News Archives

Colchester Zoo Rocks!

28 March 2023 Tammy Tidmarsh

In January 81 schools painted stones that were donated by Natural Selection and Silverton Aggregates for the Colchester Zoo Rocks project. Colchester Zoo is a zoological garden situated near Colchester, England. The zoo was opened in 1963.

This project was to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the opening of Colchester Zoo. We, along with Silverton Aggregates supplied approximately 12,000 Scottish Cobbles and around 160 Cambrian Boulders, which were painted by over 11,500 students across Essex, Suffolk and London!

On return back to the Zoo, these beautiful stones have been added to the commemorative garden located by the entrance of the Zoo. They will remain there for the next 18 months, so be sure to check out the beautiful and colourful new rockery garden on your next visit to Colchester Zoo!

Golden Quartz used in Derbyshire Pagan Traditions

30 September 2022 Annie Broadhurst

Long Rake Spar’s Grantex brand donated Golden Quartz stone, which was used in Derbyshire Pagan Traditions in the village of Etwall.

Well-dressings are a beautiful tradition mostly held around the Peak District counties of Derbyshire and Staffordshire. The tradition involves wells, springs, and other water sources that are decorated with designs created from flower petals and other natural materials.

It is believed that the tradition was a Pagan custom, offering thanks to the Gods for a reliable water supply. Today, villagers and local communities come together to decorate and hold festivities for the well-dressing.

We donated our premium Golden Quartz to the Etwall Well Dressing

This year Grantex supported the nearby village of Etwall with their well-dressing by donating 50kg of Golden Quartz specialist dried aggregate. The aggregate was used to produce large parts of their decorative display. The display showcased the theme “This Green and Pleasant Land”, capturing the appreciation of idyllic English countryside.

Our Golden Quartz stone really stood out and aided a very eye-catching display for this Derbyshire Pagan Tradition. We love showing support to the local communities and sustaining traditions for future generations.

As well as this, the well-dressing is run by a non-profit charity that raises funds to distribute to local and regional charities. The charities this year are:

Etwall Primary School PTFA
Egginton Church
Heath Fields School
Umbrella Derby & Derbyshire

We love seeing the intricate designs villagers come up with each year and being involved through our charitable donations. Bring on next year!

Natural Selection Products at the Commonwealth Games

2 August 2022 Tammy Tidmarsh

We are really pleased to see these lovely images of our 40mm Blue Slate at one of the Commonwealth Games sites in Birmingham.

The Welsh Slate was sold through our Merchant, Davis Aggregates to their customer F.B & Sons, Lawns & Landscapes. It was F B & Sons who undertook the regeneration of the area, laying the aggregate and planting a variety of drought-tolerant plants that not only provide long-lasting colour through the year, but also a wonderful scent for passers by.

It is always great to see where our products end up!

Long Rake Spar increases production with new facilities

11 March 2022 Tammy Tidmarsh

Long Rake Spar increases production by recently completing the first of three phases of works. New washing and bagging facilities have been installed at the latest site at Garston Docks, Liverpool. This strategically placed site now produces finished aggregates for the Natural Selection brand. The facilities have been designed and constructed to include an additional sixteen external storage bays and the building of a new 20,000 ft²warehouse. This improvement in facilities allows for an additional 60,000 tonnes of decorative aggregates to be processed per annum.

High volumes of stock are held at Long Rake Spar’s various sites to enable the company to react quickly and dynamically to demand for products. The addition of the site at Garston has contributed to an impressive increased stock holding. This allows for stock to be delivered in a timely manner. From an environmental perspective, this reduces vehicle miles and the carbon footprint of finished products.

The ability to be fully in control of the supply chain is a fundamental part of the long-term strategy at Long Rake Spar. This puts us significantly ahead of many competitors in terms of stockholding and the ability to supply. The addition of Garston as a production site, adds to the existing production sites in Youlgrave, Derbyshire; Rye Harbour, East Sussex and Prees, Shropshire, with a further three dock sites. You can read more about our processing and packing facilities here>>

Kenny Dean, Procurement and Logistics Director comments, “Long Rake Spar continue to invest at all UK sites. This new facility at Garston includes a state-of-the-art bagging plant utilising cutting edge technology. We are pleased to add this new site to our group and cement our long-term partnership with ABP.”

Welcome to the Team Jessica!

24 February 2022 Annie Broadhurst

Previous Job roles:

Long Rake Spar welcomes our new sales Co-ordinator. Jessica Joined the Natural Selection team after Christmas, having previously worked as a Care Assistant in a care home.

She has also worked in the famous Bakewell Pudding Shop, which is just down the road from our head quarters.

About Jess:

I love to work as a team and hope my bubbly, confident personality will help with customer services aspects of the job.

When I am not at work, I spend my time with my 5-year-old son Chester who keeps me very busy! I also love a good Netflix series.

Jessica Mallinson

New Grantex Brochure

17 February 2022 Tammy Tidmarsh

Out now is the new Grantex Brochure Folder.

We have specially designed the Brochure Folder in an easy to keep up-to-date format. These folders contain products from the Grantex range with the latest information, helping you keep up to date with your specifications and certifications.

Grantex Area Sales Managers are handing out the brochures when they see their customers. To get your copy of the brochure give your Area Sales Manager a call or call the office on 01629 630130.

ISO 9001:2015 Accreditation

14 February 2022 Tammy Tidmarsh

At Long Rake Spar, we are delighted to announce the renewal of the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems certification. Quality and service are at the heart of everything we do, and this accreditation further demonstrates our ongoing commitment to this.

So why is ISO 9001:2015 important?

ISO 9001:2015 is an international standard dedicated to Quality Management Systems (QMS).

This Quality Management System provides a framework for improving quality. It is essential for any organisation looking to provide products and services that consistently meet the requirements and expectations of customers and other relevant interested parties.

Organisations need to demonstrate that it fulfils the following objectives:

Providing products and services that consistently meet customers’ needs
Enhancing customer satisfaction through a process of continual improvement
Ensure the business conforms with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements

ISO 9001 is not only the world’s most widely adopted Quality Management System, it’s also a powerful business improvement tool. The ISO 9001:2015 ensures that an organisation continually monitors and manages quality across the entire business, so that it can identify areas for improvement. Internationally, it is the Quality Management System of choice!

To find out more about Long Rake Spar’s affiliations and accreditations see HERE >>

Welcome to New Account Manager Megan Brooker

31 January 2022 Tammy Tidmarsh

Natural Selection is delighted to welcome new Account Manager, Megan Brooker for the Central England and Wales region.

Megan has many years industry experience. She previously working at IBC Buying Group, Tobermore and Brett Landscaping. Megan is a brilliant addition to the Natural Selection team. She has a well rounded knowledge of the industry and likes to be part of a Merchants ‘extended’ team.

Rachel Aiers who previously covered this area, as well as the South West, will now be managing Merchant Accounts in the South West region. This change aims to improve coverage of the respective regions.

Megan loves horses, which are her passion outside of work and she has two that she competes at British Show Jumping. She also has three Vizsla’s to keep her busy.

Welcome to the team

24 November 2021 Annie Broadhurst

We welcome our new Group Operations Director

Long Rake Spar welcome to the team Peter O’Nyons. We are delighted to announce he will be joining as the new Group Operations Director. This new role will include overseeing the operation of our brands, including Grantex, Natural Selection and Meadow View Stone.

Peter has over 30 years’ experience in the aggregate industry and holds a Diploma in Quarry Management

"Peter will oversee the operational aspects of the company across all of our production sites. Alongside this he will also be responsible for setting strategic goals for the flow of operations to achieve productivity in line with our current volumes and future sales forecasts. Peter will also be tasked with aiding projected growth volumes across the group"

Trevor Broadhurst, Managing Director

After 30 years working for Tarmac, I was ready for a new challenge. I wanted to work for a smaller company who had a vision for sustainable growth in a different industry to Quarrying & Construction, of which I was used to.
The role of Operations Director at Long Rake Spar is an exciting proposition and one that I was keen to take on. Using my previous experience, I have started this role with the objective of developing a safety-first culture. Along side this I want to increase profitability of the business. In order to achieve this I aim to implement the foundations of operational excellence"

Peter O'Nyons, Group Operations Director

Long Rake Spar NMBS Race Track Winners

24 November 2021 Annie Broadhurst

We presented the winners of the NMBS race track competition with their Amazon gift vouchers

Following on from a successful NMBS exhibition, we presented the Long Rake Spar Race NMBS Race Track Prize winners with their Amazon vouchers. Our account managers visited; Burnley Plumbing, Bradford’s Building Supplies and Alter Landscapes to shake hands with our worthy winners.

We created a new concept for the 2021 stand; ‘The Long Rake Spar Scalextric Race Track’. Our customers were invited to do 2 laps on the race track whilst being timed. Those ranking in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place from over the 2 days the show was held won the 3 prizes up for grabs.

It quickly became apparent a lot of our customers were a bit rusty from from their childhood days, with the ‘Black Ice Bend‘ proving a difficult corner in the track. Saying this, our winners were worthy with their impressive times almost 4 or 5 seconds in front of the majority!

1st Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

Amir from Burnley Plumbing came in first place with an impressive 13.3 second lap time.

Below is our commercial Director Ben Summerhill with Account Manager Cate Kennewell presenting their prize.

Bryn from Bradfords Building Supplies came in second, slightly behind with a time of 14.2 seconds

Below is our South East Account Manager Rachel Aiers presenting the prize to Bryn.

Alan at Alter Landscapes was just pipped to the post by Bryn. Alan scored 14.3 seconds

Below is Mike MacRae, our Account Manager for Scotland and Northern England shaking hands with Alan.

Supplying the UK and Overseas with decorative aggregates since 1867

Currently Viewing Posts in News

Colchester Zoo Rocks!

Golden Quartz used in Derbyshire Pagan Traditions

We donated our premium Golden Quartz to the Etwall Well Dressing

Natural Selection Products at the Commonwealth Games

Long Rake Spar increases production with new facilities