Falco’s reputation for customer engagement reached new heights during a recent FLIP installation at an early learning centre in Cirencester. During the works Contracts Manager Tommy O’Rourke was inspired to write a short story to explain to the pre-school children at the playgroup why and how the works were taking place.
The two week project involved installing a local flood alleviation device (FLIP) to prevent the centre, run by the Cirencester Opportunity Group, which enables children with special needs to play and learn with other pre-school children, from continuously flooding.
Tommy explains what lay behind his idea: “One morning as I watched the somewhat bewildered but inquisitive faces of the children as they filed passed us on their way into the Centre it occurred to me that they would have little or no idea why their carpark had been invaded by heavy plant and men dressed in florescent orange clothing,” he says, “I thought, how must this look through their eyes ‘’.That thought stuck with me and a few days later it popped back into my head when I had more time to think. I decided to write a children’s story about the project. Inspired by the Centre’s logo I decided on a variation of a traditional tale and using three permanent members of the site team, Peter Fey, Kieran Murphy and Jim Boyle as characters, the Adventures of the Drainage Bears was born.”
As the project neared its end Tommy wrote the story and prepared a document, illustrated with photos of the ‘Drainage Bears’, and presented it to the Centre Manager, Catherine Flower by way of a ‘thank you’ for putting up with Falco Construction and the unavoidable disruption caused’. She read the story to the children on the next school, morning.
Catherine commented how touched the staff were that Tommy had thought to write a story for the children:
“The story was such an original and lovely thought,” she said, “It made us all smile when I read it to the children at Circle Time this morning. We loved that it was so inclusive by talking about Peter Bear’s hearing aid as well. We were also so impressed with Falco’s work and how courteous everyone was in making sure there was as little disruption as possible, communicating so well with our Team and considering the needs of our service users, especially the children. We would have no hesitation in recommending Falco in future. The work they did was excellent, and our main entrance now looks better than ever with it’s beautiful plum slate finish”.
Peter Stone, Chairman of the Trustees at the Cirencester Opportunity Group also commented:
“I would like to thank Falco for sending their team of cuddly drainage bears, Peter, Jim and Kieran, to our very special pre-school in Cirencester to carry out essential works to our drainage system for Thames Water,” he said, “All three worked so brilliantly with our staff and the children and showed such care and courtesy throughout the project as well as doing a fantastic job. We are all so grateful for that and thank you.
“While the job may have been really good the story that Tommy put together for the children was outstanding. It was read to the children in Circle Time which is the morning get-together and was loved by all. There was also a vote from all the children and they think that Tommy should start writing children’s books and that the bears should have a huge pay-rise and extra porridge!!!
“Joking apart both, we are so grateful for the works done which we hope will make our lives so much easier in the future as it has been a miserable time through Winters past.”
Click to read the Adventures of the Drainage Bears.