Market Cross and COVID-19

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Dear Customers, Members and Associates

We are following the government's official advice in order that we may protect our members, clients, associates, suppliers and members of the public in the most practicable and ethically responsible manner possible.

Our offices are closed, but due to the high level of commitment offered by our members, associates and directors during the current crisis, we are still able to maintain our usual working hours:

08:15 – 16:30 Monday to Friday. Tel: 01929 401040

All personnel are equipped with the means to respond to your enquiries and to continue with their normal working tasks. However, since they will be responding from home (and since many have signed up for various community support schemes including NHS volunteer responders) please be patient.

I would like to thank you for your continued support and wish you all possible success during these challenging times.

Greg Wells, Director

Market Cross Delivers Gold Plated Service

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Two of the safety team from Market Cross recently provided support to PME Group at Holton Heath, Dorset and Plymouth, Devon.  The marine engineering specialist, PME Power Systems Group, works with products from MAN, NANNI and ESCO, providing expert engineering for power units from 160 to 2000 horsepower. They are the sole marine importer for MAN in the UK.

MAN Diesel Marine engine with custom gold plated component

The Market Cross team completed safety inspections of two of the PME group workshop facilities and provided feedback and audit reports to the PME directors and operations manager. Three sessions of safety training was delivered for key members of their team. Jade Chalk, commercial director of PME thanked the MX team for their help and said that “the input was very useful”.

Market Cross Goes Back to School

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The first day of the 2020 term started with Michael from Market Cross providing the team at the Grove Pre-School, Dorchester with safety management and risk assessment training. Michael noted that the team all had a great attitude to safety.

The training included an overview of managing safety and all the team, pictured here, got hands on with completing a risk assessment. Jo from the Pre-School said ‘It was very informative and we enjoyed the training. We are already implementing it within our daily practice’.

New Radiation Sensor Consultancy to Perenco

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We are proud to have obtained a significant contract from Perenco UK Ltd. Perenco operates Wytch Farm, the largest on-shore oilfield (approx 500 million barrels) in NorthWest Europe.

Wytch Farm’s Oil wells on the Goathorn Peninsula, Poole Harbour. Photo courtesty of Pterre, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3661210

The support provided by Market Cross at Wytch Farm will include the optioneering and testing of a range of gamma and alpha spectroscopy systems for the monitoring of NORM waste. It will then move on to the provision of advice on NORM waste assessement and clearance monitoring processes.

Discovery of Mikeunennium

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Last month, under the banner of Market Cross, Ceri, Mike, Alison, Jane and Greg volunteered their services at the Nothe Fort Museum in Weymouth.  The task was to serve some extrodinary real ales to thirsty punters generously parting with their cash at a new Winter Beer Festival. The festival itself, thankfully, was held inside a nice warm marquee on the parade ground. All profits went to the Poppy Appeal.

Of course, by the end of the evening many a conversation turned to the meaning of life and the role of science in society. And although there was no actual science going in that marquee, Mike discovered that he was in his element.

Specialist Quality Controller – 4 month milestone

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Congratulations to Mike who has completed his first 4 months as the Specialist Quality Controller for Serco. The role involves auditing management systems designed for the control of radioactive materials. The work is undertaken all around the UK including a good number of the UK’s ports and airports.

Market Cross Social Accounts

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Market Cross’s Annual General Meeting 2019 was held recently at Dorset Innovation Park. As part of our AGM a presentation was made regarding something we call our Social Accounts.

These accounts are proof of our committment to local communities and the industries in which we operate and we are pleased to publish the latest verson here on our blog:

MX Social Accounts 2019

We believe that all businesses should have a positive impact on local communities and this is why we have our community committments built into our Articles of Association (our raison d’être, if you like).

Social Accounts are an effective way to show a positive community impact and demonstrate that our members carry out their committments in a range of ways. When you consider the pool of talent in our membership (blog writer excepted, of course) then the volunteer work, scientific presentations, safety training, sponsorship/donations and specialist risk assessments freely carried out by our members for the local communities really have an impact. Please see further down our blog for further details.

Market Cross goes all outer space for the community

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Learning about radiation on Earth and in Outer Space

Market Cross supported a special “Learn to be an Astronaut event” in Dorchester on 21st July. We shared a marquee with a number of innovative locally based science companies and organisations. We also had a walk-in layout of the ISS right behind our stand which included modules representing different subjects, activities and handouts. There was “Radiation on Earth” in the Zarya Control Module, “Radiation in Space” in the Columbus Laboratory, “Radiation Protection – Time, Distance, Shielding” in the Kibo Research Module and “Radiation Protection – Magnetic Fields” in the Destiny Laboratory.

The ISS gets busy during the summer!

The layout was proportioned to-scale and for a bit of extra fun we had an emergency activity involving Solar Particle Events (or proton storms). When the SPE alarm went off everyone had to evacuate to the “shielded” Zvezda Control Module. In the end we had to stop doing the emergency activity because the ISS became too popular and there were too many people to fit into the Control Module!

DIT asks Market Cross for Advice on Nuclear Decommissioning Sector

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Market Cross has been assisting the Department of International Trade and an HQ Whitehall sector team regarding nuclear decommissioning.

As part of DIT’s Delivering Through Sector Knowledge (DSK) programme, Market Cross gave a presentation and provided information for a training programme for commercial officers from around the world. Delegates from France, German, Sweden, Ukraine, Lithuania, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, the USA, Russia and China came to the UK for a week-long programme about the sector. By the end of the programme they had a good understanding of the UK’s capability both in terms of trade and investment. This enabled them to go back and promote what the UK has to offer to overseas buyers and investors.

This was the first time the Civil Nuclear DSK programme has visited the South West, so it was a really good opportunity to tell them what we know.

Market Cross – Finalist at the 2019 GTR UK Export Showcase

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Today Market Cross is at the Global Trade Review 2019 talking about UK Export Planning.  Market Cross is a GTR UK Export Action Plan Showcase finalist and we will be setting out our plan for exporting our services to the EU and the rest of the world. Come and talk to us at the Bishopsgate Suite. We will very much welcome your input about your experiences in world trade.

Update (09/05/19). A very good time was had by all. Thank you to everyone who took the time to come and talk to us. More photos below.