of water and affect their mood. Secondly, water coolers are viable for the business itself as it costs less and the installation is relatively easy.

To create a good first impression comfortable office seating is also important. The seating should be soft and comfortable. When a business plans its office design it is important to map out where this seating will go and how it should stand out. The colours or comfort can reflect the nature of your business. Make sure there are enough seats and that the seats are not stained or broken in any way, as this may give the impression of neglect. Reception seating areas, combined with water coolers both give good levels of comfort for any visitor and they will appreciated that kind of welcome and relaxing atmosphere, giving them a good feeling about your business.

The reception area also needs to be neat. For example, if there is a desk full of clutter, the visitor is going to think that your business is not particularly well organised. A clean and presentable area gives the impression that the business is a well organised and a well run company. It may be important to invest in filing cabinets. These can also show the amount of business you have acquired and can be impressive to the visitor and give them the impression that this is a successful business.

Space is always a good thing for a business welcoming a visitor. Space needs to be considered in terms of what the visitor has to do, is there paperwork they need to fill in? Do they need to read anything? It is always best to keep some sort of company brochure or leaflet explaining what you do and your successes and place it on a table near to where the person is seated. Clipboards or writing space, such as tables, will be needed if forms need to be filled in.

A general friendly environment also helps. The receptionist at the desk should greet with a hello and greet them in a friendly way. When the person they are meeting comes to greet them a hand shake would give the impression of friendliness and even a meet and greet of employees would show the general character and atmosphere of that workplace.

By creating a welcome space for visitors the business can give the impression that they are organised, adaptable to the visitors needs, friendly, and make the visitor feel comfortable. This atmosphere has advantages in that it gives a good impression and the visitor may recommend the business elsewhere or continue to visit and do business with the company. That is why first impressions are always important in terms of being a welcoming business.

As the summers are becoming hotter it is important to keep safe and healthy as temperatures rise. It is integral to make sure you drink a lot of water as dehydration is very common in warmer weather. It is also important to make sure that you cool your rooms and have air conditioning wherever you can, even things like fans can help improve a room’s temperature and make you feel a lot more comfortable.

More and more businesses are installing water coolers in their offices. An inbuilt refrigerated tube is used to help keep the water cool, especially in hot offices which can be a stressful environment in hot weather. A water cooler is also hospitable. Any visitors can be offered water from a water cooler and it may put them in a better mood. Going without a drink in such hot temperatures can cause burnout, migraines and light headedness that neither helps your health or your work. There are different types of water dispenser but the preferred one is the bottle-less cooler which relies on a direct tap which, of course, will be cooled by the built in refrigerated tube. That is why you should drink as much water as you can as temperatures rise and to make the best of office water coolers, that is, after all, what they are there for.

Keeping healthy means not suffering in hot rooms, and there are several ways in which to do this. The first is through air conditioning. Air conditioning allows you to cool down a hot room or enclosed space. There is nothing worse than moving from outdoors to a boiling hot room. Opening windows can also alleviate heat. Putting windows on night vent allows you to be relatively cooler at night. Also installing dehumidifiers may ease discomfort. This is especially helpful for asthmatics as it prevents an attack in particularly humidifying rooms. Dehumidifiers tend to have small fans in them which help bring cool air into the room. Finally, you need to buy fans to help the room cool down.

It is not just the home and outside where you need to keep healthy in rising temperatures. In the car there are several things you need to do. As it is such an enclosed space it is important to keep healthy, especially on long journeys. It helps if you have an air conditioned car, if you don’t then opening the windows is the best way of getting air into the car. Air fresheners at least remove dead air and can cool down the car simply by the scent it gives off. Never leave dogs in hot cars either for a long period of time, as they can burn as there is no air actually leaving the car.

All these different considerations make it integral for you to keep healthy in rising temperatures. It needs to be reiterated to keep hydrated, at all times, especially in a hot working environment. In rooms using dehumidifiers, air conditioning and fans can all help you feel cooler. It also needs to be taken in mind to keep cool in vehicles, especially during long journeys. Health is more important as ever in hot temperatures and it is important to take these considerations into account as temperatures rise.

MP Alan Johnson recently visited Hull based company Country Wise Water Coolers as part of the British Water Cooler Association UK wide Stay Cooler Campaign to discuss raising the general awareness of the importance of hydration within the workplaces of today.

Diane Stow, Managing Director, said: “Both bottled and plumbed in water dispensers provide an essential resource to help people drink water more frequently, by making it more accessible, appealing and refreshing.

“During a time when workplace cuts are becoming more andmore commonplace, we want to send out a clear message that drinking water at work is good for productivity – and a cost-effective way to keeping employees healthy and happy in their workplace.  It is also a critical component of a wider campaign to improve the general health of the UK population and tackle on-going health issues such as heart disease and obesity.”

Alan Johnson MP commented “Countrywise Water Coolers is a successful company in my constituency. Raising awareness of the importance of regularly drinking water in the work place will not only improve employment prospects in Hull, it will also improve occupational health across the country”.

The Stay Cooler! Campaign is highlighting research which shows that it is medically proven that consistent hydration for UK adults can help to improve workplace concentration, reduce headaches, prevent feelings of tiredness, anxiety and irritability – and help prevent many of the minor complications that can lead to lost productivity and absence from work.

Just two per-cent loss of body water can result in 10% drop in physical and mental performance. The Food Standards Agency recommends that we drink six to eight glasses of water every day.

John Dundon, Chairman of the BWCA and Managing Director of Angel Springs the UK’s longest established water cooler company added: “The message of the BWCA campaign is “Keep water coolers in the workplace!”.

“While it might be tempting to look at cutting water cooler provision during tough economic times, the long-term benefits to workplace productivity and wellbeing far outweigh any cost savings in the shorter term.”

“The campaign will show how BWCA members are playing a key role in water provision, pursuing technological advances in sanitisation and water quality whilst developing a thriving business that is both customer focused and environmentally sustainable.”

For more information about the Stay Cooler Campaign please visit www.facebook.com/StayCooler.

Employers should always make sure they maintain a healthy workplace. This is crucial in terms of motivation, productivity and performance. An employees’ health should be considered immediately upon employment, simply being aware of the employees’ own health (such as whether they have allergies). As a whole the workplace needs to be a healthy daily environment as most offices are hot. Employers, therefore, need to look after their employees’ health.

With such a hot environment and often in front of computers for a long period of time, it is important for employees’ to keep hydrated. The business can install a water cooler to keep their workers hydrated. This has within it a cooling function that refrigerates a tube to keep the water cool when it is dispensed. It is integral especially on hot days to keep hydrated at all times and for a business to install a water dispenser. This also deters employees going to vending machines in lunch hours and having unhealthy drinks that leave them in the end not wanting cool water.

The government has several guidelines that oblige companies to ensure a healthy and safe workplace. According to the government website, the employer is responsible for health and safety, they must not put employees at risk in any way, to provide training and make sure new employees are aware of health and safety rules. They mention this as an obligation and indicate training should make employees’ aware of all the health and safety protocols of the company.

A business may want to look after employees’ health greater by going green. There are many ways in which a business can create a healthier working environment by promoting green ways of improving a workplace. Less pollution in the atmosphere makes for a healthier workplace. By minimising waste as much as possible money can be saved. A greater green environment can mean greater air quality through several methods. These include instant hot water boilers that save money but also allow less steam to be released into the atmosphere. Office fans help the office temperature, the cooling down of the atmosphere would allow for a cooler working environment. Dehumidifiers can help with allergies in particularly humid offices in the summer months. An air conditioned office is also essential.

In terms of lighting, it may be considered to install dimmer lighting. Pulsating lights in humid offices are not good for employee safety. Businesses may want low energy bulbs that pulsate less; these are less expensive and as well as being safe can save the business on electricity costs.

More generally, by allowing flexible working hours a business could contribute to a healthier workforce. Staff can use flexible leave to engage in healthy events such as visiting the gym. Nowadays, more and more employers are recognising that flexible working hours give workers freedom and that consequently improves performance.

Some companies have health insurance policies to ensure staff members have quality and quick health cover should they become ill. It gives the workers assurance that should they become ill in some cases healthcare will be available to them. Other companies will account for illnesses through several methods to make sure when their employee returns from illness they are able to slot back into the company without any difficulties for the employee.

Looking after employees’ health should be top of any businesses’ list and health and safety should be paramount and strongly paid attention to. By cooling the office, hydrating their workers, installing less polluting and health affecting devices and being aware of the health of their employees’ in general, businesses may help improve job performance and job satisfaction, as a healthy working environment is important for the whole mood and overall productivity of the business.