Parkwood Holdings http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk Copyright 2006 Parkwood Holding Plc. PARKWOOD HOLDINGS PLC (“the Company”) 29 January 2010 VOTING RIGHTS AND CANCELLATION OF TREASURY SHARES Parkwood Holdings plc announces that on 28 January 2010 the Company cancelled 50,000 Ordinary Shares of 1p each held in Treasury. As a result of these transactions, the Company holds no shares in Treasury. Therefore, the Company’s capital consists of 18,615,420 ordinary shares with a nominal value of 1 pence each, with voting rights. The total number of voting rights in the Company is 18,615,420. The figure of 18,615,420 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, Parkwood Holdings plc under the FSA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules. http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=57 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=57 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST Parkwood Holdings plc (“the Group”) Realm Services (DAC) Limited - Update 26 January 2010 On 17 August 2009 the Group announced that a subsidiary special purpose company, Realm Services (DAC) Limited, had been placed into Administration following a contractual dispute with the Ministry of Defence. The appointment of an Administrator invoked a 150 day suspension period during which it was hoped that a commercial resolution could be found. It has not been possible to achieve this objective and the Group entered into a protocol agreement today which will result in a termination of the contract at the end of February 2010. Negotiations are ongoing with the Ministry of Defence for a compensation settlement in connection with the early termination. This process could take some time to conclude and the result is uncertain. The Parkwood Group Board will make a final judgement on the carrying value of the Realm investment when the Preliminary Results are published but currently expect to fully impair the carrying value of the Group’s investment which would result in a £2.7million exceptional charge in the profit and loss account. For further information, please contact: Parkwood Holdings PLC Tony Hewitt, Chairman   01772 627111  Mike Quayle, Group Financial Director   01772 627111 Brewin Dolphin Investment Banking Neil Baldwin     0845 213 4726 Derrick Lee     0845 213 2077 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=56 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=56 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST Parkwood Holdings plc (“Parkwood” or the “Group”) Pre Close Trading Statement 22 January 2010 Parkwood, the specialist support service group, announces that its Preliminary Results for the year ended 31 December 2009 will be released on or around 22 March 2010. The Group’s Leisure Division continues to trade strongly and will report an increase in profit compared to the previous year following an increase in revenue from new contracts.  Glendale, the Group’s green services division, experienced difficult trading conditions throughout the year as previously advised to the market. On 21 December 2009 the Group announced that it had completed the sale of the Leisure related PFI investments, which generated a profit of £5.5 million. On 17 August 2009 the Group announced that a subsidiary special purpose company, Realm Services (DAC) Limited, had been placed into Administration following a contractual dispute with the Ministry of Defence. The appointment of an Administrator invoked a 150 day suspension period which has recently been extended for a short period. A further announcement is expected within the next few weeks. For further information, please contact: Parkwood Holdings PLC Tony Hewitt, Chairman   01772 627111  Mike Quayle, Group Financial Director   01772 627111 Brewin Dolphin Investment Banking Neil Baldwin     0845 213 4726 Derrick Lee     0845 213 2077 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=55 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=55 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST Parkwood Holdings Plc  (`Parkwood' or `the Company') Grant of Options 19 January 2010 On 18 January 2010 Mr M Quayle, Group Financial Director, was granted 50,000 options at an exercise price of 34.3p per share under the Parkwood Holdings plc 2007 Approved Company Share Option Scheme. For further information: Parkwood Holdings plc Mike Quayle, Financial Director 01772 627111 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=54 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=54 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST Parkwood Holdings Plc  (`Parkwood' or `the Company') Directors’ Dealings                            19 January 2010 On 18 January 2010 Mr A W Hewitt, Chairman, gifted 1,000,000 shares in the Company for no consideration to the 2009 A W Hewitt Family Settlement, in which he has a non-beneficial interest. Following this gift Mr A W Hewitt’s interest (including non-beneficial interests) in the Company is 11,090,000 shares, representing 59.57 per cent of the voting rights in the Company. For further information Parkwood Holdings plc Mike Quayle, Financial Director 01772 627111 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=53 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=53 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST   Parkwood Holdings PLC 21 December 2009   Parkwood Holdings plc ('the Company" or "Parkwood")   RESULT OF GENERAL MEETING   At the general meeting held earlier today, the resolution to dispose of certain shares and subordinated debt held within Parkwood's special purpose companies sub-group was approved by shareholders. Completion of the disposal is expected to take place by no later than 22 December 2009.   Contact: For further information please contact:   Parkwood Holdings plc Tony Hewitt, Executive Chairman    01772 627111 Mike Quayle, Finance Director         01772 627111        Brewin Dolphin Investment Banking Neil Baldwin                                    0845 213 4730 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=52 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=52 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST Parkwood Holdings plc (“Parkwood” or the “Group”) Interim Management Statement 19 November 2009 Parkwood, the specialist support service group, issues the following Interim Management Statement covering the period 1 July 2009 to date. Trading performance for the Group in the period since 1 July 2009 has benefitted from the usual improvement in activity levels at this time of year although the general economic environment remains challenging. The Group’s Leisure Division is trading in line with the budget for the year which anticipated a substantial increase in profit compared to the previous year due to an increase in revenue from new contracts. Glendale, the Group’s green services division, continues to find trading difficult primarily as a result of weak demand, particularly in horticulture, golf and countryside. Glendale is currently undergoing a restructuring of the business in order to reduce overheads and improve efficiency. On 16 October 2009 Glendale acquired the equity interest of its joint venture partner in the Verdia business, which manufactures horticultural compost products. The total consideration was £0.35 million, including the repayment of the joint venture partner’s loan. Bristol City Council have now received final funding approval for a PFI project to build a £23 million leisure centre and have signed a binding memorandum of understanding with Parkwood Project Management. Financial close is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2010. Earlier today Parkwood announced the proposed disposal of its equity and subordinated debt investments in the leisure related special purpose companies which will result in a net cash inflow of £4 million. The proceeds will be used to reduce the Group’s borrowings and the disposal will also reduce the Group’s overall level of gearing. The Group has also renegotiated it banking facilities for the next 12 months. The Group’s order book was £508 million at 31 October 2009 (30 June 2009: £500 million). For further information, please contact Tony Hewitt or Mike Quayle on 01772 627111. http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=51 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=51 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST Parkwood Holdings plc ('the Company” or “Parkwood") This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer or invitation to acquire or dispose of any securities or investment advice in any jurisdiction. The distribution of this announcement in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and therefore persons into whose possession this announcement comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The Disposal, because of its size in relation to the Company, is a Class 1 transaction for Parkwood under the Listing Rules and is therefore conditional, inter alia, upon the approval of the Shareholders. A circular will be sent to shareholders shortly containing information relating to the Disposal together with a notice convening the General Meeting, to consider and, if thought fit, approve the Disposal Parkwood is pleased to announce that it has conditionally agreed to sell certain shares and subordinated debt held within the special purpose companies sub-group of the Company (“the Disposal Interests”) to Equitix for a total gross consideration of £6.55 million payable in cash on completion of the sale.  The sale is subject to Shareholder approval at a general meeting and accordingly a Circular will be sent to Shareholders in due course to seek their authority for the Disposal. Description of the Disposal Interests The Company is proposing to dispose of its equity and subordinated debt holdings in four SPVs Breckland, Rivendell, Waterfront Leisure and Leisureplan through which five PFI projects are operated. PPM, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, has (via Leisureplan Limited) an ultimate 100 per cent. shareholding in each of Breckland and Rivendell and a 50 per cent. shareholding in each of Leisureplan and Waterfront Leisure. Details of the Group’s interests in the relevant PFI Projects are summarised in the table below:  Project Company   Group’s interest in the relevant PFI Project SPV in which the Disposal Interests are held Waterfront Leisure PFI Waterfront Leisure 50% Waterfront Leisure Bexley Leisure PFI Boxwood Leisure 50% Leisureplan Penwith Leisure PFI Penzance Leisure 50% Leisureplan Breckland Leisure PFI Breckland Leisure Ltd 100% Breckland Rivendell Leisure PFI Rivendell Leisure Ltd 100% Rivendell Set out below is further detail of the five PFI projects which are operated through the four SPVs in which the Group is proposing to dispose of its holding of shares and subordinated debt: Waterfront Leisure PFI Project The leisure centre, based on a site facing the Mersey estuary, was the first in the UK to be procured under the Government’s PFI. The centre offers a six lane, 25 metre swimming pool plus teaching pool, four-court sports hall, squash courts, fitness suite, dance studio and a cafe. Bexley Leisure PFI Project The original scheme involved the refurbishment of two of Bexley’s existing leisure centres, at Erith and Crook Log (Bexleyheath), followed by a contract variation in 2006 for the construction of a new leisure centre at Sidcup. The original project reached financial close in July 2003, the Erith and Crook Log leisure centres became operational in July 2005 and the Sidcup leisure centre became operational in March 2008. Penwith Leisure PFI Project Penzance Leisure was created to undertake the Penwith Leisure PFI Project on behalf of Penwith District Council. The facility includes a 25-metre swimming pool with water slide and learner pool, a 6-court sports hall, fitness suite, a steam room, sauna, crèche, cafe and ancillary meeting rooms. The project reached financial close in March 2004 and has been in operation since August 2005. Breckland Leisure PFI Project This scheme included the provision of a brand new leisure centre in Dereham and a refurbished leisure centre with additional facilities in Thetford. The facilities at Dereham include a six lane 25 metre pool, teaching pool, fitness centre, multi-purpose sports hall, aerobics and dance studio and an indoor bowling rink, cafe, bar and crèche. The facilities at Thetford include a fitness centre, saunas and steam rooms, a leisure pool, floodlit synthetic multi-use games area, facilities for racket sports and aerobics, bar, cafeteria and function rooms. The project reached financial close in November 2005 and has been operational since April 2007. Rivendell Leisure PFI Project This scheme involved the construction of a new leisure centre in Solihull to replace Tudor Grange Sports Centre and also the major refurbishment of North Solihull Sports Centre. Facilities at the new Tudor Grange Sports Centre include an eight lane 25 metre pool, learner pool, a diving/multi purpose pool, sports hall, fitness and health suite, cafe and crèche. The project reached financial close in June 2006. The North Solihull Sports Centre became fully operational in August 2007 and the Tudor Grange Sports Centre in June 2008. The Continuing Group provides a range of services to each of these projects pursuant to leisure operator sub-contracts, life cycle sub-contracts and maintenance sub-contracts. These agreements will remain in place following completion of the Disposal. The Continuing Group has also entered into management agreements in relation to each of the relevant PFI Projects with the relevant SPVs. These agreements will remain in place following the Disposal. Under the sub-contracts, PPM has the responsibility for day-to-day maintenance as well as lifecycle obligations. The day-to-day maintenance responsibilities are then further sub-contracted to Parkwood Leisure whilst PPM retains responsibility for the lifecycle elements. PPM also retains building lifecycle obligations for Penzance. Immediately prior to and conditional on the disposal of the Disposal Interests, the Company intends to reorganise its share and subordinated debt holdings in D4E. D4E is currently a 25% subsidiary of Leisureplan (and therefore a 12.5% subsidiary of the Company via PPM). As D4E does not form part of the Disposal Interests, the intention is that:  (a)     Leisureplan will declare dividends in specie of its shareholding in D4E which will be payable to PPM and Hendersons as shareholders in Leisureplan; (b)     Leisureplan will transfer its subordinated debt interests in D4E to PPM and HPFI with the consideration to be left outstanding as inter-company loans; (c)     the loan notes in Leisureplan held by PPM and HPFI will be redeemed and the sums due on such redemption will be set off against the inter-company loans arising on the transfers of the subordinated debt in D4E; and (d)     immediately following the payment of such dividends in specie and the transfer of the subordinated debt, PPM will acquire from Hendersons its entire holding of equity (12.5% of D4E’s equity) and will acquire from HPFI its entire holding of subordinated debt in D4E. Following completion of such reorganisation, PPM will therefore be a 25% share and loan note holder in D4E. Terms of the Sale Agreement The Sale Agreement is conditional upon the Resolution being passed no later than 23 December 2009. This will require the Circular and notice of meeting required under the Listing Rules to be posted to Shareholders no later than Monday 30 November 2009. Application of proceeds The Company has agreed to sell the Disposal Interests to Equitix for a total gross consideration of £6.55m, payable in cash upon completion of the Sale Agreement. After adjustments of £575,000 for the costs of the Disposal, £350,000 for the cost of acquiring a further 12.5% in D4E and £1,583,000 for the settlement of tax liabilities in the SPC Group, the Company will use the net proceeds of £4,042,000 from the Disposal to reduce the Company’s level of indebtedness. Following the decision to sell the Disposal Interests in 2008, Parkwood’s 2009 interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2009 separate the assets and liabilities of the Disposal Interests from those of the Continuing Group. The assets of the Disposal Interests at 30 June 2009 were £25.7m while the liabilities of the Disposal Interests were £27.2m. Following the Disposal, the Continuing Group’s cash balance will increase by £4.04m and the Continuing Group’s net assets will increase by £8.0m. The Disposal Interests contributed £0.28m profit towards the Company’s result before tax in the year to 31 December 2008 and £0.71m profit in the six months to 30 June 2009. The Disposal will also result in an exceptional pre-tax profit of £5.5 million. Contact: For further information please contact either: Parkwood Holdings plc Tony Hewitt, Executive Chairman            01772 627111. Brewin Dolphin Investment Banking Neil Baldwin                                          0845 213 4730 Definitions The following definitions apply throughout this announcement unless the context otherwise requires or unless otherwise stated:   ‘‘Board’’ or ‘‘Directors’’    the directors of the Company ‘‘Boxwood’’ Boxwood Holdings Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leisureplan Projects and parent company of Boxwood Leisure ‘‘Boxwood Leisure’’ Boxwood Leisure Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Boxwood ‘‘Breckland’’ Breckland Holdings Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leisureplan Limited and parent company of Breckland Leisure Limited ‘‘Brewin Dolphin’’ Brewin Dolphin Limited, the Company’s sponsor and broker ‘‘Circular’’ this document to be sent to Shareholders as required by the Listing Rules ‘‘Company’’ or ‘‘Parkwood’’ Parkwood Holdings plc ‘‘Disposal’’ the proposed disposal of the Disposal Interests ‘‘Disposal Interests’’ together the Company’s holdings of shares and subordinated debt in: (a) (via PPM and Leisureplan Limited) Rivendell and Breckland; (b) (via PPM) Waterfront Leisure; and (c) (via PPM, Leisureplan and Leisureplan Projects) Boxwood and Penzance, ‘‘D4E’’ D4E Mulberry (Holdings) Limited, a company in which Leisureplan has a 25 per cent. Shareholding ‘‘Equitix’’ Equitix Leisure Ltd ‘‘General Meeting’’ or ‘‘GM’’ the general meeting of the Company to be convened for no later than 23 December 2009 to approve the Resolution or any amendment to it ‘‘Group’’ the Company and its subsidiaries ‘‘Hendersons’’ HPC Nominees Limited ‘‘HPFI’’ HPFI Finance Sarl ‘‘Leisureplan’’ Leisureplan Investments Limited, a company in which the Company (via PPM) has a 50 per cent. shareholding and which is the parent company of Leisureplan Projects ‘‘Leisureplan Limited’’ a wholly owned subsidiary of PPM and parent company of Rivendell and Breckland ‘‘Leisureplan Projects’’ Leisureplan Projects Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leisureplan and the parent company of Boxwood and Penzance ‘‘Listing Rules’’ the listing rules of the Financial Services Authority ‘‘Ordinary Shares’’ the issued ordinary shares of 1p each in the capital of the Company ‘‘Parkwood Leisure’’ Parkwood Leisure Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company ‘‘Penzance’’ Penzance Holdings Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leisureplan Projects and parent company of Penzance Leisure ‘‘Penzance Leisure’’ Penzance Leisure Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Penzance ‘‘PFI’’ Private Finance Initiative ‘‘PPM’’ Parkwood Project Management Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company ‘‘Resolution’’ the ordinary resolution to dispose of the Disposal Interests to be proposed at the General Meeting ‘‘Rivendell’’ Rivendell Leisure (Holdings) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leisureplan Limited and parent company of Rivendell Leisure Limited ‘‘Sale Agreement’’ the conditional sale and purchase agreement dated 19 November 2009 between (1) PPM and Leisureplan Limited and (2) Equitix, for Equitix to acquire the Disposal Interests ‘‘Shareholders’’ the holders from time to time of the Ordinary Shares ‘‘SPC Group’’ the Group’s special purpose companies sub-group which includes Rivendell, Breckland, Leisureplan, Boxwood, Penzance and Waterfront Leisure ‘‘SPV(s)’’ Special Purpose Vehicle(s) ‘‘Waterfront Leisure’’ Waterfront Leisure (Crosby) Limited, a company in which the Company (via PPM) has a 50 per cent. shareholding PROPOSED DISPOSAL OF CERTAIN SHARES AND SUBORDINATED DEBT HELD WITHIN THE SPECIAL PURPOSE COMPANIES SUB-GROUP OF PARKWOOD HOLDINGS PLC http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=50 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=50 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST Parkwood Holdings plc ('the Company' or 'Parkwood”) Parkwood’s subsidiary, Glendale Grounds Management Limited (“Glendale”) and The TEG Group Plc (“TEG”) on 16 October 2009 reached agreement for Glendale to acquire TEG’s shares in Verdia Horticulture Limited (“Verdia” or “the JV”), the joint venture company launched in 2007 to manufacture horticultural compost products.  The parties believe that the future of Verdia is best served as a wholly owned operation and, as the Verdia plant at Hillbarton, Exeter, is part of a larger Glendale facility, the parties considered it more appropriate for Glendale to acquire the share capital from TEG.  The cash consideration for the shares is £150,000 and, in addition, working capital loans of £200,000 have been repaid to TEG. In the year ended 31 December 2008 Verdia recorded a loss before tax of £51,000, and as at that date Verdia’s gross assets amounted to £1,483,000 and net assets amounted to minus £80,800.  TEG will continue to support Verdia under the plant supply agreement between the parties. Contact: For further information please contact either: Tony Hewitt, Executive Chairman, Carolyn Smith, Company Secretary,  01772 627111. http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=49 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=49 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT Parkwood Healthcare Ltd has won a contract to help tackle health inequalities across Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire by supplying a team of Health Trainers.  Working in partnership with NHS Berkshire West, local leader of the NHS, the Health Trainers will reach out to local communities and help people in deprived areas to improve their health and wellbeing. The team of Health Trainers will be recruited from the local communities and undergo a course of academic training, after which they will gain fully qualified Health Trainer status which is nationally accredited by City & Guilds. The new team will then start work from health and community venues in and around Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire putting their new training into practice with the help of NHS Berkshire West.  They will offer information, motivation and provide practical support to people who want help improving their health.  Examples of such services include: Healthy Eating Reducing harmful consumption of alcohol and tobacco Physical activity Russell Francis, Business Development Manager, Parkwood Healthcare Ltd said: "This is great news for Parkwood Healthcare Ltd and the people of Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire.  The new service will provide skills, employment and help people in the local communities.  Parkwood Healthcare Ltd is looking forward to working in partnership with NHS Berkshire West and other local agencies in providing an effective Health Trainer service across Reading and West Berkshire". Claire Masding-Taylor, Health Improvement Practitioner, NHS Berkshire West said: "We are looking forward to the Health Trainer service being delivered by Parkwood Healthcare Ltd.  Their work will play an important role in improving health and reducing inequalities in health ultimately helping us to reach our goal 'all as healthy as the healthiest' in Berkshire West".   http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=48 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=48 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT Parkwood Healthcare Ltd has won a new contract to help tackle health inequalities across Southend-on-Sea by supplying a team of Health Trainers. Working in partnership with NHS South East Essex, the Health Trainers will reach out to local communities and help people in deprived areas to improve their health and wellbeing. The Health Trainers will be local people who have lived and worked in South East Essex, and who understand the issues people face when making changes to improve their health. The core team of three Health Trainers will be employed from the local community and will undergo a structured training course, after which they will gain fully qualified Health Trainer status, accredited by the Open College Network. The Health Trainer service will also recruit and train a network of volunteers. The new team will then start work placements in and around South East Essex, putting their training into practice with the help of NHS South East Essex.  The Health Trainer service will provide one to one support, and will encourage and motivate people to make lifestayle changes, providing basic information and practical support to people in South East Essex who want to improve their health. The new service will initially focus on: Healthy Eating Stopping Smoking Increasing Physical Activity Russell Francis, Business Development Manager, said: “This is great news for Parkwood Healthcare Ltd and the people of Southend. The new service will provide skills, employment and help people in the local communities. Parkwood Healthcare Ltd are looking forward to working in partnership with NHS South East Essex and other local agencies in providing an effective health trainer service across Southend.” Dr Andrea Atherton, Director of Public Health at NHS South East Essex, said: “Health trainers will play a very important role in helping to improve local health and prevent future illness. This important new scheme will provide the right support and advice to those who want to improve their health.” http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=47 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=47 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT Parkwood Holdings plc is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael John Quayle as Finance Director with effect from 6 July 2009. Mike Quayle joins Parkwood from European Colour plc where he was Finance Director and Company Secretary.  Prior to this, Mike was Finance Director at Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE).  Mike initially qualified with KPMG and spent 14 years with the firm working in London, Manchester and Preston. Tony Hewitt, Executive Chairman, commented: "I am pleased to welcome Mike to the Board where his experience from KPMG and then European Colour Plc will be invaluable." http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=46 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=46 Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT Coblands Nurseries, growers of hardy nursery stock to the wholesale trade markets, is to create a new sales team to market its plants to the Retail Nursery and Garden Centre plant supply market. With 40 years experience as a wholesale grower of hardy stock, Coblands has the expertise and quality product suitable for the garden centre market. Cobland's plants will bear the ‘Home Grown’ label; an industry initiative promoted by the Horticultural Development Company (HDC) to promote home produced plants, as well as encouraging the adoption of a single national symbol. In this difficult economic climate it is more relevant than ever to promote locally grown plants. Coblands has adopted the Home Grown symbol on its plants which means that the retailer can also benefit from enhancing their own reputation with customers by: Supporting the UK economy Reducing the risk of imported pests and diseases Displaying stock that is grown locally which will be fresher, healthier and grown in local conditions Contributing to a better environment Coblands - Garden Centre Plants – will be selling to retail nurseries and garden centres, both independents and multiples in the London and South East areas. Coblands Managing Director, Richard Burton, said: "This is an exciting opportunity for Coblands. We have undertaken a number of plant shows this year as well as having seen the retail website Best4Plants exceed our expectations in the first year of full trading. There is no doubt that our range of Home Grown plants has been a success with the retail customer and we believe we should be actively selling these to the wider garden centre market." For more information on current availability and latest offers, please log on to our website and follow the link to Garden Centre Plants: www.best4plants.co.uk/trade Notes to Editors: About Glendale Horticulture Limited Glendale Horticulture Limited sells hardy nursery stock to the trade and retail sectors through its trading companies Coblands Nurseries and Best4plants.   Glendale Horticulture Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Parkwood Holdings plc. For further information please contact Richard Burton, Managing Director on 01732 770999 or visit our website www.best4plants.co.uk. For further information on the Horticultural Development Company (HDC) and its 'Home Grown' label please visit the HDC website. http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=45 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=45 Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT The new Mountbatten Leisure Centre in Portsmouth is now open following a £25m investment. Facilities at the new site include a 50m Olympic-sized swimming pool and a state of the art new gym and health suite. Richard Neale, Centre Manager, commented: “We're delighted with the new centre - it looks fantastic! It’s great that we are now able to provide first class sports and leisure facilities to the Portsmouth community and we hope that the new facilities will make health and fitness more accessible for everyone. The team here at the Mountbatten Centre have worked extremely hard and we look forward to welcoming all customers to the new centre”. Amongst the new facilities is a new state of the art 150 station gym. Fully air conditioned, the gym is fitted with top of the range equipment supplied by Precor, and offers customers the opportunity to work out in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Our great value membership rates include full use of the gym facilities, group fitness classes and the swimming pool during public sessions. The focal point of the new centre is undoubtedly the new 50m eight lane swimming pool. It features a submersible boom and a moveable floor, which allows the pool to be split so that a range of activities can take place at once. The pool will offer a range of activities, from Aquazone swimming lessons to fun sessions, lane swimming and club sessions. In a further boost, London 2012 have recognised the potential of the new centre and it will be included in the pre-games training camp guide for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. For further information on the new centre please drop in to see it for yourself, call 023 9269 0011, or visit www.leisurecentre.com to see timetables, price lists and more comprehensive information. We look forward to welcoming you at the centre soon! http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=44 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=44 Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT On 1st April 2009 Parkwood Community Leisure commenced management of Wycombe Sports Centre, Court Garden Leisure Complex and Risborough Springs Swim & Fitness Centre on behalf of Wycombe District Council. In what promises to be exciting times for all three centres, the move heralds significant investment in health and fitness across Wycombe. As part of these exciting developments new equipment was delivered on 1st and 2nd April at Wycombe Sports Centre and Court Garden Leisure Complex, with the gym facilities at these centres re-opening on 3rd April 2009. Cllr Tony Green, Wycombe District Council's Cabinet Member for Younger and Older people with responsibility for leisure services, commented: "Parkwood Leisure will bring with them a wealth of experience in leisure centre management. We're really looking forward to working with them to improve the leisure facilities on offer to our residents and to ensure that they get a value for money service." Andrew Holt, Managing Director of Parkwood Leisure, added: "We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this high profile contract by Wycombe District Council, and we look forward to complementing the Council's strategic aim of increasing participation by local residents into the use of the authority's leisure facilities. There is an excellent team of staff here at Wycombe and we are pleased to welcome them to Parkwood Leisure." http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=43 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=43 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT Parkwood Holdings plc is pleased to announce that following an extensive audit by National Quality Assurance it has again upheld its ISO 14001 certification. Parkwood has upheld its ISO 14001 status since 2002, underlining its reputation as an environmentally conscious company which takes its responsibility towards the public, customers, suppliers, employees and the environment seriously. The ISO 14001 Standard is an internationally accepted specification for environmental management systems. It was created to help organisations minimise how their operations negatively affect the environment and comply with applicable laws, regulations and requirements. As part of the efforts to uphold this well-recognised certification, Parkwood has established and uses its own Environmental Management System (EMS) to ensure that the company's activities, products and services have minimal impact on or risk to the environment. Parkwood's EMS helps monitor and improve upon a number of areas that affect the environment, such as energy use and efficiency, fuel use, green waste production, waste management and chemical control. Jason Joy, Group Communications Manager, said: “Upholding our ISO 14001 certification is a great illustration of Parkwood’s current and future commitment to minimise environmental impact. By setting annual objectives we are continuously improving our environmental performance year on year. Combined with our sustainability action plans, this goes a long way to reducing our environmental impact and burden on future generations.” http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=42 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=42 Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT Parkwood Holdings plc, the support services group, is pleased to announce its interim results for the 6 months ended 30 June 2008. Financial highlights: Revenues rose by 20.1% to £61.5m (2007: £51.2m) Operating profit increased by 70.1% to £2.33m (2007: £1.37m) Profits before tax rose by 15.2% to £1.21m (2007: £1.05m) Earnings per share increased to 4.7p, up 30.6% from last year (2007: 3.6p) Proposed dividend of 1.5p (2007: 1.3p) payable to shareholders on 3 October 2008 Group order book increased by 24% to £531m (2007: £429m) Operating highlights: New Leisure management contracts at Portsmouth and Cherwell under DBOM arrangements Preferred bidder status on Bristol City Council Leisure PFI Project LINk Contract awards for Parkwood Healthcare in Lewisham and Harrow   Tony Hewitt, Executive Chairman of Parkwood Holdings, commented: “Our blue-chip order book and index-linked contracts, which account for in excess of 85% of revenue, provide a degree of certainty for the future performance of the Group”. The full statement release can be downloaded as a PDF document from here.   For further information, please contact: Tony Hewitt    Executive Chairman   01772 627111  Terry Bowman   Group Finance Director   07825 607358 Neil Baldwin    Brewin Dolphin Securities Limited 0113 241 0126 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=41 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=41 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT Bristol Active Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Parkwood Project Management Ltd (now trading as Parkwood Consultancy Services), is delighted to be selected as Bristol City Council's recommended preferred bidder for the Hengrove Leisure PFI scheme. Bristol Active Limited is a consortium of companies that joined together to bid for the Council’s Hengrove Leisure PFI project. The consortium is led by Parkwood Consultancy Services, and supported by sister company Parkwood Leisure (Leisure Operator), Carillion Regional Building (Builders), LA architects (Lead Designer) and nabCapital (Funder).  The project will deliver a state-of-the-art leisure centre that will provide a vibrant range of facilities offering everyone the opportunity to take part in sport and physical activity. The new leisure facility will include the following facilities: Main Pool 50m x 25m Learner Pool 20m x 10.5m Dual location Healthy Living Zone Sports Hall & Climbing wall 150 station Fitness Suite 2 Aerobics/Dance Studios and a Spinning Studio Spa Suite Information Point Café incorporating winter garden theme Crèche Jeremy Lightfoot, Managing Director of Parkwood Consultancy Services, and Director of Bristol Active, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to be a part of this exciting new leisure project. We are confident our scheme is robust and deliverable. It fulfils Bristol City Council’s aspirations to develop a flagship leisure facility and help improve health and physical activity in South Bristol. We look forward to working with Bristol City Council and our consortium partners to conclude negotiations as soon as possible, so that the new facility can be enjoyed by the whole community from autumn 2010." Notes : PFI: A private finance initiative (PFI) project provides a way for the public sector to fund major capital investments without immediate recourse to the public purse. Private consortia such as Parkwood Consultancy Services are contracted to design, build, and manage new projects on contracts which can typically last for 30 years, during which time the building is leased by the public authority. Parkwood Consultancy Services is a leading provider of a wide range of consultancy services to clients in the Built Environment. For more information about Parkwood Consultancy Services contact Dawn Dodgson on 01789 450085. http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=40 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=40 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT The Merger of Glendale Environmental with Parkwood Project Management Ltd to form Parkwood Consultancy Services Strategic reviews of Glendale and Parkwood Project Management have led to an exciting opportunity to combine and further strengthen the Group’s consultancy services. As a result, Glendale Environmental merged with Parkwood Project Management on 1st July 2008. As the Group’s consultancy business, Parkwood Project Management has widened the scope of services it can offer and further expanded its client base. The incorporation of Glendale Environmental into Parkwood Project Management will enable the company to offer a greater mix of complimentary functions expected of a multi-disciplinary consultancy business. To reinforce the company’s multi-disciplinary intentions, the merger has been used to rebrand Parkwood Project Management Ltd as Parkwood Consultancy Services. Services Provided: Project Management Client Representative  Construction Monitoring  Contract Administration/Employers Agent Design Management  Independent Tester/Certifier Landlord and Tenant Negotiations (New) Risk and Value Management Strategic Programming  Project Management (NEC contracting) Troubleshooting Work Stream Programme Management Management Consulting Options Appraisals PFI/PPP/DBOM Bid Management Pre and Post Contract Technical Due Diligence Risk and Value Management Strategic Planning Operational Management Contract Compliance Landlord and Tenant Negotiations (Existing) Lifecycle Fund Management Performance Monitoring Risk and Value Management SPV Management Set-up and management of ISO 14001 and 9001 Troubleshooting Sustainability Sustainable Design Design Guidance and Assessment for BREEAM Display Energy Certificates Energy Performance Certificates Renewable/Low Carbon Technology Applications Sustainable Building Products Green Travel Plans Waste to Energy Landscape Architecture Full Design Service Contract Management Environmental Impact Assessments including Environmental Reports Ecology Protected Species Surveys European Protected Species Licensing Conservation Management Plans Arboriculture Pre-Development Tree Surveys to BS5837 Individual Tree Surveys with Recommendations Arboriculture Contract and Project Management http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=39 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=39 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT Verdia Plant Construction Underway Verdia Horticulture Limited (“Verdia”), the joint venture company established between Glendale Managed Services Limited (“Glendale”), the “green services” division of Parkwood Holdings plc, and The TEG Group Plc, has commenced construction of its first TEG Silo Cage plant at Hillbarton, Exeter.  The announcement follows confirmation of full planning approval for the development. The capacity of the TEG Silo Cage plant will be 14,000 tonnes per annum, producing approximately 8,000 tonnes per annum of compost.  The compost will be matured and blended to produce horticultural grade material for sale into the local horticultural sector.  The waste will be supplied from local authority green waste collections via the Glendale composting subsidiary Eco Sci, and from private sector contracts for food waste and food processing waste. Glendale will provide compost product expertise and knowledge of the horticultural product market, together with analytical and compost product services. The development is on a site leased by Glendale and will be a shared facility with Eco Sci who will carry out green waste composting in an adjacent operation.  The plant and equipment will be supplied by TEG.  The total cost of the development will be approximately £2.5m of which approximately £1m will be the cost of the building development and £1.5m the cost of the plant and equipment.  Funding of the building work is part of the lease arrangement with the overall site landlord.  Funding of the plant and equipment will be by finance lease through Barclays Asset Finance.  The site is scheduled to be operational by the end of Quarter 3 of this year. Commenting for Parkwood, Executive Chairman Tony Hewitt said: “Our joint venture with TEG is part of the Parkwood Group’s strategic plan to develop its diverse suite of green services to Local Authorities and the Commercial sectors.” “This new facility provides the opportunity to expand our recycling activities within the rapidly developing UK composting market and also provides the ideal location for Glendale’s Devon based ‘EcoSci’ green waste recycling operations.”  Commenting for TEG, Chief Executive Mick Fishwick said: “This is a further significant step in the development of TEG.  Our joint venture with Glendale offers us the opportunity to both develop a new revenue stream and also to gain a foothold in the higher value horticultural sector, and to work with an expert and market leader in that area.  Verdia has an exciting future and we hope this is the first of many such plants to be developed over the coming years. “ “The construction of yet another TEG Silo Cage plant is a further endorsement of our technology and capabilities and we look forward to opening the first TEG plant in the South West region.” For further information please contact: Parkwood Holdings plc    Tel: 01772 627111 Terry Bowman, Group Finance Director  The TEG Group Plc    Tel: 01772 314100 Michael Fishwick, Chief Executive http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk/news.php?id=37 http://www.parkwood-holdings.co.uk.co.uk/news.php?id=37 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT