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Billie Box sponsors FFSC safety boat

Phantom Nationals 2018, safety boat, sponsorship, Billie Box sponsors,

Billie Box is sponsoring the Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club (FFSC) Safety boat named: Carl Giles. Yes that’s right Carl Giles OBE, the world famous Cartoonist!

 
safety boat, FFSC, rescue, sailing club, Billie Box sponsors, sponsorship, Carl Giles
Carl Giles safety boat at FFSC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But why Carl Giles? Carl Giles was the President of the FFSC from 1984 to 1995.

FFSC own the second largest collection of Carl Giles cartoons and many of the characters in the cartoons were members of the club. The largest collection is owned by the Daily Express, which is the newspaper Carl used to work for.

FFSC is based at Felixstowe Ferry, Suffolk, at the mouth of the River Deben. The racing is very challenging both in the river and out to sea. Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club has a large Youth sailing section who sail on Saturday mornings. The club also offers RYA sailing training. The club racing turns out a good fleet. There is a yacht cruising section and many social events on offer. The FFSC also hosts many sailing Open meetings, National championships and even the occasional World championships.

Jane Billing of Billie Box has been a member of FFSC since 1966, in fact she was born in Deben Week (1 week’s sailing on the River Deben, which no longer runs). Jane’s father sailed with the White family in Firefly dinghies during the 1960’s and Jane followed in her father’s footsteps and started sailing Mirror dinghies in the 1970’s.

Jane, with the help of her father, won the ‘Ladies cup’ at Felixstowe in 1978 And that same year won the ‘Ladies cup’ with Andrew Johnson at Waldringfield. Later on, Jane became social secretary of FFSC and successfully raised funds for FFSC through various social events. Jane sailed Lark dinghies around that time.

In 1994 Jane, on behalf of FFSC, worked alongside the East Suffolk Waterski Club to fundraise for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). That year, with the help of the FFSC and ESWSC members they raised £1,700 for the RNLI. Also helped by Red Arrows flypast, Warren Mitchell (friend of Carl Giles) and Griff Rhys Jones making an appearance. Every year FFSC fund raise in aid of RNLI.

Over the last 52 years Jane has been part of the FFSC and has many family and friends there.
Nowadays, Jane helps out in the Crow’s nest on a Wednesday night sailing race night. The crow’s nest is where races are started and finished. Jane also helps with the various sailing Open meetings,National and any World championships that FFSC host.

When Jane was asked to sponsor the FFSC Safety boat; Carl Giles, it was a no-brainer.

Jane said; “Here at Billie Box we are proud to support the FFSC, and hope to be able to continue our support for many years to come.”

If you would like to know more about FFSC and find out how to get involved, then please drop in and have a chat with one of the committee members or visit their website here. The club is open Wednesday & Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays from Midday to 5pm.

Phantom Nationals 2018, safety boat, sponsorship, Billie Box sponsors,
Thanks to Ben Hawkes for this photo
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Storage Containers for Schools, Colleges & Universities

Rural crime

In our conversations with customers who work in schools, colleges and universities it’s quite common to hear the same problems. Throughout academia organisations are finding themselves increasingly short of storage space.

Storage is needed for sports equipment, exam furniture, archive paperwork, Text books etc.

In the past, when schools and universities enjoyed larger development budgets the answer may have been to construct additional buildings on site. Ignoring the money side of this solution for a moment, building new storage buildings can be slow. Very slow.

We have many customers who solve their storage problems by buying shipping containers. Shipping containers are strong, secure, cost-effective and can be sited anywhere with level ground. They require no foundations and usually require no planning permission.

We sell shipping containers for storage at very competitive rates, but we appreciate that not all academic budgets can accommodate the purchase of a shipping container. Most towns now have storage depots, but the funny thing about storage is that you often need swift access to the items that you are storing. Retrieving offsite storage requires planning and will always incur a cost.

Our solution is to rent shipping containers for storage to schools, colleges and universities. For as little as £1.71 a day Billie Box will supply a shipping container that will solve your storage problems. It’s that simple.

Here’s what one of our recent customers, from an Academy trust had to say,

‘A very simple and straightforward process. I now have about 5 containers across out Multi-Academy Trust and would recommend Billie Box’s services without hesitation.’

Give Jane or Matt a call on 0800 121 7388 or use our quick quote form here

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Billie Box sponsors the Mid Summer Party in aid of AGE UK Suffolk

Billie has been fundraising for many charities over the last 6 years. The most recent event was the Mid Summer Party at Seckford Golf club on 23rd June 2018 in aid of AGE UK Suffolk. AGE UK were celebrating their 70th anniversary.

Well what a night, it was so much fun. The party consisted of welcome drinks on arrival, 2 course dinner plus cheese and biscuits, Heads or Tails, Raffle, Auction and the highlight of the evening was a group called ‘Troubadour’. Troubadour were excellent, they sung a variety of songs from ‘The Jersey Boys’ show to ‘Earth wind and fire’ and many of the songs that we all love to dance to.

We would like to thank the many contributors:

Adnams, Southwold

AGE UK Suffolk Trustees

The Alex, Felixstowe

Suffolk Sails, Woodbridge

The Paella & Tapas company, Wickham Market

Wolsey theatre, Ipswich

Base Business Park, Rendlesham

Basepoint, Ipswich

Helen’s Shed

By Twig

Emma’s Florist

Ipswich School of Dancing

Lorraine Callow

MCP Plc.

The Savvy Wedding planner

Tracey Westley

Andrew Laws Associates

 

Over the course of the evening we raised over £2,000 for this worthwhile charity.

Billie Box has raised over £22,000.00 for Charity over the last 6 years.

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Billie Box & Chemical Storage 4 Farmers were showing at Cereals 2018

Billie Box offers new 8ft, new or used 10ft or 20ft secure chemical and pesticide stores for sale.  

From their headquarters in Suffolk they also offer new and used 20ft and 40ft secure shipping containers for sale or hire.  Additionally they supply new 20ft secure portable offices for sale, with delivery around the UK.

Billie Box exhibited their Chemical Stores at Cereals 2016 and 2017 and enjoyed a great deal of interest from attendees.  So deciding to exhibit at Cereals 2018 was an easy decision to make, as Jane Billing of Billie Box explains,

“The last 2 years at Cereals has been really good.  We met many farmers and associates within the Agricultural industry, many of whom were new to us, but it was also good to catch up with long term customers.  This year at the Cereals exhibition there was a particularly high level of interest in our Chemical Storage Containers. This year, more so than in previous years visitors to our stand were interested in discussing the other uses our shipping containers can be put to.  Cereals has always been a special event for Billie Box, and we would like to thank everyone who visited our stand. We are especially grateful for all the welcome comments, enquiries, chats and orders we received at the show.”

Billie Box doesn’t get out of the office much and when they do it is always good to meet their existing clients as well as new ones. Billie Box have been next door to the BASIS stand for the last 3 years, an organisation who share common ground with Billie Box.  BASIS are committed to ensuring chemical or pesticide stores meet with the strict HSE requirements.

Billie Box are proud to have strengthened their relationship with South Staffordshire water; who are keen to encourage farmers in the Blithe Catchment area to keep the water courses free from chemicals.  South Staffordshire water will be offering a ‘funding scheme’ in October 2018 for many products, including Pesticide or Chemical stores. Click here for more information….

Billie Box will be exhibiting at LAMMA19 on 8th & 9th January 2019.  If you have any questions about Chemical Storage containers, mobile offices, storage units (or any other aspect of shipping container usage) please visit their stand.  Jane and Matt will be delighted to help you explore using shipping containers to not only solve chemical storage issues on your farm, but also how shipping containers can be used to boost farm profits.

Cereals is not the only event where Billie Box have benefited from a strong presence.  LAMMA18 and Agri-Expo18 (despite the bad weather) were equally beneficial for Billie Box. Any opportunity to find out more about the needs and challenges facing British Farmers is beneficial.

Jane Billing, Managing Director of Billie Box, explains, “We know that the Farmers of the UK are under extreme pressure to get their Chemical and Pesticide stores up to the required specification. Matt and I really appreciate all the visitors taking time out to see view our products.”

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Architrail Velosolutions UK uses Billie Box container storage at London BMX track

Architrail Velosolutions UK uses Billie Box container storage at London BMX track
We are excited to announce that we have worked with Architrail Velosolutions UK to provide a Billie Box container as a storage solution at their new BMX track at Langdon Park in Poplar, London.

Having designed the BMX track, which opened for use in April this year, Architrail Velosolutions UK were on the lookout for a storage solution for equipment, including the generator for the track start gate, as well as numerous BMX bikes.

Based in Bristol, Architrail have planned, designed and constructed trails across the UK over the past decade. Their clients include Red Bull and the National Trust, and on this particular occasion they have worked closely with Access Sport, as well as Poplar HARCA, Langdon Park BMX Bike Club and the Council to create a facility for people of all ages to enjoy.

Our Billie Box storage containers were the perfect fit for this project. We supplied a 20ft container which provided ample space for the track equipment. Whilst we also offer smaller 8ft and 10ft storage containers, as well as a much larger 40ft option, the aforementioned size was ideal for Architrail’s requirements.

As any cycling enthusiast will know, a leaky storage facility can cause rust to the bicycle chain and other parts. Due to the fact that shipping containers are transported by boat, they need to be watertight, making them the perfect place for storing BMX bikes. We supplied a new shipping container to the BMX site in Langdon Park and, although we cannot guarantee lifespans, new containers should provide around 30 to 40 years of watertight storage life. We also supply secondhand containers which we have refurbished to become watertight; most of these containers are between 10 to 12 years old and should have a lifespan of another 10 to 15 years with a little maintenance.

Security was a major focus for this particular project, due to the nature of the equipment to be stored. Our security accessories include lock boxes, which create an excellent deterrent against bolt croppers. The lock box features an eye welded to the first door and the box welded to the second, creating a sturdy cover over the eye and padlock when in operation.

We also offer robust Proforce Padlocks, which come with three numbered keys and the option to replace or order more if needed.

We are pleased to have worked with Architrail Velosolutions UK to provide storage for this excellent project, which is likely to be a central part of the community in Poplar.

Design Manager and Trail Builder, Edd Wright, said, ‘We had very smooth communication with Billie Box. Jane was friendly and helpful throughout the transaction.’

If you’re in need of a storage solution, call us on 0800 121 7388 to find out about our range of container storage options.

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Chemical stores for Golf Clubs

Somehow the groundskeeper has a longer working day than anyone else working at a golf club.  The domains on all groundskeepers are varied and come flying in from all directions. So anything that can be done to minimise stress for groundskeepers must be a good thing.

Over the last few years one of the demands that has become more prevalent in the lives of groundskeepers is the need to store chemicals legally and safely.  Nowhere is this need more acute than on Golf Courses. Farms face the same challenges as golf clubs when it comes to chemical storage. But on farms dangerous chemicals tend to be stored on private land, where members of the public should not stray.  On a golf course you are in the unenviable position of needing to store the chemicals needed to keep the greens (and rough!) looking wonderful, but you have club members, and possibly members of the public freely roaming.

Before we have a look at the answer to the problem of chemical storage on golf courses let’s have a brief look at the requirements of an ideal chemical storage facility.

Chemical stores on Golf Clubs needs to be:

  • Secure and lockable
  • Weatherproof
  • Spacious
  • Mobile
  • Vandal-resistant
  • Contamination minimising
  • Adequately ventilated

Billie Box Ltd have been converting shipping containers into secure chemical stores for years.  Now that we’ve discussed some of the requirements for chemical stores let’s have a look at why Billie Box chemical stores have become popular.

Converted shipping containers are secure and vandal-proof by their very nature.  We frequently hear of burglaries at Golf Clubs and a shipping container chemical store is a great way to keep your valuable chemicals and pesticides secure.

The containers are fitted with a lock box and supplied with a hardened steel padlock that fits inside the lock box. If you get opportunists trying to break in, you need to be sure that the locking mechanism works. Also, with a decal on the door saying ‘Dangerous chemicals’ (meaning “Enter at your peril”) then you know that if the burglars get injured from a chemical spillage, then it isn’t your fault.

Every year tens of billions of pounds worth of goods are transported around the world in shipping containers.  Converted shipping containers are incredibly secure. The security built into shipping containers also naturally makes them weatherproof.  Shipping containers have a surprisingly long lifespan.

You may be surprised to see ‘mobile’ listed as a requirement for an effective chemical store.  While it would be inadvisable to continually move your chemical store, there may be occasions when your store will need to be relocated.  Many Golf Clubs are expanding and developing all the time. What today might be a perfect location for chemical store could be next year’s new swimming pool, spa or restaurant.   One advantage of using a specially converted shipping container as your chemical store is that it is relatively easy to relocate as the demands of your Golf Course evolve.

Billie Box chemical stores are built with a ‘bunded’ floor.  This is a simple physical barrier at the entrance to the container.  If there is a chemical spillage within the container the bund stops the chemicals from leaking from the chemical stores.  This is an effective way of ensuring the chemicals you store do not accidentally pollute the earth, or worse, a water course.

Billie Box have an active presence at several agricultural shows, including LAMMA and Cereals.  Through exhibiting at these events, and through many in-depth conversations with farmers who are our customers we have developed our chemical stores to be the best available.  We are pleased to be able to offer our chemical stores to Golf Clubs and grounds keepers – we are currently featured in the ‘Pitchcare’ Buyers Guide.

Billie Box Chemical stores meet with the Health and Safety exec’s criteria, giving you the confidence that our product is suitable for your secure storage requirements.

Give us a call today on 0800 121 7388 or GET a Quote here, Jane and Matt would love to find out how we can help reduce your chemical storage headaches.

Jane Billing
 

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Classroom shipping container conversions

Office container

All too often these days the news carries worrying details of schools being put under increasing pressure to perform.  Not only from a results perspective, but also from a financial perspective.  Teachers are under pressure to provide dedicated teaching to all students, with appropriate attention given to students with additional needs.

Headteachers are under pressure to provision the correct resource for both teachers and pupils.  While the attention and opportunities available for children with additional needs is certainly great news, finding the resources can be extremely challenging.  Appropriating the teaching resource is only one issue, another issue is finding a physical space that suits the needs of all concerned.

Many schools are struggling to find classroom space to use for assisting students with additional needs.  Urban schools may not have the space to build additional classrooms, and rural schools may not have the budget for building new teaching spaces.  Of course, the same challenges apply to all schools.

One solution to the challenge of finding additional teaching space sees schools turning to converted shipping containers.  A shipping container that has been converted into a teaching space is warm, secure, and can be easily sited wherever most convenient.  If the initial placement proves to be impractical it is relatively simple to move.  

portable office, site office, site canteen,

Office container

For many years, schools and education authorities have looked to a popular brand of temporary building (legally we can’t mention the name, but we’re sure you know the brand we mean).  Converted shipping containers have many advantages over traditional ‘mobile’ buildings.  They are surprisingly good value, incredibly secure, vandal-proof and stay draft- free and watertight for many years more than a temporary building made from wood.

Shipping containers, converted into classrooms for one-to-one support spaces, offer a very viable, and long-term cost effective alternative to traditional temporary mobile buildings. 

Call us today on 0800 121 7388 or get in touch via our contact page.

We would love to explore ways we can help you meet the challenges of finding extra space in your school.

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Chemical stores for Schools

Chemical storage is increasingly becoming an issue in schools of all sizes.  Our Chemical Stores are suitable for many industries in particular Schools, colleges and Universities.

For the last 5 years we have been selling chemical / pesticide stores to the Farmers and Universities. For the farming industry we have set up a website called: www.ChemicalStorage4Farmers.co.uk. This has significantly increased our chemical storage container sales and the Billie Box reputation in the Chemical storage market. Our customers buy from us with confidence.

Many Schools, Colleges & Universities are under pressure to store their chemicals safely and securely. Billie Box Chemical storage containers are fitted with a lock box and supplied with a hardened steel padlock that fits inside the lock box. If any opportunist thieves or vandals try to break in, you need to be sure that the locking mechanism is suitable to keep the store secure.

Billie Box Chemical Stores are fitted with a clear decal on the door saying ‘Dangerous chemicals’ (meaning “Enter at your peril”).  Part of the reason for clear labelling is to mitigate potential litigation. When a Chemical Store is clearly labelled as hazardous, if unwanted intruders get injured from a chemical spillage, then it shouldn’t be your fault.

Even with good safety procedures in place accidents can still happen.  To prevent chemicals spilling out of the container a low physical barrier  is fitted by the doors to the container. This barrier is called a ‘bund’. The bunded floor ensures that any chemical spill does not seep out onto your site (where children and students are walking) or into any nearby water course.

We know that our chemical storage containers are perfect as a secure facility for your School, College or University.  Buying a Billie Box Chemical Store is the safe, simple way to keep your dangerous chemicals secure.

Billie Box Chemical stores meet with the Health and Safety executive’s criteria, giving you the confidence that our stores are suitable for your secure storage requirements.

Billie Box is featuring in the ‘Pitchcare’ online Buyers guide now.

So why not give us a call today on 0800 121 7388 or GET a Quote here

Jane & Matt at Billie Box value your business and they like to be sure that you walk away a happy customer.
 
Jane Billing
 

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Mid Summer Party 2018

Billie Box are sponsoring the Mid Summer Party 2018 in aid of Age UK Suffolk.

Over the last 5 years Billie Box has raised funds for many charities. A lot of the fundraising was for Cancer related charities. Previously, Billie Box has held 2 Billie Box Balls, so this year (2018) instead of Cancer and a Ball we thought we would sponsor a ‘Mid Summer Party’ to raise funds for Age UK Suffolk. This charity is another worthwhile cause.

The Mid summer party (23rd June 2018) was designed to be a fun night with lots happening, we have Troubadour (I have had it on very good authority that this band are excellent), we have food (2 course dinner, cheeseboard and welcome drink) Heads & Tails, Raffle and auction. All the makings of a great night out.

With this in mind, why not join in with the festivities

If you can’t make the event, then why not sponsor or offer a raffle or auction prize. Please call Jane @ Billie Box on T: 01473 557409

 
Jane Billing