Tag: Jerba Campervans

Employee-owned firm wins First Minister’s manufacturing award

Scottish campervan company recognised for its dedication to staff wellbeing

A NORTH BERWICK campervan converter has won the First Minister’s Award for Manufacturing Leadership for its outstanding efforts in employee engagement and welfare.

Jerba Campervans accepted the award from Nicola Sturgeon at Bute House in Edinburgh after showcasing its 100% employee-owned status.

Co-founders of the firm, Simon Poole and Catherine Brookes, along with trustee, David Miller, were able to discuss the company’s long-term goals and ambitions with the First Minister when they went to collect the prize.

The accolade celebrates competitive and innovative manufacturing companies in Scotland which champion fair work and inclusivity while investing in the skills and wellbeing of its employees and contributing positively to the planet.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, said: “I am very pleased to announce Jerba Campervans has won the First Minister’s Award for Manufacturing Leadership.

“All of the applications received for the award were of a very high standard. However, with their responsive employee driven approach, Jerba Campervans best exemplified the ethos of the award.

“In demonstrating how a productive and growing company can at the same time offer real benefits to staff, community and the environment, they clearly demonstrated the principle that business for good is good for business.”

During the application process, Jerba Campervans illustrated how the company is measurably strengthened by employee ownership, how its staff have benefitted from the scheme and how staff have provided support in other aspects of the business, including eco-friendly initiatives.

As well as its 100% employee-owned credentials, Jerba Campervans has recently joined The Good Business Charter which measures and recognises responsible business practices through components such as employee wellbeing.

The firm has also recently appointed a new Managing Director to take the company forward through commercial and product development domains.

Simon Poole, said: “It is a great privilege for Jerba Campervans to have been recognised in such a high-profile way.

“To be rewarded for the work we are doing is very humbling and this achievement marks a really fantastic opportunity for both the company and employee ownership as a whole.

“We believe that staff are at the heart of any business and we hope that winning this award will open even more doors for us as we continue to highlight the advantages of employee ownership.

“Since its inception in 2006, Jerba Campervans has focused on an ethical approach to business and an inclusive approach to working with staff. We were guided through our transition into employee ownership by Co-operative Development Scotland (CDS), a core part of Scottish Enterprise – their experience and insight has certainly underpinned our continued growth and success.

“Employee ownership makes our workplace a fulfilling and positive experience that enables employees to have a real voice.”

Jerba Campervans specialises in converting and customising Volkswagen Transporter vans for those passionate about adventure and the outdoors.

Converting Volkswagen T6.1 models, the North Berwick based firm is officially recognised by Volkswagen as a Motorhome Qualified Converter, and is the only firm in Scotland to receive this qualification.

The firm became employee-owned in January 2018 and has seen productivity increase year-on-year.

With a dedicated and flexible team, the Jerba Campervans family adapts to the needs of its customers, creating a house on wheels with the highest UK level of road safety, ensuring that customers have a safe and stylish ride.

To find out more about Jerba Campervans, visit www.jerbacampervans.co.uk

Inspiring plastic waste artwork planned for North Berwick

Work to begin on eight-meter installation with vital environmental message

A MURAL made up of 27,000 pieces of plastic collected from East Lothian beaches to illustrate the concerning levels of marine waste along Scotland’s coastline is going through the planning process.

In partnership with North Berwick Harbour Trust, local businesses Jerba Campervans and Caledonia Horticulture have enrolled Julie Barnes – an award-winning local artist from Aberlady – to create the educational mural.

The intricate artwork – which will depict a beach scene and image of Bass Rock – will span eight-metres along North Berwick’s harbour wall and will be accompanied by an interpretation board explaining the meaning behind the artwork and urging people to act now.

Both the family-run campervan convertor and the horticultural products producer are the main financial contributors towards the project, inspiring other local business to also make donations.

Simon Poole, co-founder of Jerba Campervans said: “The planned mural will not only be visually breath taking, but will also send a clear message about the real harm that waste plastic is causing to our seas and beaches.

“We’re delighted to have Julia on board with this project as it is an important message that hopefully will chime with a range of audiences, locally and also out with the area.

“As a company that is enthusiastic about all things outdoors, these initiatives are so important to us as we strive to preserve the beautiful coastlines and natural land. A plastic-free beach shouldn’t be a novelty, but should be something that is standard.

“East Lothian is becoming increasingly popular with tourists, with so many visiting North Berwick’s Harbour, so the visual representation will be seen by hundreds. We expect it to very quickly become a local talking point and quite possibly a tourist attraction in its own right.”

In addition to being one of the primary sponsors, Jerba has also helped Julia prepare eight individual panels required for the base of the artwork which have been treated and cut to size before being delivered to the artist.

The 27,000 fragments of plastic were collected by one dedicated local who spent 100 days gathering the pieces along Longniddry Bents and the intricate artwork is expected to take Julia over two months to produce.

Kate Miller, Marketing, Communications and Environmental Manager at Caledonian Horticulture said: “We are committed to being a business with a positive environmental and social impact, as we’ve seen first-hand the damage marine waste is causing to our wildlife.

“Simon from Jerba got in touch after being inspired by another educational marine plastic mural and reading about our beach cleans. It was suggested we create something similar in East Lothian – it was an opportunity we couldn’t turn down!

“An East Lothian local, Lil Vischer, who was just about to complete a challenge she had set herself over lockdown to achieve 100 beach cleans on a 200m stretch of beach at Longniddry Bents removed around 27,000 pieces of plastic over her challenge. Her collection of marine plastic is being used to create the mural, raising awareness of the issue that is so close to our hearts.”

The planned artwork will last for many years in the sea spray environment and its impact is hoped to be maximised as tourists flock to the hotspot.

Julie Barnes, whose most recent project comprised a life-sized seal structure made from waste plastic for an environmental competition, said: “Art can speak a thousand words and I hope that this important mural will make a connection with the viewer.

“Alongside my regular work as a painter, I use the power of art to provoke emotional and practical responses to environmental issues facing us all.

“It’s an honour to do the installation and the visual power of art is an incredible way to inspire, educate and bring vital behaviour change across society as a whole.”

The North Berwick Harbour Trust, a small local charity that aims to maintain, conserve and improve North Berwick Harbour commissioned the co-operative project across the supporting companies, Jerba Campervans and Caledonia Horticulture and the artist, Julie Barnes.

The charity believes that all participants in the project are enhancing the Harbour and enlightening the massive numbers of visitors and locals at the community asset.

Current additional sponsors who have each pledged a donation towards the artwork include Peppermint Beach, Turnbulls Home Hardware, North Berwick Trust, Steampunk, Meg Maitland, Fidra Charity and The Lobster Shack & Rocketeer.

To find out more about Jerba Campervans, visit www.jerbacampervans.co.uk

To find out more about the organised beach cleans, visit: 

www.caledonianhorticulture.co.uk/the-scottish-coastal-clean-up

Labour politicians celebrate Employee Ownership Day

Labour MSPs attend Jerba Campervans’ Employee Ownership Day staff event

THE SCOTTISH Labour leader pitched in to celebrate the 10th Employee Ownership Day (EO Day) at a fun-filled afternoon with staff at a leading campervan converter yesterday.

East Lothian based Jerba Campervans, a 100% employee-owned business since 2018, welcomed Anas Sarwar MSP along with fellow MSP Daniel Johnson, before downing tools and hosting a staff barbeque.

EO Day (Friday 24 June) raises awareness of the benefits of employee ownership and is celebrated by many of the estimated 1000 plus EO businesses operating in the UK, at least 146 of which are Scottish-registered and employ 5,350 people.

Jerba Campervans founder Simon Poole has been a flagbearer for the employee ownership movement and EO Day marks his last full working day before he hands over the reins to new MD Paul Kimberlin, before taking on a part time role as Chair of the company.

Simon said: “EO Day is a great way of raising the profile and highlighting the benefits of the employee-owned business model which naturally is one that we fully support.

“Anas Sarwar has previously expressed an interest in employee-owned businesses so we thought it was a great opportunity to invite him in to see the work we do and he seemed impressed by what he found.

“The day also provided a chance for all the staff to let their hair down and to relax a bit after what has been a very busy period for the business. With a two-year order book in front of us, it’s important to enjoy some downtime when the chance comes up.”

The politicians in attendance were given a tour around Jerba’s workshop, providing them with the opportunity to scope out a number of its in-progress conversions and to discuss the value of employee ownership with the staff. Both were also invited to join the barbeque in the afternoon.

Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar said: “It has been a pleasure visiting Jerba Campervans on Employee Ownership Day 2022.

“The site is a wonderful example of both the benefits of employee ownership and the scale of the employee ownership sector in Scotland.

“The team at Jerba are highly skilled and are creating high quality products in a growing market for Scotland.

“I want to thank the team for showing me around and wish them continued success.”

James de le Vingne, Chief Executive at Employee Ownership Association which organises EO Day said: “With this year being the 10th annual EO Day, it’s great to hear what Jerba Campervans has been up to.

“In raising awareness of the benefits of employee ownership, it helps us plant the seed of EO in the minds of the nation to #GrowEO like never before.”

Jerba Campervans was launched in 2006 and specialises in converting and customising Volkswagen Transporter vans for those passionate about adventure and the outdoors.

Converting Volkswagen T6.1 models, the North Berwick based firm is officially recognised by Volkswagen as a Motorhome Qualified Converter, and is the only firm in Scotland to receive this qualification.

With a dedicated and flexible team, the Jerba Campervans’ family adapts to the needs of their customers, creating a house on wheels with the highest UK level of road safety, assuring customers of a safe, and stylish ride.

To find out more about Jerba Campervans, visit www.jerbacampervans.co.uk

From North Berwick to Bangkok: Campervan converter goes global with one million YouTube hits

CAMPERVAN converters in East Lothian have racked up more than one million YouTube views on its informative and tutorial videos from enthusiasts around the world.

Since uploading its first video to the platform in 2017, VW accredited Jerba Campervans has accumulated a cult-like following, with more than 5,000 subscribers to the channel, from as far afield as Mexico and Thailand.

With more than 56,000 hours of watch time – equating to 6.5 years – the content ranges from product reviews, workshop videos, campervan tours and tips and tricks, sparking an interest from Jerba owners and keen campervanners alike.

All content is curated by the 14 strong team, who all share part ownership of the employee-owned firm and all take their turns on camera.

In addition to the firm’s popularity on YouTube, a Jerba Owners’ group has garnered more than 740 dedicated members who share images of their Jerba campervans alongside tips and product recommendations.

Domhnall Dods is an active member of the Jerba Owners’ group and a regular viewer of the YouTube channel.

He said: “The YouTube channel and community group are a fantastic point of reference for all who want more information about Jerba vans or to get hints and tips from other owners about living with a camper van.

“The Jerba Owners’ group was started by the Jerba community and it’s a friendly and helpful space for people to ask questions and share information. It’s particularly good as all the advice is tailored to Jerba vans rather than generic campervans.”

Domhnall, 55, bought his first Jerba Campervan in 2012, before selling it on in order to purchase a second van which he uses for regular trips with his wife and 15-year-old son.

He added: “I’m already on my third VW camper and third Jerba campervan, and it is my pride and joy. As a family, we take regular trips to meet up with friends across the UK and Ireland and we travel to France every year.

“When deciding what features we wanted for our second van, the YouTube channel came in really handy. We were thinking about getting a diesel hob, which we hadn’t had before so it was great to be able to refer to the videos to see how it worked ahead of buying.”

“The personal rapport Jerba has with its customers has, in my experience, always been second to none, and the YouTube channel, with its informative and helpful videos is an extension of that service.”

Jerba Campervans founded in 2005, specialise in converting Volkswagen Transporter T6.1 Models and is officially recognised by Volkswagen as a converter of the model. In 2015, Jerba Campervans gained a patent for their unique pop-up roof, which they add to all of their Volkswagen conversions.

The conversion company continues to keep their customers and staff at the heart of their business.

To find out more about Jerba Campervans, visit www.jerbacampervans.co.uk and its YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JerbaCampervansvideo/videos