Northern Gas Networks (NGN) shared its story about the business transformation at a customer service event in London today.

Eileen Brown, Head of Customer Experience at Northern Gas Networks (NGN), spoke about ‘keeping brand promises’ at the Customer Focus Connect event, which took place at the Guoman Tower Hotel in London today.

Customer Focus Connect 2015 is a one day event that focuses on the challenges and techniques of providing strong customer service and will see several industry leaders speaking about the importance of brand and customer experience.

Eileen said: “Over the last few years we’ve been working hard to transform our business into a genuinely customer focussed operation. This transformation saw us win 6 UK Customer Experience Awards and a National Business Award in 2014, achievements that we are very proud of.

“Customer Focus Connect 2015 is a great opportunity for NGN to talk about our transformation and the importance of brand promises, as well as share best practice with other leaders from the customer service industry.”

You can read more our Customer Focus Connect 2015 here: http://business-reporter.co.uk/2015/02/24/cx2015-customer-focus-connect-2015-live/

Northern Gas Networks is investing over £445,000 to upgrade the ageing gas distribution network in Hartlepool.

The project is part of Northern Gas Networks’ ongoing development of infrastructure across the North of England and involves replacing 6km of existing gas main with more durable plastic pipes to ensure the continued safe and reliable supply of gas to our customers in the area for years to come.

The essential work commences in Davidson Drive today (23 February) and is expected to take approximately six months to complete.

As part of this project, it will be necessary to carry out work in the following roads:

Davidson Drive

West View Road

Skeltons Street

Miers Avenue

Carrick Street

Bruce Crescent

Arsley Crescent

Gardsie Avenue

Arkley Crescent

Purves Place

West View Road

Warren Road

Oaksway

Skerne Road

Winterbottam Road

Wells Avenue

Gordon Thompson, Customer Operations Area Manager, Northern Gas Networks said: “We have planned our work closely with the local Highways Department and will be carrying out our work in phases to keep traffic disruption to a minimum.

“Our Customer Care officers have been door knocking in the area to let residents know about the upcoming work and we will continue to keep our customers updated throughout the project via our website, Twitter and Facebook accounts and the local media.”

Mr Thompson added: “We would like to take this opportunity to apologise to members of the public for any inconvenience this essential work may cause and thank our customers for their continued support.”

You can contact the Northern Gas Networks Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766, option 7. The team is available between 8am and 10pm Monday to Friday, and 9am and 5pm on Saturday.

The north of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks (NGN), is following in the footsteps of some of the biggest national and international construction companies, becoming the first energy distributer to register their sites with the highly regarded Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS).

The CCS is a non-profit-making, independent organisation founded in 1997 by the construction industry to improve its image.

NGN, which has recently won seven national awards for customer experience, has registered its major projects and larger gas mains replacement sites where the duration of work is scheduled to last more than six weeks. Once registered, each site is given a detailed inspection by a CCS Monitor who will assess and feedback on factors such as the appearance of the site and the environment as well as the welfare of the workforce and overall safety.  To date, NGN has had ten site Monitor visits to replacement and major project sites. A further four sites have been registered and are awaiting inspection dates and there are six more sites in the pipeline for registration later this year.

Two of NGN’s schemes, Victoria Place in Carlisle and a gas holder site in Bishop Auckland have also been put forward for award consideration, the results of which will be announced at the end of February. NGN’s highest scoring site to date, Belvedere Street in Workington, will be eligible for the CCS 2016 awards.

Ian Whitehead, programme manager at NGN has been leading the scheme for the company. He said: “”We’re committed to continually improving our customer experience for both members of the public and colleagues.  The CCS is helping us to do just that through the delivery of consistently well managed, efficient work sites.

“This year NGN plans to roll out the CCS to smaller gas mains replacement sites, and register a new company department ‘The Connections Operation’.  Our aim is to create an NGN standard site set up with on the ground site manager support, to ensure consistency across the board and shared learning.

“We are very pleased with the progress that we have made with CCS to date and we look forward to hearing the results of the awards at the end of the month.”

CCS Chairman Mike Petter added: “I am delighted that NGN have chosen to register their projects with the CCS and have pledged to play their part in improving the image of construction. Utility projects can have as much of an impact on its local environment as any other construction activity, so it is gratifying that NGN will be working with the CCS to ensure their projects will be attaining the highest standards of considerate construction.”

For more information go to www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk

Northern Gas Networks is investing £80,000 to upgrade the ageing gas distribution network in the Ackworth area of Pontefract.

The project is part of NGN’s ongoing development of infrastructure across the north of England and will involve replacing 600m of existing metal gas mains with more durable plastic pipes to ensure the continued safe and reliable supply of gas to our customers in the area for years to come.

The essential work, which begins on 23 February 2015, is expected to take five weeks to complete and will begin at the junction of Bell Lane before progressing onto Barnsley Road to the junction of Mill Lane.

In order to help traffic flow in the area, two-way temporary traffic lights will be installed on Barnsley Road for the duration of the works. These lights will be monitored at peak times to minimise traffic disruption.

Warren Iveson, Construction Services Area Manager, Northern Gas Networks said: “Our Customer Care team have been door knocking in the area to let residents know about the upcoming work and we will continue to update our customers using social media, our website and the local media.

“We would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience this essential work may cause and thank our customers for their continued support.”

You can contact the Northern Gas Networks Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766, option 7. The team is available between 8am and 10pm Monday to Friday, and 9am and 5pm on Saturday.

The north of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks (NGN), has scooped two out of four awards at The Prince’s Trust Million Makers challenge regional finals, which took place in Manchester last night.

Five teams from across the gas network took part in the challenge. Their imagination and ingenuity helped them to raise stacks of cash and scooped them the Innovation Award.  It also saw Dionne Allick, project support analyst at NGN, who headed up team Innovate, win the Outstanding Individual Award.

The Prince’s Trust Million Makers challenge is an entrepreneurial fundraising competition, which sees talented teams from companies across the country competing to raise money for disadvantaged young people.

Each team attempted to take a seed pot of £500 and grow it in just six months. The NGN team collectively raised a superb total of £11,000. The challenge got underway in June 2014 and concluded in December during which time teams organised a host of fundraising activities for the worthy cause.

NGN’s Dionne Allick and team Innovate organised a Tour de France-themed French cuisine day, a cupcake bake sale, a dance-a-thon and designed and produced NGNs 2015 calendar, generating more than £4,500 in total.

Dionne said: “It was an action packed few months which proved to be great fun and everyone pitched in.  We’re delighted to win both awards, it’s a true reflection of the hard work that each team has put into this challenge.”

Laura Shaw, innovation governance officer at NGN, headed up team Ignite.  She tapped into her hi-tech supply chain to source some amazing raffle prizes and raised over £2,600.

Other activities included a World Cup sweepstake, sports-selfie initiative, and much more.

The overall winner at each Regional Final will now be invited to the National Awards in March. The team that raises the most money will be crowned the winner but recognition is also given to teams voted most innovative and entrepreneurial, as well as Outstanding Individuals nominated by the teams.

For more information go to www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk

Hundreds of vulnerable families in Bradford who are struggling to heat their homes could benefit from a pioneering partnership between The Children’s Society and Northern Gas Networks, the gas distribution company for the north of England.

More than 10,000 children in Bradford are estimated to live in families suffering from energy debt₁ and the partnership between the charity, a leading campaigner on fuel poverty, and Northern Gas Networks, aims to identify and help vulnerable families through a range of measures.

The pilot scheme, which will offer energy debt and benefits advice, free gas connections for households that are off-grid, and community workshops where people can learn about energy efficiency and the risks of Carbon Monoxide poisoning, was launched by the Bishop of Bradford on Friday 13 February.

According to research by The Children’s Society, the impact of fuel poverty can be devastating, with families unable to give their child a hot bath or cook them a hot meal. Children living in fuel debt are more likely to become ill or have trouble sleeping and their parents are at risk of stress, anxiety and depression.₂

Vulnerable families who need support from the scheme will also be referred to the project by the children’s centres and professionals such as health visitors and social workers.

Matthew Reed, Chief Executive of The Children’s Society, says: “Fuel poverty has become the scourge of our time with families unable to give their children a hot meal, a warm bath and keep them healthy, and we’ve identified Bradford as an area in real need.

“We’re delighted to partner with NGN on this vital project which will bring affordable warmth to local families and vulnerable children and help many escape the energy debt trap.”

Tom Bell, Head of Social Strategy for Northern Gas Networks, says: “Fuel poverty is a huge issue in our region. The partnership will provide a crucial vehicle for Northern Gas Networks to identify families living in cold, poorly heated and badly insulated homes by tapping into the information that the charity holds through its vital outreach work.”

Toby Howarth, the Bishop of Bradford, says, “Through my work in churches across Bradford, I know only too well of families in poverty struggling to afford to heat their homes. This is a great initiative that will make a huge difference to vulnerable families.”

Notes to Editors:

1. Natalie Williams, Dr Sarah Royston, David Ayre and Dr Sam Royston for The Children’s Society, ‘Show some warmth’ Report, The Children’s Society, January 2015, http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/resources-and-publications/show-some-warmth-full-report
2. Ibid

• This pilot has emerged in light of new research by The Children’s Society and the Association for Conservation of Energy which reveals that Children’s Centres can be helpful in engaging fuel poor families. This is because of their location (77% of fuel poor children live within a mile of a children’s centre). This is also because staff are considered trusted and because, as children’s centres already offer a wide range of services, it means the scheme can be promoted to fuel poor families.

Northern Gas Networks is carrying out essential work to upgrade ageing metal gas mains in York city centre.

In order to carry out this work safely and efficiently, it will be necessary to close the junction of Scarcroft Road and Scarcroft Hill from 07.30am tomorrow morning (11 February 2015).

The junction is expected to reopen before 5pm on Friday 13 February 2015.

A signed diversion route will be in place during this time.

The project is part of Northern Gas Network’s ongoing development of infrastructure across the north of England and involves replacing existing metallic gas mains with more durable plastic pipes to ensure the continued safe and reliable supply of gas to customers in the area for years to come.

Bob Hope, Construction Services Area Manager, Northern Gas Networks said: “We would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience this essential work may cause and thank members of the public for their patience and support.”

If you have any questions about the work please don’t hesitate to contact Northern Gas Networks’ Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766, option 7. The team is available between 8am and 10pm Monday to Friday, and 9am and 5.30pm on Saturday.

Northern Gas Networks (NGN), the gas distribution company for the North of England has announced that it has reached over 650 students across the region with its innovative programme, ‘2021 In your hands’.

The Key Stage 3 programme, which consists of a classroom based workshop, launched in 2012/13 and was devised to promote awareness about the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) and nurture an appreciation of the importance of gas safety, carbon reduction, recycling and sustainable living.

Developed by NGN in partnership with local schools and in conjunction with a student advisory board, ‘2021 In your hands’ is linked closely to the National Curriculum subjects of Geography and Science.

During the interactive sessions, students take part in a range of activities to assess their own carbon footprint and identify steps to reduce it as well as learning about the importance of recycling.

Student’s knowledge is measured before and after the workshops to gauge their understanding of important issues covered by the sessions. On average students understanding of the dangers of carbon monoxide has increased from 1 in 4 pupils to 87% following the workshops.

NGN has now taken the programme to 11 schools across the north of England, and recently visited Dixons City Academy in Bradford to deliver their latest workshop.

Claudia Fabian, a teacher at Dixons City Academy said: “The workshop went down very well and the students enjoyed all the activities. The content was very interesting and taught in a way that made the workshop fun and enjoyable.”

Claudia added: “It was interactive and allowed plenty of opportunities for independent and group learning.”

Eileen Brown, Head of Customer Experience at Northern Gas Networks said: “Our research discovered that teenagers were one of the groups most at risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, due to lack of awareness. We developed the ‘2021 In your hands’ programme to educate about the dangers of CO and how to prevent it as well as provide general gas safety advice and help teaching pupils about how to live sustainably.

“We have found that engaging with students early on in their lives means that not only are they more aware of their own environmental impact at home, acting as influencers with their parents and siblings, but that this vital education stays with them into adult life.  The CO element of the programme means that hundreds of children in our region are growing up with a lifelong understanding of the dangers.”

If you are interested in Northern Gas Networks’ ‘2021 In Your Hands’ workshops and would like to find out more, please email education@northerngas.co.uk for further information.

If you smell gas or suspect carbon monoxide call the National Gas Emergency service on 0800 111 999.

The north of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks (NGN) has launched a new free phone 0800 customer care number for customers in Yorkshire, the North East and northern Cumbria.

The new number 0800 040 7766 which was launched on 1 February is good news for  customers as they are now able to call NGN’s dedicated Customer Care team without being out of pocket.

Customers can now get in touch at no cost from landlines and the number is also free to call as part of the minutes allowance on most mobile tariffs and costs the same rate as a national landline call for calls made outside of the allowance.  Calls from mobiles are due to be free from June this year when new legislation comes into force.

The new number will replace the current customer care number 0845 634 0508, however this number will remain operational for the next 12 months, with a recorded messaging giving customers the option to redial the new Freephone number during the call.

Please note that the National Gas Emergency Service number – 0800 111 999 – remains unchanged and should be dialed by anyone who smells gas or suspects Carbon Monoxide (CO).

Northern Gas Networks (NGN), the gas distribution company for the north of England, helped to launch a scheme yesterday (2 February) to support people living in fuel poverty throughout Northumberland.

The event at Crookham Village Hall in Crookham saw NGN and Community Action Northumberland launch the Warm Hubs scheme, a pilot project that will provide vulnerable people throughout the county with a place to congregate, get warm, have a hot meal and meet friends.

Several charities and organisations, including the NHS, Age UK and members of the local council attended the first ever Warm Hubs event yesterday as well as over 40 local residents.

Fuel poverty is a problem throughout Northumberland, with almost 18,000 households in the county thought to be living in fuel poor conditions. The Warm Hubs scheme aims to help by offering energy advice as well as somewhere warm to socialise with friends.

As part of its work to help get the scheme underway NGN has contributed a generous donation which will help Community Action Northumberland to develop more sites across the county and transform them into hubs for vulnerable and elderly people.

Adrian Hinchcliffe, Chairman, Community Action Northumberland said: “Today’s event at Crookham Village Hall was a brilliant way to launch the Warm Hubs project, with 40 vulnerable people visiting for some food, warmth, and advice on keeping their energy bills down.

“We are hoping that the pilot scheme will help some of the 60,000 people in rural Northumberland, with a view to eventually rolling the scheme out to other parts of the United Kingdom.”

Tom Bell, Head of Social Strategy, Northern Gas Networks, said: “Fuel poverty is a huge problem throughout our region and we believe that this scheme is a great way to reach out to those residents in Northumberland who are living in uncomfortable conditions and struggling to keep warm.

“We’re proud to have been able to help Community Action Northumberland get the Warm Hubs scheme up and running, and are looking forward to helping more people around the area as more and more hubs are set up.”

Mr Bell continued: “These pop up events are a great vehicle for educating people about their energy bills and giving them valuable advice about how they can save themselves money.

“Many people don’t realise they are eligible for a free or discounted connection.  We hope these events will help raise awareness about the support available and encourage people to get in touch and apply.”

Andrew Stockdale, a local resident said: “It was a very sociable occasion with excellent food and I’m looking forward to the next event!”

There are plans to open a further 19 hubs in Northumberland before looking to roll the scheme out in other areas of northern England.

Yesterday also saw the launch of the first of five pop up energy events which took place in Crookham.  The initiative, which is being led by Community Action Northumberland with support from National Energy Action, Northern Gas Networks and SGN, will see pop up hubs offering advice on energy saving and free connections to local residents, set up in towns close to the border of England and Scotland.

If you think you are eligible for a free or discounted gas connection, visit www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk/yourconnections