ISSUE 174
SPRING 2016
A WORLD WITHOUT ENERGY
COMING TO CARE • SAVINGS FOR SIXTIES
SPA LI ND A'S ED I TO R I A L
SP RI N G 2016
Dear readers,
Welcome to your latest issue of SPA News.
I hope by the time you receive this that
there's a little bit of spring optimism in the
air, and that we can put away the winter
woollies for another year!
The cover of this issue celebrates a
photo competition that Shell and National
Geographic ran together to celebrate
images that 'capture our world'; read more
about it on p10.
We got a huge – and pleasantly
surprising – response to two small (literally)
items from the winter magazine: tie pins
and paperweights! As such, we decided to
devote a couple of pages to memorabilia,
and you'll find these on pages 17 and 18.
The intrepid Helen has been on a recce
to Tilbury to spend an evening on one of
South Quay Travel's cruise ships; honestly,
the things she does for our readers is
above and beyond the call of duty. I say
that because I've seen the photo of her
onboard, with a cold wind rearranging her
hair-do and a steel-grey sky as a backdrop;
suffice to say, she didn't come back with a
tan. You can read her report on p23.
On p19 we have some suggestions of
where you might, as pensioners, be able
to pick up some reasonable discounts and
savings, and on p20 there's information
from Pensions that should add clarity to
what we can – and can't – do with our
pensions in the light of the government's
recent changes.
Elsewhere we have the usual array of
what we hope you find interesting and/
CONTACTS
SPA BENEFITS
Editor
Linda Fernley
Email: linda@hellosoutherly.com
SPA Secretary
Helen Page
Tel: 020 7934 5129
Email: helen.page@shell.com
Assistant Secretary
Lynn Forsdyke
Tel: 020 7934 5137
Email: L.Forsdyke@shell.com
SPBA Treasurer
Ian Landeryou
Tel: 020 7934 5131
Email: Ian.C.Landeryou@shell.com
SPA, 40 Bank Street,
London E14 5NR
www.pensions.shell.co.uk/spa
www.facebook.com/shell.spa.news
2 | SPA NEWS
or informative articles. On pages 11-13
Tina Gilchrist does a round-up of all things
financial and on the Time Out pages 22-23
there are offers for Henley Regatta and the
National Gallery.
On page 14 there's a very amusing,
and insightful, report from SPA member
Kenneth Shovlar, about his experiences
of living in a care home, and on the
same pages, some advice on how best to
manage your finances to deal with possible
long-term care requirements.
A warm thanks for your letters, jokes and
snippets of information – please keep them
coming. The deadline for the summer issue
of your magazine is 1 June.
Warm wishes,
Linda.
These are some of the regular benefits, to the best of our knowledge. Some may be not
always be available. You may need to show your membership card and/or quote SPA.
Our message, however, is always to “shop around”
Details on the SPA website: www.shell.co.uk/spa
INSURANCE
Home, motor, travel: Sutton Winson 50plus Insurance (Bluefin) Health, Bupa Health, HMCA Denplan
0800 116 4330
0800 195 8002
0800 600 500 quote 9147
01423 866985 www.hmca.co.uk/shellpa
0800 838 951 www.denplan.co.uk
FINANCE
Foreign exchange, UK Forex
Fin. Advice, Affinity State benefits, CBG Solutions https://www.ukforex.co.uk/?pid=1344
0800 019 6076 ref. Shell/Mar/2012
01423 819452
LEISURE
Woodbank (Aberdeen)
Lensbury Breaks
Lensbury membership
Fitness First
Fred.Olsen Cruises
Saga cruises
01224 884700
020 8614 6444
020 8614 6466
01202 845812 corporatemarketing@fitnessfirst.com
0800 0355 110 www.fredolsencruises.com
quote SPA10
0800 051 3355 www.saga.co.uk/cruises
Cruise & Maritime Voyages and South Quay Travel 0845 3752318
P&O, Cunard & Princess Cruises 0843 374 2288 quoting '000GEN'
SPA L E T T E RS
THE OLDIE VS
SPA NEWS!
THEN AND NOW...
- GORDON DOW
- PETER PENNINGTON
Dear Linda,
I feel compelled to write and ask if you're
also editing The Oldie? I ask because
both recent issues arrived about the
same time and both had articles on: a)
Munros, Corbetts and Marilyns (the last
two I'd never heard of before reading both
magazines), and b) tea ladies. Spooky!
Thirteen years ago we moved to a
lovely village, Chayofa, just outside of
Los Cristianos in Tenerife. I just thought
you might like these 'now and then'
photos of the, now disused, petrol
station in the village. As you can see,
people sometimes tie their horses up
by the old station; who says Shell isn't
environmentally friendly!
Garage - then and now
I wish! It's a total coincidence but just
goes to show how closely we have our
finger on the zeitgeist pulse - ha ha ... Ed.
FRONT COVER INSPIRATION
HEALTH WISE!
I was much taken with Colin Morsley's
Scottish mountain photograph on the
front of the last magazine, so I painted it.
Not being a mountaineer I wasn't much
concerned with what mountain, but when
I looked at the back cover I realised that
I'd in fact painted half of Ben Nevis,
which was revealed in all its glory
when you opened it all up! The other
half became a painting in its own right.
Putting the two together, as a diptych,
it became a panorama, but I had a lot
of fun with it, and enjoyed putting the
paint on thick. I did it for my son, Mark,
who has done a lot of climbing, mostly
with his son, my grandson, George
Atkinson who, at aged 16 gained the
Ben Nevis Diptych
I refer to the article on page 17 of the
autumn edition of SPA News 'Getting
the best out of private medical health'.
After a mere 50 years with BUPA I
fell out with them. They admitted they
were at fault but the compensation
they offered was not acceptable to
me. I subsequently joined HMCA and
found them excellent ... AND at lower
cost to BUPA. They carried on paying
for treatment I was receiving with no
hesitation. Hope the above comment is
useful to you … I’d be happy to speak
to any SPA member.
We loved these paintings, Diana - thanks
for sending them to us. Ed
Thanks Colin - always nice to hear a
'good news' story. Ed
- DIANA ATKINSON
PAPER BOY
world record for the worldwide 'Seven
Summits', and is still the UK record
holder, I think.
- CM GIBSON
- HUGH MARTIN
I expect you may have had enough
on this subject by now but the various
contributions certainly revived some
memories for me. I, too, recall the
disappointment when tea ladies were
introduced and our trips to the coffee
shops came to an end. The triangular
“bread and scrape” on Monday to
Thursday did not cause too much of a
problem, but as an office boy in AngloSaxon Production Department one of my
regular jobs on Friday afternoons was
to follow Nellie and her trolley along the
corridor with a wet cloth to remove the
surplus raspberry jam, leaking from the
Swiss Rolls, from all the door handles.
Another important task entrusted to me
was buying evening papers. Because of
the wartime shortage of newsprint, the
evening papers were often sold out to
people leaving their offices at 5pm. St
Helens Court closed at 5.30pm, so each
day I was sent out at 4.45 to buy preordered Star, News, and Standard, and
take copies round to various offices. You
can guess how much work was done in
the last half-hour of the day, particularly
when there was a Test Match on (no
mobile phones, or even portable radios).
Happy days!
I love the idea of Hugh running around
wiping sticky door handles! Ed
SPA NEWS | 3
SPA LE T T E R S
Spotted in an antiques shop in the small
town of Omarama, Otago, New Zealand,
and sent in by Renny Snell.
MARINE MEMORIES
- PAULINE MURRILL
Pristine condition, evidently restored.
Yours for NZ$3,500.
I really enjoyed the article on Noel Taylor
(Winter issue p10) and learning about
the interesting challenges he has been
involved in, both with Shell and before
and afterwards. You can't keep a good
man down! I was a Secretary working for
Captain Lawrence and Captain English
in Shell Marine and remember Noel
Taylor as quite a character. I shared an
office with Anne Stubbings, who worked
for Captain Dickson. I left in December
1978 after eight years working in
various departments. My son was born
in January1979 and he never had cold
feet because I also fondly remember the
tea lady who very kindly knitted many
pairs of bootees for my expected baby,
which she delivered [the bootees, not
the baby, I hope? Ed] along with smiles,
advice and the teas and coffees. I'm glad
to be a Shell pensioner and to receive
SPA News, and I also belong to the
Shell Travel Club. I recently enjoyed the
Thursford Xmas Spectacular as part of
a varied trip organised by Rod Brown
– also Shell Marine. Thank you for an
interesting and varied SPA News.
Thank you, Pauline – it pleases us
enormously to know that you enjoy your
magazine. Ed
EPA WARNING
- NEIL NORMAN
Our Probus club had a presentation on Wills, Trusts and
Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPA). It became obvious to
our members that those of us who had the old EPA and had
arranged it to avoid paying registration fees in advance,
did not have the instrument we intended it to be. Registration
by our family when they needed to use it could take many
months, in which time handling our affairs could be fraught
with problems. We were advised to have the new version
and have it registered. Perhaps this is a topic that could be
highlighted in a future issue?
Thanks for including the request from the Shell Art Collection
in the last issue; I'd kept a number of things to remember my
wonderful time as a Lubricants Sales Engineer, including The
Shell Guide to Great Britain (1964) and the Shell Guide to
France, neither of which the museum had. I was very happy
to hand them over.
Thanks for that, Neil. The new version is a Lasting Power of
Attorney. There was an article about LPAs in issue 165; if
anyone would like a copy, contact the office. Ed
4 | SPA NEWS
POINTLESS
PENSIONERS!
- GIL SPRINGETT
I thought readers might be interested in
to know that these two Shell pensioners
appeared on the TV game show Pointless
in January. Another suggested activity for
the retired?!
FROM TEA LADIES TO HEAD CHEFS
- DAVID TROTT
I read the letter 'Everything stopped
for Tea' with interest [written by Peter
Terry - see erratum. Ed]. What got my
attention was the date he started work
and that he served in the RAF at a
similar time to me. Could I have met
him whilst I was serving in Shepherd’s
Grove RAF station in Suffolk around
1949? A fellow airman – I don’t
remember his name – was always
talking about his job before being
called up, which was with Shell in the
city of London. I particularly remember
him saying Shell had introduced a
cleaning product called 'Teepol' and
how good it was! In 1951 I was
demobilised and I went to work as
assistant Chef in the city and in 1954
a chef from Shell in St Helens Court
introduced me to Head Chef Mr Ernie
Ross, who offered me a position as
Sauce Cook. I worked in all of Shell’s
kitchens, being the last chef to close
each one as they transferred to Shell
Centre, where I then went to work in
the original three kitchens. I finished
as Head Chef in the 24th floor
Directors kitchen. I was offered the
Chef position at Sittingbourne, Kent,
and this being a lot closer to home, I
accepted and that’s where I finished
30 years’ service with Shell.
It transpired that Peter Terry wasn't
the person that David met in the RAF;
does anybody recognise themselves
from David's story? Ed
Thanks Gil – great shot and we loved the
title of your missive! Committee member
Brian Keech reports that although not
making the final, the pair did well to reach
Head to Head in their second show! Ed
ERRATUM
In 'Thanks for the memories' in
the Winter 2015 issue (p23)
we published a photograph to
illustrate the story. The vessel was
not the Capalonga, but a later
and much more sophisticated
vessel the MSV Stadive. Thanks to
Peter Jordan for pointing that out.
In the same issue, the writers of
letters relating to Tea Ladies were
mixed up: so Everything Stopped
for Tea was written by Peter Terry
and the other three letters were
from Peter Low, Gillian Garvie
and Martin Knowles, in that order.
Apologies to all!
SPA NEWS | 5
SPA H E LE N'S PA G E
It has been a volatile start to the year,
reflected in this issue of SPA News being
packed with business and finance.
Would the BG merger go ahead or not?
(After much nail biting, it did.) The price
of a barrel of oil yoyos up and down,
with the longer term graph pointing
downwards. Have we reached the
bottom? What will be the impact on the
merger? What does it do to the viability
of other high-cost projects?
No one has the definitive answer, of course, otherwise we’d
all be very wealthy pensioners, but, during the annual interview
between SPA Chair, Richard Springett, and Shell UK Chair, Erik
Bonino, Erik was optimistic that, having seen the ups and downs
of the oil price over many years, the company will weather
the storm, as it has so many times in the past. The short (eight
minute) video will be shown at this year’s annual branch chairs’
conference in April, and again at the roadshows in Aberdeen
and Warwickshire. If you’re unable to join us at any of these
events, it can be borrowed via your local branch. The video
also includes an upbeat five-minute interview with Per ReiffMusgrove, General Manager, Trustee Services Unit, about the
performance of the pension funds.
But there’s nothing more important than our own finances,
so it was no surprise when over 1,500 pensioners contacted
the company at the start of the year, worried why their monthly
pension had not been paid. The fault lay with Royal Bank of
Scotland, not helped by the fact that 4 January was also a Bank
Holiday in Scotland. All those who were out of pocket should
now have been compensated. There are a couple of learning
points though:
•
Pension is paid in advance, not arrears, which is easy to
forget after the first few payments, so it was only paid 27
days ahead instead of 31
•
As some Bank Holidays fall on the first of the month,
it’s a good idea to set up monthly payments, such as
direct debits and standing orders, to leave the account
on, say 6th, instead of 1st, to reduce the risk of having
insufficient funds.
Many thanks to all those who contributed to the online
memory page, recording 50 years of working in the North
Sea. The stories were compiled by Padraig McClusky and
6 | SPA NEWS
Douglas Bader's wife
could be viewed on the website www.shell.co.uk/about-us/
fifty-years-of-achievement.html The website may already be
closed by the time you receive this - but all is not lost! If
you’d like an e-version of the anecdotes, please contact SPA
office and we’ll email it to you.
As a policy, we do not normally feature obituaries but we
make an exception for Lady Joan, the second wife and widow
of Sir Douglas Bader. He made a spirited contribution to
rebutting German air attacks during the Battle of Britain, all the
more remarkable given that he suffered a double amputation
in 1931, following a crash, but continued to fly with a pair of
replacement metal legs. In peace time, Bader returned to Shell
Transport and Trading, which allowed him to make a number
of round-the-world promotional flying trips. Paul Brickhill’s
biography was made into the popular film Reach for the Sky
(1956), and brought him widespread fame as a war hero. From
1958 until his retirement in 1969 he was managing director of
Shell Aircraft Ltd, but he increasingly devoted time to charitable
activities on behalf of the disabled. Lady Joan continued his
work, following his death.
On a personal note, SPA heard two bits of gossip about
Bader, neither of which can be confirmed. One: that his
(false) leg, was stored in the Shell Archives for many years.
The second, that he was a thoroughly irascible character,
and at a cocktail reception in the Far East, the staff walked
out because of his abusive treatment of his first wife. Does
anyone else have any memories or anecdotes?
I’d like to finish off by urging you to remember to cast your
vote for our national committee vacancy. If you can join us
for a glass of wine and a few nibbles and meet the successful
candidate at the AGM on 12 May, Shell Centre, that would
be tickety- boo. Don’t forget to book your place!
FR OM THE SPA SE CR ETARY
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
We would love you to join us at any or
all of our events this year.
AGM and drinks reception:
4.30pm, Thursday 12 May in Shell
Centre
Inserted in your copy of SPANews, is
an invitation to join fellow colleagues at
this social occasion, and to hear what
we have been getting up to over the last
year and the results of the election for
a committee member. Those of you who
have attended in the past will know that
the quality of Shell Centre canapes is
second to none. Why not make a weekend of it and take advantage of the
members’ rates on offer at Lensbury.
If you can’t make it to London, don’t
forget to vote.
ROADSHOW: 2-4pm, Thursday 16
June, Woodend Barn, Banchory, Aberdeen AB31 5QA
Whatever your question, you’ll find
the answer here. This is the fourth year
of our ever-popular roadshow, including representatives from Pensions, Shell
Health, insurance, financial planning,
State Benefits, AgeUK and local PLRs.
The SPA Chair and Secretary will
of course be there to meet as many
members as possible. Watch two short
videos with:
• Erik Bonino, UK Country Chair –
what keeps him awake at night?
• Per Reiff-Musgrove, Manager Trustee Services Unit – how is your pensions
fund doing?
During the 10-minute video interviews, enjoy complimentary tea and
cakes. In fact, the whole event is FREE.
You’re welcome to bring a partner or
guest too.
The roadshows are particularly attractive to those who find they don’t
have time to join local events on a
regular basis.
If you don’t live near Aberdeen, why
not make a weekend of it and enjoy
member rates at Woodbank Country
House?
ROADSHOW: 2-4pm, Thursday
29 September, Kings Court, Alcester,
Warwickshire B49 5QQ
2
1
1) Martyn Wallis
2) Andreas Underwood
PENSIONER LIAISON REPRESENTATIVE UPDATE
Phil Bentley, Pensioner Liaison
Representative for Dorset, East Somerset
and part of Wiltshire has been replaced
by Martyn Wallis.
New PLR Andreas Underwood
has taken over from Peter Williams.
Andreas will be covering South and
West Yorkshire, Lincolnshire (excluding
post codes beginning with PE) and
Nottinghamshire.
The Pensions Administration Unit is
currently recruiting for a new PLR to
cover the Cambridge, Luton, Ipswich,
Northampton, Norwich, Peterborough
and Stevenage area. If you’re interested
in this vacancy, please contact Jenny
Cuttle or Kara Duncombe at j.cuttle@
shell.com or k.duncombe@shell.com for
full details of the position.
SPA NEWS | 7
SPA LI GH T E R SI DE
BELLISSIMO!
For several years, a man was having an affair with an
Italian woman. One night, she confided in him that she was
pregnant. Not wanting to ruin his reputation or his marriage,
he said he would pay her a large sum of money if she would
go to Italy to secretly have the child. Furthermore, if she
stayed in Italy to raise the child, he would also provide child
support until the child turned 18.
She agreed, but asked how he would know when the baby
was born. To keep it discreet, he told her to simply mail him
a post card, and write 'Spaghetti' on the back. He would
then arrange for the child support payments to begin.
One day, about nine months later, he came home to his
confused wife. "Darling", she said, "you received a very
strange post card today."
"Oh, just give it to me and I'll explain it later," he said.
The wife watched as her husband read the card, turned
white, and fainted.
On the card was written: Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti,
Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Three with meatballs, two without. Send
extra sauce.
At an airport a man went to the check-in desk and put down
three bags saying I want this one to go to Manchester, this one
to Copenhagen, and that one to Berlin. The check-in clerk said:
"Sorry Sir, we can't do that." The traveller replied: "But you
managed it last time I travelled with you."
A senior Bishop often undertook lectures at major venues and
usually booked the same chauffeur and his car. They became
friends and discussed many things on their journeys. One day the
chauffeur said he couldn't understand why he earned so much
less than the bishop, when all he had to do was stand in front of
people and talk.
The Bishop said: "I started from a poor background, had to
get a scholarship to college, and earn money to pay my way
through university for three years, and then another three years
in Theological College to be ordained. I was appointed curate to
an inner city Parish for two years, had my own Parish for another
three, and then became canon. After another five years I was
made bishop. That's why I'm paid to do this work.
The chauffeur said: "I think I could do your lecture, given the
right notes."
"Well," said the bishop, "if you think it's so easy, let's swap
clothes and change places for the day."
8 | SPA NEWS
So they did, and continued to Cambridge, where the bishop was
to lecture on the theological differences between the Gospels
of John and Matthew. The bishop handed over his notes and
answers to some probable questions. The driver read through
them and took his stand on the podium, while the bishop, dressed
as chauffeur, stood at the back of the auditorium. All went well
until a member of the audience asked: "Why do you think the
two Gospels are so different?"
The chauffeur replied: "That's such a simple question that I'll ask
my driver at the back of the hall to answer it for you."
Squirrels had infested three churches in a town. After much
prayer the vicar at the first church decided the animals were put
there by God and should be left in peace. Soon they multiplied
and overran the building. The vicar at the second church felt
she couldn't harm any of God's creatures so humanely trapped
them and set them free at the edge of town. Three days later,
they found their way back and started breeding. Only the third
Vicar succeeded in keeping the squirrels at bay. He baptised
them and welcomed them into the congregation. Now he only
sees them at Christmas and Easter.
FOR OUR LEXOPHILES
(or word lovers to you and me)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.
A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U.C.L.A.
A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth
and nail.
A will is a dead giveaway.
With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
A boiled egg is hard to beat.
When you've seen one shopping centre you've seen the mall.
Police were called to a nursery where a three-year-old was
resisting a rest.
A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds.
The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully
recovered.
He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
When she saw her first strands of grey hair, she thought she'd
dye.
Acupuncture is a jab well done. That's the point of it.
Those who get too big for their pants will be exposed in
the end.
SPA BUS INES S N E WS
MAKE THE FUTURE LONDON
– A FESTIVAL OF IDEAS AND INNOVATION
As we outlined in the last issue, Shell
Eco-marathon Europe is going to be
held in London for the first time. It is
the centerpiece of the Make the Future
London Festival, and takes place at
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from
June 30 to July 3, 2016.
Make the Future London will
showcase bright energy ideas and
provide a platform for innovation,
collaboration and conversation around
the global energy challenge: how can
we produce and consume much more
energy, and much less CO2?
Alongside Shell Eco-marathon, the
festival is packed with interactive
visitor experiences that explore how we
will transition to a low-carbon world,
from the way we move people and
their things around, to how we might
live and work in our cities, and the
ingenuity and bright ideas that could
shape the future energy system.
Make the Future London is also
about inspiring young minds. Shell has
launched The Bright Ideas Challenge,
a new schools competition, inviting
students aged 11-14 to imagine
creative solutions to the energy
challenges faced by future cities.
We hope you, your family and your
friends will be able to attend what
promises to be an exciting event.
THREE THINGS...
SHELL’S POSITION ON THE UK’S EU REFERENDUM
You may have seen media coverage
of the UK’s EU Referendum, which
references a pro-EU letter signed by
business leaders, including our CEO,
Ben van Beurden
deal which strengthens Britain's special
status in the EU, which was agreed
by all EU leaders at a meeting of the
European Council on 19 February
2016.
02 What is Shell’s position on a
possible UK exit from the EU?
01 What is the status of the UK’s
EU Referendum?
The Prime Minister has called a
referendum on the UK’s membership
of the European Union, to be held on
Thursday 23 June 2016. This follows a
Shell has said publicly that we favour
the UK remaining in the EU. We are
a company with a strong heritage in
the UK and in Europe. The UK leaving
the EU might affect the freedom of
movement of staff and trade. We
believe Shell also benefits from the UK
being a powerful global player as part
of a strong Europe.
03 Why has Shell gone public on
this position?
The Shell General Business Principles
state that Shell companies do not
take part in party politics. However,
Shell companies have the right and
the responsibility to make our position
known on any matters which affect
us, our employees, our customers, our
shareholders or local communities, in a
manner which is in accordance with our
values and the Business Principles.
As an individual, however, how
you vote in the referendum is
entirely a matter for you.
SPA NEWS | 9
SPA F E AT U R E
CAPTURING THE WORLD AROUND US
TOGETHER WITH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, SHELL CREATED A YOUR
SHOT PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES, CHALLENGING ITS MEMBERS TO TAKE
CAPTIVATING IMAGERY TO REFLECT THE WORLD AROUND THEM.
Last summer, Shell and National
Geographic launched a three-part
photography series that explored the
world’s relationship to energy. The
special series was part of ‘Your Shot’,
National Geographic’s photography
community of 690,000 members who
have uploaded over 5.8 million photos.
The series launched by asking
photographers to snap pictures of what
a ‘World Without Energy’ looks like
to them. While reviewing the photos,
Director of Your Shot, Monica C.
Corcoran, commented: "What struck
me most as I looked at the photos was
how many of you already live in a world
without energy." This assignment resulted
in nearly 8,000 pictures submitted,
400 comments and 40,000 social
interactions on National Geographic’s
social channels. Our front cover photo
(by Aditya Waikul) is a ferris wheel in
Nashik, India that operates on human
power – look closely at the men in the
centre pedalling furiously to keep the
wheel turning.
The second assignment – ‘Bright Ideas
in Action’ – required photographers to
take a closer look at the world around
them and show the ways people are
turning bright ideas into real world
innovations. The final assignment, ‘Future
Cities’, aimed to inspire people to think
about what cities will look like in the
future as more people choose to live in
urban areas. Members all over the world
captured images that show innovative
ideas that help cities and the people in
them thrive sustainably.
Each assignment actively encouraged
members of the community to critically
think about our future together and what
they can do to contribute.
1
More photographs can be seen online:
http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/
stories/world-without-energy/
http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/
stories/bright-ideas-action/
http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/
stories/future-cities/
2
1. Paper rollers by Ilknur Can
2. Sun-baked bowls by Hasib Wahab
10 | SPA NEWS
BENEV OL ENCE T INA'S N EWS
STAT E BE N EF I T S
STATE BENEFITS
New rules: PIP and terminal
illness: New regulations modify the
requirement for a terminally ill claimant
who is transferring from Disability
Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal
Independence Payment (PIP) to wait a
minimum of 28 days after the first pay
day for PIP to be paid. Currently, DLA
entitlement ends for claimants who are
transferring from DLA to PIP 28 days
from the first pay day following the PIP
decision, regardless of whether they
receive more or less under PIP. Terminally
ill DLA claimants are also subject to this
rule. From 4 Apr 2016, the new rules
mean that where a terminally ill DLA
claimant is awarded a greater weekly
rate of PIP than their current DLA weekly
rate, their DLA entitlement will end the
earlier of:
• the last day of the DLA payment
period; or
• the first Tuesday after the PIP
decision.
Their PIP entitlement will begin the
following day.
Carer's Allowance exempt from
benefit cap: The government has
announced that claimants of carer’s
allowance are to be exempted from the
benefit cap. The decision follows a recent
High Court ruling that the benefit cap
unlawfully discriminated against disabled
people and so their carers as well. The
ruling applied to single carers in receipt
of carer’s allowance and looking after a
member of their family, and who couldn't
be expected to take any of the suggested
steps to avoid the cap. However, the
government has announced it will exempt
all recipients of carer’s allowance from
the benefit cap, whether single or part of
a couple.
Online Help to Prepare for
PIP/ESA Benefits Assessments:
Independent charity SeAp has just
launched www.c-app.org.uk a
digital service to help people applying
for disability related benefits. The site
gives users all the information they need
about Personal Independence Payment
(PIP) and Employment and Support
by Tina Gilchri st
Allowance (ESA). This site will enable
you to:
• Understand the benefits and how
to apply
• Understand the forms and
assessment processes
• Know how to answer the questions
in your assessment
• Know more about your rights.
Universal Credit: The full Universal
Credit (UC) roll-out for all new claims
begins in May 2016 and is open
to all new claims from all claimant
types, including Employment and
Support Allowance. Anyone currently
on benefits or Tax Credits who has a
change of circumstance that would
naturally trigger a new claim, will
have their entire household assessed
under UC. When the transition process
completes in mid-2018, the DWP will
begin migrating all remaining existing
benefit claimants to the full UC service;
this process will complete in 2021.
State Pension Increases: I have
received a number of calls from
pensioners saying they didn't receive
the full 2.9% increase in their state
pension that the government promised.
To clear up any confusion, the increase
of 2.9% only applied to the Basic State
Pension. The increase does not apply
to the SERPS/S2P and Graduated part
of the pension; these have not been
increased.
New State Pension: A reminder that
anyone who reaches State Retirement
age on or after 6 Apr 2016 will receive
a State Pension of up to £155.65
based on the new rules. If you are in
a Pension Scheme that was contracted
out of the SERPS/S2P section of the
old scheme, you may receive less than
this amount. However, you will never
receive less pension than you would
have received under the old rules.
Those receiving a State Pension on or
before 5 Apr 2016 come under the old
rules and will see no change.
Please note: The State Benefits
Summary matrix for 2016/2017 is on
www.pensions.shell.co.uk/spa
For a hard copy, please contact the SPA
office (see p2).
TAXATION
Income Tax Allowances
that reduce taxable income
(2016/17)
• Personal Allowance (PA) £11,000.
• PA will be reduced for those with
income above £100,000 pa,
tapering down to zero.
• Married Couples Allowance
(MCA)**, only available to those
born on or before 5 April 1935
(those age 75 and over before 5
April 2010), and relief is restricted
to 10%. MCA is £8,355 (gives a
tax saving of £835.50).
• Blind Persons Allowance £2,290
• Transferable Tax Allowance for
married couples and civil partners
£1,100 (for those born after 6
April 1935)
**MCA is reduced by £1 for every £2
that taxable income exceeds £27,700
pa. but will only reduce
below the basic PA of £11,000
if income is above the £100,000
threshold.
Income Tax Bands (2016/17)
• Income is taxed at 20% on the first
£32,000 of taxable income over
your personal allowance.
• Income between £32,001
(£43,001 incl PA) and £150,000
is taxed at 40%.
• An additional rate of Income Tax
of 45% will apply to income over
£150,000.
• Savings income only, nil-rate
band of £5,000 above the PA.
So anyone with a total income
(incl savings income) of less than
£16,000, may not pay tax on their
savings income.
• Personal savings allowance for
basic rate taxpayers £1,000, and
for higher rate taxpayers £500.
Tax from Building Society
Interest: Following the introduction of
the personal savings allowance, from
Apr2016, Banks & Building Societies
SPA NE WS | 11
SPA T I NA'S PA G ES
will automatically stop taking 20%
income tax from the interest earned on
non-ISA savings. So if your total non-ISA
savings income from Banks & Building
Societies exceeds the personal savings
allowance of £1,000 (see 2.2 above)
for basic rate taxpayers, and £500 for
higher rate taxpayers, you will need to
declare it.
Scottish Taxpayers: The Scottish
government announced in the December
budget that total income tax rates that
apply to Scottish income taxpayers
for the tax year 2016/2017 will be
reduced by 10% for people living in
Scotland. You’ll then pay the Scottish
rate of 10% on top of your UK rate.
There is no overall change to the
Income Tax rate you pay – whether
you pay the basic, higher or additional
rates, but some of the Income Tax
collected under the Scottish rate will
fund the Scottish government, and the
rest will fund the UK government. There
will also be a 3% increase in Land and
Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT), for the
purchase of additional properties. For
further information visit www.gov.scot
FINANCE
Individual Savings Account (ISA):
A reminder that if you have not used
up your ISA Allowance for the tax year
2015/16, and wish to do so, you must
do it before 5 Apr 2016. The Annual
overall limit that can be invested in
an ISA for the 2015/16 tax year is
£15,240. All of this can be invested
in either cash or stocks and shares
or a mixture of both. The limit for a
Junior ISA for the 2015/16 tax year is
£4,080. The ISA limits will remain the
same for the 2016/17 tax year.
Probate Fee Increase: Obtaining
a grant of probate is the process by
which someone is given authority
to deal with property, money and
possessions of a person after they die.
It is usually sought by the executor of a
will or a person acting on their behalf.
Under new proposals, the present flat
fee of £215 to apply for a grant of
probate will be replaced with a system
of tiered charges. The value of estates
below which no fee is payable would
increase from £5,000 to £50,000
(57% of the total). For estates worth
between £50,000 and £300,000 the
new fee will be £300, rising to £1,000
12 | SPA NEWS
for estates between £300,000 and
£500,000, £4,000 for estates between
£500,000 and £1m, £8,000 for estates
between £1m and £1.6m, £12,000 for
those between £1.6m and £2m, and
£20,000 for estates over £2m.
GENERAL
Care home ratings: The Care
Quality Commission (CQC) has
launched an interactive map of care
home ratings in England at www.cqc.
org.uk/ This tool gives a picture of
services geographically and will help
people who use services, their families,
and carers to choose those services. The
map will make it easier for the public,
providers and other partners to search
for care homes by geographic location
or postcode, compare ratings and read
the most recent inspection reports.
There are limitations to the display of
care homes where there are duplicate
postcodes, and the CQC encourages
people to use their website search bar
and to read their in-depth inspection
reports alongside the map to get a full
picture of services in their area.
Shingles Vaccine: Public Health
England (PHE) is reminding eligible
older people to get the shingles vaccine
to help prevent the painful infection.
New figures show a drop in vaccine
coverage. From 1 Sep 2015, the
shingles vaccine has been offered
to people aged 70 years on 1 Sep
2015. People aged 78 years on 1
Sep 2015 can also get vaccinated.
Those eligible for immunisation in the
first two years of the programme but
not yet vaccinated against shingles
remain eligible until their 80th birthday.
These are people aged 71, 72 or 79
on 1 Sept 2015. The shingles vaccine
is available at any time throughout the
year to eligible people.
Royal Mail Postage increases:
On 29 Mar 2016 a first class normal
stamp increased from 63p to 64p,
while the cost of a normal second class
stamp increased from 54p to 55p.
The cost of a large letter first class
stamp increased from 95p to 96p,
and a large letter second class stamp
increased from 74p to 75p.
Warning – bogus Council Tax
refund scams: The government
is warning of a number of Council
Tax refund scams currently operating
around the country. Someone may
telephone, or appear personally at
your door, claiming to be able to
reduce your Council Tax bill. Examples
of tactics used by bogus agents to get
you to part with your money include:
Charging an upfront fee with an added
20% of the reduction should they
successfully reduce your Council Tax
band; insisting you are definitely in
the wrong band and are owed back
payments on your Council Tax bill, when
in fact your band is correct; saying they
are from the local council or Valuation
Office Agency (VOA) and asking for
your bank details so they can provide a
refund. The fraudsters then steal money
from your bank account.
Please DO NOT give your bank details
to anyone, either on the doorstep or
by phone. DO NOT let anyone into
your home without seeing appropriate
identification, or feel under pressure
from cold-callers to pay an immediate
upfront fee. Remember, you can have
your band checked free of charge by
contacting the VOA online at: www.
gov.uk/guidance/valuationoffice-agency-and-council-tax.
Confirm over the phone with a coldcaller’s head office to check they are
legitimate. Ensure that if a cold-caller
used the telephone, your last call ended
properly before redialling the number,
or better still, redial using a different
telephone, such as a mobile phone.
Fixed penalty scam email:
warning for DVSA customers: The
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
(DVSA) is warning the public about
scam emails claiming to be from the
DVSA Fixed Penalty Office. The emails
contain an attachment to a ‘fixed
penalty receipt’. DVSA never sends
fixed penalty notices to customers by
email. If you have received this email,
do not:
• click on any links in it
• reply to the email or contact the
senders in any way
• open any attachments that arrive
with the email
If you have clicked on a link in the
email, do not supply any information
on the website that may open. You
should report the email to Action Fraud
on 0300 123 2040 Text phone users:
0300 123 2050, or visit the UK’s
national reporting centre for fraud and
internet crime: www.actionfraud.
police.uk/
CONTACTS
Tina Gilchrist of CBG Solutions Ltd has
been contracted by the SPBA to provide
updates and a helpline on state benefits.
For the helpline service, contact Tina:
CBG Solutions Ltd
44 Rydal Road
Harrogate
North Yorkshire
HG1 4SD
01423 819452 or 07711 555931
tina.gilchrist@cbgsolutions.co.uk
When you contact Tina, please mention
the SPA and give her a phone number
on which she can speak to you if
necessary.
Ian Landeryou
SPBA Secretary/Treasurer
020 7934 5131
Ian.C.Landeryou@shell.com
SPBA DONATIONS – NEW GIFT AID DECLARATION
The tax efficient method of donating to
the SPBA is by Gift Aid, as the SPBA
is able to reclaim basic rate tax which
boosts the donation by 25%. So, for
every £1 donated as Gift Aid, the SPBA
receives £1.25. Also, the donor is able
to reclaim any higher rate tax paid, up
to the amount of their donations.
Effective 1 Apr 2016, the Gift Aid
declaration will change for donations
made by 'new donors'. The declaration
to be signed by the donor states: I
am a UK taxpayer and understand
that if I pay less income tax and/or
Capital Gains tax in a tax year than
the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all
of my donations in that tax year it is my
responsibility to pay any difference.
The change in the declaration is
to make the donor aware it is their
responsibility to ensure the Gift Aid
reclaim amount of their total donations
to charities does not exceed their tax
payments, and to make them aware that
the consequence of failing to do this is
to them, rather than the charity. When
completing the SPBA Gift Aid reclaim,
names, addresses, and the amount
claimed per donor is supplied to HMRC.
This is necessary for the Gift Aid to be
repaid to the SPBA. The most popular
method of donating to the SPBA is by
regular monthly/annual amounts. For
those donors, their current declaration still
applies, so there's no need to complete
a new Gift Aid form. However, if you
have changed your name or address from
that recorded on your current Gift Aid
declaration, a new form is required by the
SPBA for Gift Aid to be claimed.
The Trustees would like to take this
opportunity to thank all donors for
their contributions to the SPBA, which
allows the Association to help fellow
Shell pensioners in need. In 2015 the
benevolence given by the SPBA exceeded
the income of the Association, so new
donations would be appreciated to
allow the Trustees to continue to provide
assistance where it is required.
Should you wish to make a donation,
or need to complete a new Gift Aid
declaration, the forms are available for
download via the SPA website: Who
We Are; Related Organisations; SPBA or
please contact the Secretary /Treasurer,
Ian Landeryou.
SPA NE WS | 13
SPA F E AT U R E
COMING TO CARE
KENNETH SHOVLAR
Kenneth Shovlar
It was a hot Friday afternoon
some three years ago when
I, a Londoner, stood ringing
the front door bell at a care
home in northwest England.
A home chosen for me by my
daughter and destined to be
my next resting place.
“He can’t be a proper Shell
pensioner,” I hear you say. Proper Shell
pensioners spend most of their time on
discounted Saga Cruise holidays! And
when they are not doing that, they are
running marathons dressed in a barrel
and taking selfies at yet another Far
Eastern reunion.
“Well said,” I concede, but the Shell
pensioner community does in reality
encompass many thousands of us, of
different ages, varying health and
family circumstances. My move to the
north of England came rather suddenly.
The managers of St Thomas’s Hospital
in London became fed up of seeing me
brought into A & E yet one more time,
having fallen over in the middle of the
road, damaging some part of me in
the process (for those interested in the
niceties of diagnosis, I should add that
14
14 || SPA
SPA NEWS
NEWS
it was a problem of balance rather than
booze!)
St Thomas’s decreed that I should be
discharged only to a care home near my
daughter or else …
I wasn’t quite sure what the “or else”
meant, but it did have a rather sinister
ring to it and so I opted for the care
home. The bureaucracy of transferring
from an NHS hospital in London to
a care home in northwest England
was substantial. But all of the parties
involved worked with a will to get
me satisfactorily re-settled and off the
streets (literally).
There can be no doubt that care
homes have a very bad press in the
UK. Every article written is related to
some dire event. This, from my personal
experience, is a grossly unfair reporting
of the situation on the ground. The vast
majority of care homes, including mine,
are very well managed and staffed,
with the welfare of their residents at
the top of their list. It is a 24/7/365
operation, which many of us from our
Shell days may be familiar with and
we remember the ingenuity required to
cope with all the unpredictable events
which may arise. Moreover care homes
are freely open to visitors and regularly
inspected. These inspections include
interviews with residents.
A care home has a number of basic
duties: top of these are medication and
health matters. All of us old ones take
loads of pills on a daily basis and a
pill trolley comes round twice a day,
very reminiscent of the tea trolleys
of the St Helen’s days in the 1950s.
Mind you, the pills don’t have quite the
same flavour as the doughnuts from Joe
Lyons. Liaison with the NHS is excellent
and I have had my front teeth replaced
(those London streets are so hard),
hearing aids provided, and cataract
operations carried out, all with the full
assistance of and escorts provided by
the care home.
Food is plain but tasty and copious.
Again, it reminds me of the food
provided by the vintage Shell canteens of
yesteryear. Peace descends for two hours
after lunch!
There have been a number of
letters in the press complaining that
care homes (and hospitals) show
disrespect to their loved ones by not
addressing them as Mr or Mrs X. In
a north country care home the use of
first names for residents and staff is de
rigueur with the addition of colloquial
endearments. Informality was one of
the first characteristics I noticed about
Shell when I joined all those years ago.
It is an informality and friendliness
that still preserves the managementstaff relationship, essential when the
processes and products being handled
are potentially life-threatening. Mind
you, I can’t recall many colloquial
endearments being exchanged in my
talks with my Shell bosses.
Finally, for the benefit of my fellow
male pensioners, I should mention that
care homes are predominantly a female
environment, both staff and residents.
The macho world of the oil rig, refinery
and depot are far away. A male
coming here must cast his mind back to
the days of his successful courtship of
Ginny Jones in Typing, and adopt the
good manners and courteous behaviour
of those days long ago.
Shell Pensioners Benevolent
Association has links to two housing
association providers, Riverside Group
(Merseyside) and Hanover Housing
(England & Wales). They may be able
to assist a Shell Pensioner looking to
move into care or sheltered housing.
There is no financial benefit. Contact
your PLR for details.
LONG-TERM CARE: WILL I NEED TO
SELL MY HOME TO MEET THE COSTS?
BETTINA BULL, AFFINITY ESTATE PLANNING
The cost of care in the UK is on the rise. In addition, average life spans have increased in recent years and are continuing to do so.
One consequence of this is that many more people are likely to need either residential or domiciliary long-term care at some point in
their lives, and local authorities are obliged to try to recover the cost for this. But who will be responsible for picking up the cost and
will it mean selling your family home?
The local authority will take into account the total value of your estate, including your savings, investments and your property when
deciding whether you are responsible for meeting your own care costs. The following limits apply, dependent on where you live:
England
Wales
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Upper limit:
£23,250
£24,000
£23,250
£26,000
Lower limit:
£14,250
The upper and lower
limits are the same
£14,250
£16,000
Individuals with assets in excess of the
standard limits will be required to pay for
their own residential care costs in most
circumstances until their assets fall below
the upper limit and to make a partial
contribution until their assets fall below
the lower limit. Income is also taken
into account by the local authority when
assessing their contribution to long-term
care costs, even when someone’s estate is
virtually exhausted.
Assuming a husband and wife or civil
partners own their house jointly, and one
spouse needs care, the property is not
included in the calculation of assets while
the other spouse is still resident in the
property. By contrast, if after the death of
one of the spouses the surviving spouse
has to go into care, the entire property
value, in excess of standard limits (above)
becomes available to cover care fees.
Many people regard it as unfair that
those who have managed to buy a
property and accumulate some savings
through a lifetime of hard work and financial prudence are forced to pay while
others who have not made the same
sacrifices make no contribution.
An expensive business
Average care home fees now reach over
£500 per week. In some cases this could
amount to £40,000 per year. The length
of time people are spending in care is
increasing with the rise in illnesses such
as dementia. Therefore it’s easy to see
how a large proportion of your estate can
easily be depleted by care costs.
Solutions
There are legitimate ways of safeguarding your life savings from being eroded
in such a way. For couples, one option is
to set up a Trust in their Wills. Under this
arrangement each partner would leave
any assets held in their sole name as well
as their share of the family residence to
a Trust, which would be set up on their
death through their will. The surviving
spouse would have a life interest in the
Trust, which entitles them to remain in
the home rent free and also receive any
income that may be payable on investments. It is also possible to buy a replacement property, for example to downsize,
with the consent of the Trustees.
The result is that those assets which
have passed into the Trust would be
excluded from the assessable capital of
the surviving spouse for the purpose of
contributing to long-term care. Therefore,
the Trust fund is safeguarded for the
beneficiaries, often the children, which
would also apply in case of remarriage
or bankruptcy of the survivor.
OFFER FOR
SPA MEMBERS
£60 DISCOUNT ON A PAIR OF WILLS
To arrange a free initial, no obligation consultation for a limited
period, please call Affinity on 0800 0197714 quoting reference
'SPA LTC Spring 2016'
Bettina Bull is Director of Affinity Estate Planning, a
member of the Institute of Professional Willwriters, which
specialise in Trust and tax planning through Wills as well
as Lasting Powers of Attorney. If you would like further
information, Affinity can be contacted on 0800 0197714.
SPA NE WS | 15
SPA F E AT U R E
DO YOU VOLUNTEER FOR A CHARITY
IN YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY?
If yes, then the organisation you support may be eligible for Shell support.
Volunteering Grants: Shell Employee
Action (SEA) grants of £350 are available
to current staff and pensioners. To be
eligible for a grant you must volunteer a
minimum of 20 hours annually within a UK
community group or charity.
Fundraising Grants are awarded to
individuals taking part in fundraising
activities (such as running a marathon) for
a UK charity. The scheme awards a 'top
up' grant of up to £350 for individuals
and £500 for groups. The applicant has
to provide evidence that it has already
raised money.
All organisations must either be
registered with the Charity Commission or
the Scottish Charity Regulator. Otherwise,
they have to be validated by the
Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) before
an application can be approved. CAF
will liaise directly with the organisation
to support them in this process. Grants
are processed monthly. Applications are
welcome from all community initiatives,
except political or narrow sectarian
organisations.
General criteria
• Shell pensioners are eligible, but
partners are not.
• You may apply for one grant in a
12-month period.
• The scheme does not support
individuals, salary costs, premises
costs, building or refurbishment costs,
religious, commercial or political
aims, funding for disaster relief or
•
research activities and projects
outside of the UK.
All SEA grants are made at the sole
discretion of Shell, and Shell reserves
the right to decline a request.
Applications are now only accepted
online: https://grantstream.com/
ShellUK/employee/en
RETURN TO INDIA
by Charles Smiles
I worked for Shell from 1971 to 1998
(14 years at Teesport Refinery, and the
remaining at Shell Mex House in the
Manufacturing, Supply and Trading
Division), and have been retired for 17
years.
As a recognised outreach from St.
Nicholas Church, in Arundel, I became
involved with the Indian Charity FEAST
(Foundation for Education & Social
Transformation). Founded in 1998 by
Fr. Jeremias George, a Catholic Priest
who carries out his work in southern
India (Nagercoil, Chunkankadai in the
Kanyakumari District of Kerala), the Charity
helps the poorest of poor, irrespective of
religion, and focuses on families living in
the fishing villages and surrounding areas
affected by the tsunami in 2004.
Our main aim is to get children into
education, support the elderly with food,
build houses, and help the abandoned
and disabled, and every penny donated
gets spent on sponsorship and support.
16 | SPA NEWS
Since the Charity began, we've seen
the drop-out rate for schooling (because
families wanted children to leave school
to earn money) reduce from 80% down
to 20%. Over 80% of sponsored children
still in education have obtained either
a bachelors degree at University level
or undergone professional training,
enabling them to find employment.
In November 2015, I was fortunate to
visit Nagercoil again, seven years since
my initial visit. One of my sponsored
children is Michael, who I first met when
he was 10. His father died before he was
born and his mother developed chronic
asthma, preventing her from working.
Michael would have had to leave school,
so I've been sponsoring him since 2008
and he's progressed through junior and
intermediate school, and is now on his
2nd year at college, after which he'll
study to be a Chartered Accountant. He
now speaks some English and was very
enthusiastic in telling me about his plans.
It shows the sponsorship plan works,
and am very proud of what Michael has
achieved.
I also sponsor two girls, now in their
early teens and flourishing at school, and
I've recently taken on a nine-year-old boy,
who when I met him, told me he wants to
be a scientist – all the children have high
aspirations.
Since my return, I've agreed to look
after the UK sponsorship Charity account
for FEAST. If anyone would like to know
more about the charity, or would consider
a sponsorship, please contact me (details
available through SPA office).
£8 p/m sponsors a child in education
until college age and hopefully beyond
£5 p/m sponsors an elderly person
re food, integrating them back into the
family unit
£1,500 builds a basic concrete
dwelling to move a family out of shack
accommodation with mud floors and
banana leaf roofs.
PINS & NEEDLES
by Helen Page
Who would have guessed that 12
grubby tie pins and brooches, found in
the back of a cupboard, would generate such excitement? The pins were offered in the last issue to those who were
judged deserving of the old awards.
One thing everyone agreed on
was that the ruby pins were awarded
for long service. And that was where
the consensus ended. Members were
convinced they were for 15, 20, 25
and 40 years. We were surprised, here
in the office, to learn just how valuable they are. The original price list
from Mappin & Webb shows they cost
nearly £200 plus VAT, over 30 years
ago. Member Tony Oxford went into
the jewellers to ask about them. The
presentation box only had one royal
warrant; the company was awarded a
second warrant for HRH Prince Charles
in 1980, so that sets the date prior
to then. They can still be bought from
Charles Green, Tel 0121 236 1874,
though they are eye-wateringly expensive: a set of three-stone cufflinks will
set you back £470.
1
Quite a few members were disappointed that they missed out on their
award during their working career,
being in the wrong place at the wrong
time. It seems different countries had
their own rewards, which were not
always so generous. Though hotly
contested, these were the most popular
suggestions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
10 years - Plain gold
(though not real gold)
15 years - Emerald
20 years - Ruby 25 years - One diamond
30 years - Two diamonds 35 years - Three diamonds
40 years - Four diamonds and
membership of the 4 Star Club
We received a photo of a similar
award for 15 years, whilst working
in Nigeria, from Myrrdin Jones, but
instead of Mappin & Webb it has 'KON
REGEER DOUBLÉ' arranged as a circle
on the reverse. It's rather fancier than
our version.
2
3
1 Michael aged 10 at our first meeting. He's sporting his Ferrari Baseball cap, donated
by Shell!
2 Michael on my November visit, now 17
3 Visiting school children, many sponsored by the FEAST charity. Even in that neck of the
woods they love a ‘selfie'!
Some of the deserving entries went to:
Replace pins lost during house
moves, travels, trips to the dry
cleaners or lost to Johnny Robber’s
swag bag, as member, Russell
Carter, referred to his burglary
• Celebrate 40 years of marriage
• A member in his 80s. Having lost
his wife a few years ago he has
found unexpected happiness with
a new lady friend, and would like
to give her a gift that's meaningful
to him
• A member who had admired
them on older gentlemen’s lapels
and would like to sport one at
his upcoming 87th birthday. He
obviously still considers himself
young.
•
The funniest award went to a member
who, years ago, was asked to present
a pin to a member of staff. He told his
secretary to leave it on his desk. She
was reluctant to leave such an expensive piece of jewellery. He laughed
and advised her that it was only cheap
metal and paste. If it were a real stone,
it could cut through glass. To demonstrate his point, he ran the gem down
his window, leaving a deep score –
which was never repaired – and a very
red face.
I too, got a stern telling off for using
Brasso to clean the pins. Had I known
their worth, I would have treated them
with far more deference.
SPA NE WS | 17
SPA MI S CE LL A N E O U S
RESPONSE TO THE DONATION REQUEST
by Shell Art Collection
One pin was sent to the Shell Heritage Art
Collection, so it can be kept for posterity
and viewed by visitors for a long time to
come.
Nicky and the team at the Shell
Heritage Art Collection would like to say
a huge thanks to everyone who kindly
donated gifts to the Collection. We've
received numerous enquiries from readers
across the country regarding gifts and
mementos collected during their time with
Shell. Amongst the new additions to the
Collection, we've been lucky enough
to receive: Shell engraved Parker pens,
various Shell books, cufflinks, a Shell
medicine bottle, a mini oil bottle from the
1930s, FROG model aircrafts, a tie pin,
and even more on the way.
We’re very grateful to everyone who
has sent such lovely items to the Collection.
It has been very interesting to learn about
some of the fascinating stories of time spent
within Shell.
The scheme to reward staff for long
service to Shell began 60 years ago in
June 1956. Long service emblems were
awarded to staff when they had completed
25, 30, 35 and 40 years service. In its
first year, the scheme awarded 3,130
employees with gold lapel studs for the
men and brooches for the women. The
emblem incorporated the company’s
insignia and was decorated with one
or more diamonds according to years of
service. The gifts were considered a small
token that symbolised a great one.
If you have anything you would like to
donate that you think may be of interest to
Nicky and the team, please get in touch.
Email: shell.art@beaulieu.co.uk or
Tel: 01590 614697.
reminded me of this lump of coal (and
optimistic slogan), obtained during my time
with Shell Coal around 1978. Now very
useful for ‘first footing’!"
Tom Cannon: "I was given it by a
colleague from SMBP days, Keith Mitchell,
around the mid 70s. He was rebranded
BP and I was Shell. It's 5cm2 and weighs
only 144 grams, not much weight for a
paperweight!"
Pauline Messum: "My husband had
many years in Shell International in China,
the Philippines, Singapore and Canada,
and later seven years as MD of Gulf Oil
in Copenhagen. As such, he and I were
invited to the inauguration in Hamburg of
the North Sea oil installation and presented
with a paperweight inscribed with the date
1972."
Chris Baldry: "I joined the Investment
Division of Shell Pensions in 1983 and left
in 1997. This would date the presentation
of these paperweights between September
1983 and 1986 since Thelma Tasker’s late
husband retired in the latter year. I’ve no
idea why I was considered for receipt of
this gift, but both Derek Tasker and myself
worked in a finance function."
Derek Howcroft writes: "I have the
BP version. From what I remember, it was
BP who discovered oil in the North Sea in
1975, so I wonder if the Shell paperweight
was produced about the same time?"
Laura Rawlings (was Shingler):
"Mine was given to me in 1981 by
Captain Visser of m.s. Daphne when I spent
10 days on board sailing from Le Havre
to the Fawley refinery at Southampton
via Flotta, in the Orkneys. I was working
for SITCo ITS in tanker programming and
it was customary for us to be sent on a
'tanker trip' to experience life on board,
which was most interesting. The only
drawback was having to climb over the
side of the tanker and down a very small
ladder into the boat which could take us
ashore! Happy memories!"
PAPERWEIGHTS
We got a great response to Thelma Tasker's
letter in the last issue; she was unsure of
when her late husband, Derek, was given
his paperweight. Here are some of the
many replies:
Ian Wright sent a photo of one he
received while at Shell at Bacton Gas
Terminal in 1976.
Pat Lawrence: "I have one which
belonged to my late husband, Capt.
William Lawrence. Also a glass tankard,
with an inscription 'Shell-Esso Brent Oil
Ashore Dec. 1976', which puts a definite
date on the first Brent Oil."
June Procter: "My late husband
Ronald served nearly 40 years with
Shell in London; on retiring he set up the
North London/Herts SPA Branch and
was Chairman for three years. It's such a
coincidence that Derek (Tasker) and Ron
both worked in Shell Centre and both
received one of these paper weights – I
wonder if they knew each other?"
Sue Allen (nee Riddington): "I worked
at Shell Centre 1964-79; as far as I
remember at some time all employees were
given a paperweight containing crude oil
to celebrate its discovery in the North Sea.
Mine has no Shell symbol but is well over
30 years old!"
Kirsty Johns: "The oil paperweight
18 | SPA NEWS
SPA M IS CEL L A NE OUS
SAVINGS FOR SIXTIES AND OVER
Although SPA works hard on your behalf,
some discounts and deals are open to
everyone over 60. Here are a few of the
popular ones we came across:
• B&Q stores across the UK offer a
special Wednesday discount for 60+.
• Boots Health Club – sign up to
receive 10% off selected Boots brand
products. Other exclusive savings for
club members include 25% off Boots
brand glasses at Boots Opticians and
a free hearing test at Boots Hearing
Care Centres.
• Odeon Silver Cinema for over 55s
– tickets available on selected films
and screening times from as little as
£3 when you book in person (£3.50
online). Book up to four weeks in
advance and pre-movie tea, coffee
and biscuits are included.
Go to www.odeon.co.uk
•
A Senior Railcard is available to
people over 60. At £30 for the whole
year, you get one-third off the price
of standard, first class, off-peak and
advance fares. And at tesco.com you
can buy an annual Senior Railcard at
a discount price in exchange for £15
worth of Clubcard points.
www.vouchercodes.co.uk offer
short-term discounts on well-known high
street chain restaurants, including 2-4-1
deals and often up to one-third off the price
of a meal.
If you have internet access, Seniors
Discounts provide regular updates of the
latest offers
www.seniorsdiscounts.co.uk
Register to receive their newsletter via
email.
The above were sourced from Saga
Magazine
It's always worth asking if a discount
applies when making an expensive
purchase. Member, Mrs Cubberley, was
buying a new Hyundai car from her
local garage. During the course of the
conversation it emerged she's a Shell
pensioner; she was eligible for a £1,000
discount, even though she'd already agreed
to buy the car. She contacted us to make
sure other members don’t miss out.
APPLYING DISCOUNTS TO APPLIANCES
Most of us only replace our appliances
every six years or so. Kitchen equipment
and appliances typically account for the
largest outlay of any room, so it’s worth
taking time to make the right choice.
Check your space. Measure all
dimensions and write the sizes down
before looking at appliances. Check
capacity.
Determine your budget and
check prices in readiness – a higher
price does not always mean higher quality.
Check the appliance's energy ratings; over
its life, a little bit more energy used can
add up to a lot of money.
Read reviews. If a brand or model
has a lot of problems, you’ll know it.
Consumer magazines, such as Which?
are particularly useful.
Buttons, knobs, and controls.
Some appliances have nice, flat panels
that can be cleaned in one wipe; others
require a lot of disassembly to get at spills
down underneath knobs. Are the knobs
easy to grip and operate? Top-freezer
refrigerators are less expensive, but
bottom-freezer units offer the convenience
of eye-level shelving.
Choose the features you want,
and be realistic. It's easy to spend
money for options you don't need, e.g.
how many washing cycles do you use?
How often will you use the ice dispenser
on the fridge? Usually fewer features
mean cheaper, and more reliable,
equipment. Do you live alone in a small
flat, or do you frequently entertain? Will
you be chilling empty space?
Hotpoint is offering members 35%
off new end of line kitchen
appliances at the Hotpoint Clearance
Store. Delivery is direct from the
manufacturer and includes:
• Free nationwide delivery (England,
Scotland, N. Ireland and Wales)
• Free removal/recycling (on a like for
like basis).
Additional options include:
• Gas connection on free-standing
appliances (by Hotpoint's gas safe
engineers)
• Connection services on all other freestanding appliances
• Choice selection on timed delivery
windows
Go to
www.hotpointclearance.co.uk and
use voucher code: SHELL35 at checkout
or Tel: 01733 287 889
SPA NE WS | 19
SPA F I NANC E
IS IT TRUE I CAN 'CASH IN' MY SCPF PENSION?
BY DONNA LIVINGSTONE, COMMUNICATION AND TRUSTEE SERVICES ADVISER
If you’re receiving your Shell
Contributory Pension Fund (SCPF) the
simple answer is No! You cannot 'cash
in' or transfer your SCPF pension to
another arrangement.
You’ve probably heard about the
changes made by the government
to give savers more freedom when it
comes to taking their pension savings.
The new pension freedom changes,
introduced from 6 April 2015, allow
people aged 55 or over to do what
they like with their Defined Contribution
(DC) pension pot. As the SCPF is a
Defined Benefit (DB) scheme, most of
the changes do not apply.
If you’re a pensioner, you're already
receiving your SCPF pension, so the
changes will not affect you, unless you
have DC benefits elsewhere that you have
yet to take. The government has set up a
free retirement guidance service called
Pension Wise for people with DC benefits.
Visit www.pensionwise.gov.uk for
more information.
If you have not started to receive your
SCPF pension and you want to take
advantage of the pension freedoms, you
will have to transfer your benefit to a DC
arrangement. If your SCPF transfer value
is more than £30,000 you must, before
transferring, take independent advice
from a financial adviser authorised by
the Financial Conduct Authority.
Decisions about your pension savings
are complicated and important so
we strongly encourage you to seek
independent financial advice regardless
of the value of your pension, before
deciding what to do. You can find a
list of independent financial advisers in
your area at www.unbiased.co.uk
THUMBS UP FOR UK FOREX
SPA Member Stewart Officer, wrote to share with readers his recent
experience with UK Forex.
Having seen UK Forex mentioned in
the SPA Benefits (Finance) section,
I had a very helpful discussion
with the organisation and have
now used their services. They were
extremely helpful in setting up the
beneficiaries and it was a very
easy process to use. The benefit is
you don’t pay fees on the first three
transactions.
As an example, I transferred
£20k to Euros to our ABN-AMRO
bank in the Netherlands and
saved 1,400 Euros on Exchange
Rate compared to if I'd have used
Lloyds Bank (we are buying a
small property in Carveiro in the
Algarve, Portugal).
From the deal date to the funds
appearing in my bank account was
three days and I was kept informed
by email every step of the way, on
progress of the deal to completion,
20 | SPA NEWS
so excellent security.
As advertised in the Benefits section on
p2 of SPA News, you use the Shell pid
(personal identification number) 1344.
The benefits gained from this include:
• The first three transactions free of
charge
• Improved margin online with
exchange rate (referred to as a
preferential rate)
• No fee on transfers below £3,000,
otherwise it's £7.00 (lower than
bank figures)
• Registering and setting up bank
IBAN, BiC or Swift takes you
directly to a Personal Dealer, which
simplifies the transaction process
• I can personally recommend
Andy Atkins on 020 7614 4194
(Dealer) or Nina on
0207 614 4121 (Customer
Service) or Paul Marmattino
0207 614 4149 (Dealer).
TRUSTEE VIDEO
WEBCAST
Shell Pension Trust has produced a
video webcast for active members of
the Shell Contributory Pension Fund.
You can watch the full webcast and
view the questions and answers on
the pensions website
www.pensions.shell.co.uk/scpf/
communications.html
SPA H E ALT H
SPRING INTO HEALTH
HAS THE COLD SNAP LEFT YOU WITH CHAPPED LIPS?
The lip skin is not hairy and has no
sweat glands, so doesn’t have the usual
protection layer of sweat and body
oils, which keep the skin smooth and
regulate warmth. This is why lips tend
to dry out faster than other parts of
the body and become chapped more
easily. It’s particularly prevalent in older
people who are ill.
TOP TIPS
Don’t lick or touch them. It’s tempting
to lick or pick at dry lips. Although this
brings temporary relief, as the saliva
evaporates, it dries out the lips even
further. Picking the skin can lead to
bleeding, infection or cold sores.
Look for a lip balm that contains
natural moisturisers, such as
beeswax, coconut butter or almond
oil. A vitamin E or glycerine-based
ointment might be helpful. Lip ointments
with flavourings taste good, but only
encourage licking, so undoing any good.
DO YOU HAVE
POOR SIGHT?
A member asked: "I’ve been registered as
having poor sight and am told that I can
get help with setting up my computer, my
dvd machine, etc but where do I go for this
sort of help?"
RNIB's Technology Support Squad is a
free national service that can set up, fix
issues with, and help you use your device.
Get in touch for help with:
• Changing your watch battery
• Tuning in your digital radio
• Setting up audio description on
your TV
• Setting up a new computer, laptop or
printer
• Setting up your internet connection
• Installing software such as Microsoft
Office or JAWS
Avoid products with eucalyptus, menthol
or camphor listed as ingredients.
If the lips are painful, try rubbing
in aloe gel, a slice of cucumber or
honey. Or make up a rub with olive oil
and sugar.
If you have a humidifier in the home,
try using that to add more moisture to the
air, temporarily.
Look at other underlying causes, other
than temperature. Excessive intake of
salt doesn’t help. A vitamin supplement
during colder months might be an idea,
especially A, B, C B2 and E.
Try not to sleep with your mouth
open. Chapped lips can be caused by
breathing through an open mouth,
when you have a stuffy nose. Clear
your nose before bed. If you can’t avoid
sleeping with your mouth open, apply a
lip balm before retiring.
Always apply a balm before going out
in harsh or windy conditions. There are still
surprisingly cold snaps in April and May.
HOME-MADE WEEKLY
TREATMENT:
Mix:
A tablespoon of brown sugar
A dash of honey (just enough to
make the sugar stick) or
• A spoon of olive oil
• A tiny drop of vanilla essence
Mix together in a small container until
sticky. Apply to the lips once a week and
rub in. Leave for one minute. Wash off
and apply regular lip balm.
•
•
WHO HAS PRIORITY ON BUSES?
Have you been unable to
board public transport with
a wheelchair because the
allocated space is occupied by
a pushchair? What is fair?
The following answer is given
by Citizens Advice England:
“Wheelchair users should be
given priority over pushchair
users. If there is a pushchair in
the wheelchair space when you
try to board the bus, the driver
should ask the pushchair user to
move. However, if the pushchair
user refuses to move, the driver
can't force them to do so.”
Editor’s note: I remember as
a child that, when the bus was
full, I had to stand, or sit on my
mother’s lap, to make a seat for
any adult …
Call RNIB on 0303 123 9999
SPA NE WS | 21
SPA T I ME OU T
LENSBURY: THE PERFECT GETAWAY
by Ryan Conway, Reservations Coordinator
Retreat to The Lensbury this year, set
on the banks of the River Thames. Take
an afternoon stroll along the Thames
to nearby Richmond or Kingston. Visit
Teddington High Street with its mix of local
restaurants, boutiques, curiosity stores and
coffee shops.
Should you wish to venture beyond
our 25-acre grounds, Hampton Court,
Kew Gardens, Richmond & Bushy Parks
are on the doorstep. Central London is
30 minutes away by direct train, and our
shuttle service can take you to and from
Teddington Station, free of charge*
2
NIGHT OFFER
3-7
NIGHT OFFER
SPA members can take advantage of
these offers as many times as they like
throughout the year, and at any time
mid-week or weekend – bookings are
now completely unrestricted. Lensbury
Members receive even further discounted
rates; please ask for details when making
your reservation.
All rates include full English buffet
breakfast, VAT, parking, wi-fi and use of
The Lensbury’s leisure facilities, including
25m newly-refurbished indoor pool,
gym, sauna & steam, tennis, squash and
seasonal watersports, such as boating.
Standard Single
Standard Double Superior Double/Twin
Standard Single
Standard Double Superior Double/Twin
2 nights
per night
£159
£215
£245
£79.50
£107.50
£122.50
5 nights
per night
£335
£440
£490
A VIP DAY AT
HENLEY ROYAL
REGATTA:
29 JUNE AND 3 JULY
Member Nigel Scandrett, owner of the
Maidenhead Steam Company, offered
fellow members discounted hospitality
during Henley Regatta last year. As he
got a good response he is repeating the
offer for two dates in 2016. The Garden
Party takes place in the riverside gardens
of a Tudor mansion, there are two river
cruises along the course, a complimentary
bar throughout the day, Champagne and
Pimms reception, 4-course lunch including
a cold lobster option, a trad jazz band
and a strawberry cream tea. Car parking
is available on site or a complimentary
shuttle bus from Henley station. The public
price is £294pp but the SPA member
offer is £175. http://www.henleyregatta.
info/ for more information.
Contact Nigel 0203 044 2925 or
nigel@maidenheadsteam.co.uk
£67
£88
£98
Executive king and queen rooms are also offered at a discount. For information or to
make a booking , call 0208 614 6444 or email accommodation@lensbury.com
*Shuttle service runs from 7am-9.30am and from 4pm-7.30pm Mon-Fri, on request
FREE TICKETS TO DELACROIX AND THE RISE OF MODERN ART
"We all paint in Delacroix’s language,”
observed Cézanne. From the bold
colours and abstract shapes of Matisse
and Kandinsky, to the expressiveness
of Van Gogh and Gauguin, to the
vibrant complementary colours of the
Impressionists, all can be traced back
to Eugène Delacroix – the last painter
of the Grand Style and one of the first
modern masters, who transformed
22 | SPA NEWS
French painting in the 19th century.
‘Delacroix and the Rise of Modern
Art’ is an homage to France’s leading
exponent of Romanticism who, at the
time of his death in 1863, was the most
revered artist among the avant-garde in
Paris.
Drawing inspiration from British art
and literature, his real and imagined
travels to North Africa, and biblical
scenes; every chord of human passion
can be found in Delacroix’s paintings
– stories of love, murder, violence, and
war. “The first merit of a painting is to be
a feast for the eye,” he emphasised. This
exhibition traces 50 years of Delacroix’s
legacy, exploring the profound impact
he had on generations of artists to come.
SPA has been generously offered
10 pairs of tickets (worth £12 each),
CRUISING THE OCEAN WAVES TO SULTRY TILBURY
by Helen Page
On a dark night in winter, I was invited to
an evening of dinner and entertainment
on board the Magellan cruise ship,
docked at Tilbury. It's named after the 15th
century Portuguese explorer, who was
the first European to cross the Pacific. The
passage was made through the straits at
the southern point of America, which were
later named after him. It can accommodate
1,250 passengers.
The ship didn't leave the port, so I can't
report on the sailing experience. Popular
destinations include the fjords, Baltics,
Iceland and the Canaries.
My host was South Quay Travel; their
holiday offers have appeared in previous
issues of SPANews. As a cruising novice,
I was impressed by the standard, not
to mention volume, of food. Cruise &
Maritime Voyages thought that six courses
might not be enough, so added a little
smoked salmon “amuse bouche” too! We
seem to have few opportunities to dress up
these days and most passengers had made
a great effort and enjoyed the occasion.
After dinner, we were entertained by a
cabaret of dancers and performers. They
were indeed professional.
1
My experience was free, so I can’t
comment on value for money, but I met a
few couples who were planning round-theworld or long-distance cruises, and were
using this as a taster, which seemed a good
idea, before embarking into the unknown
for several weeks. My main concern is
that this is not for those of us who could do
with losing a few pounds. Had I stayed on
board for two weeks, I fear I may have had
to disembark with the aid of a crane!
2
1) Magellan
2) Helen at Tilbury - not quite the Med!
EAST MEETS WEST
valid until 15 May. Closing date for
applications is 22 April. If you won
tickets in the last ballot, please give
another member a chance.
Please note: Corporate bookings
at the National Gallery must now be
made online. There is no longer a
telephone facility. Winners will be
given a weblink and passcode.
Eugène Delacroix Lion Hunt, 1861.
Oil on canvas. 76.3 x 98.2 cm
© The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois
Potter Palmer Collection, 1922.404
You could be forgiven for thinking when
walking around Don and Ann Knight's
garden that you're in far off Japan, instead
of the Vale of Glamorgan. It's a Japanese
inspired oasis, complete with dramatic Zen
gate, red Pagoda, Torrii gate, Buddha’s
and the great Amazon waterfall.
Don, who joined Shell in 1969 and
left in 1992 to become a self-employed
dangerous goods driver, has grown and
designed Bonsai over many years. He's
been invited to display his bonsai at
the Royal Lancashire Horticultural show
several times (winning best in show), the
Manchester horticultural show, Southport
Bonsai show, and annual village shows.
Their garden recently won the National
Trust of Wales 'Gardenproud' competition.
Four years ago Ann and Don opened their
garden for the National Garden Scheme,
making £2,800 last year, which included
a donation of £350 from Shell. Don also
does talks for various clubs, asking for a
donation of £30 for Great Ormond Street
Children's Hospital.
This year their garden will be open on
Sunday 15 May with a £3 entrance fee,
and they would be delighted to see any old
friends or colleagues who are in the area:
21 Monmouth Way, Boverton, Llantwit
Major, Vale of Glamorgan CF61 2GT - Tel
01446 794529.
1
2
1) Expert at work
2) Japanese garden
SPA NE WS | 23
SPA R E U NI O N S & M E E TI N G S
There are a number of reunions and meetings organised throughout the year from
different business departments. We will advertise the reunions that we know about.
Shell Agrochemicals 34th Reunion Lunch, November 2016,
London. Venue will be advised in due course. Contact Peter
Langcake at peter.langcake@btinternet.com, 01903 744679.
52nd Shell Venezuela reunion will be celebrated at the
Royal Air Force Club, Piccadilly, 19 May 2016 at midday.
Contact Andy Cole cole@andrewcole78.orangehome.co.uk
East Europe 5 July 2016 midday at Champagne Charlie’s. The
usual drinks and finger buffet is organised; costs should be similar
to last year. Please spread the word to all Shell colleagues who
had anything to do with EE (however small!) London.
Contact Tom Salmons 01580 714572 salmons@tiscali.co.uk
LMC Mountaineering Club meets regularly during the year
for day walks and weekends away. See our programme at:
www.hillsandvalleys.co.uk/LMC, or email:
LMC@hillsandvalleys.co.uk
Oman Golfers Association 63 members have so far booked
to attend 2016 Annual Meeting on 5, 6, 7 July at Cave Castle
Hotel and Country Club, South Cave, East Yorkshire. For further
information on the meeting or the OGA, please contact Fred
Gray on 01624 837247, or email: facgray@manx.net
Singapore/Malaya, now West Malaysia Lunch 4 May
2016 at the Punchbowl Inn, near Ockley. All welcome. Contact
Barry Collins, 01306 887522 penbar@btinternet.com
SCUK/SICC 34th Shell Chemicals Reunion Lunch: open
to all who have been involved in Chemicals in SCUK and SICC,
including partners, guests and deferred pensioners. Friday 22
April 2016 at Lensbury. Contact Jon Warnke 01483 417387,
jgwarnke@btinternet.com
Shell Chemicals Seniors' Golf Day: Sunningdale Ladies
Golf Club, 11 May 2016. Contact Martin Edsall,
mgedsall@waitrose.com
Hants. Congratulations to winter cup winner, Michael Viney
2016 venues are: 4 May, Drift Golf Club (East Horsley), 2 Sept
at Clandon Regis Golf Club (West Clandon), 8 November, North
Hants Golf Club (Fleet). Contact Margaret Bedford 020-89405044, mkbedford@talktalk.net
Fleming Trophy 2 June 2016 at Ballater Golf Club. Golf
tournament organised by Bill Laver and Phil Bonnamy.
Although most players live in the Aberdeen area, a few
enthusiastic golfers travel from further afield. 2015 winners
were Ian Smith and Alison Graham. Contact Bill Laver
wglaver@btinternet.com
Expro “Long Service” Aberdeen, to recreate the ‘reunion’
flavour of the (long gone!) company Long Service Dinner,
held for completing 25 years or more service. The cost
will be about £75 per person, for dinner, dancing and live
entertainment. Contact May Stratton, maystratton@yahoo.co.uk
or Jane Stuart, jane.stuart6@btinternet.com
Shell Travel Club, vacancies to:
Austria 19 May 2016 for 7 nights, contact Anthony Jonas:
and@ukjonas.net Champagne Tour 21 June 2016, 4 nights and
Lanzarote 7 October 2016, 7 nights, contact Rob Jenkins:
robert.jenkins@hotmail.co.uk.
Essex & Suffolk 22 August for 4 nights, contact Rod Brown:
rgbrown77@virginmedia.com For Membership, newsletter,
information on day trips, contact Pauline Barnes:
membership@shelltravelclub.com
Shell Fleet For anyone who had careers in the Shell Tanker
Fleet and related offices ashore. The 67th AGM and Reunion
Dinner will be held on 15 April 2016 at Lensbury. The 21st
Autumn Reunion will be held in Birmingham over the weekend
of Friday 16 - Sunday 18 Sept 2016. For further information
contact the Secretary, Capt Douglas Davidson MBE at
sfrsa@aol.com
Marine: for old friends and colleagues from SIM and STUK. The
next lunch will be 18 May 2016, at Lensbury. Contact Eamonn
McGettrick 01227 740586 or email marinereunion@btinternet.com
SHELL Expro, East Anglia and all colleagues who worked at
Lowestoft, Bacton or Offshore. Venue RNSYC Lowestoft, 9 June
2016. Contact Michael Partridge mjpar8@btinternet.com or
Sally Brown spbrown.blackshore@gmail.com
Pecten Golf Society welcomes all Shell (and ex-Shell) golfers
(male and female) for a friendly round of golf followed by lunch
at various courses around the South East of England. Last year we
held successful outings to Betchworth Park, Bramley and North
Thornton Network 2016 meeting will take place at Thornton
Science Park on Thursday 12 May at 1.30 pm. Further details
nearer the time. Contact Jane Davis at
janethorntonnetwork@gmail.com
Golf winners Winter 2015
24 | SPA NEWS
S PA BRANCHES
YORKSHIRE BRANCH VISIT AIR MUSEUM
Last winter, Yorkshire Branch visited the Yorkshire Air Museum
at Elvington, near York.
1
Elvington was originally a World War II Bomber Command
grass strip airfield, a substation of the nearby Pocklington
base. It was rebuilt with hard top runways in 1942 and
later in the war was host to two Free French squadrons. In
the Cold War, the Americans extended the main runway to
3km (approx two miles) to take nuclear bombers, but was
never used, as the Polaris submarine programme took over
that role. The site of the RAF base is now an independent
air museum, with WWII buildings preserved and providing
a wartime atmosphere. The museum also hosts the Allied
Air Forces Memorial and in fact the whole museum area is
intended as a memorial to air force crews.
Our group met for coffee in the ‘NAAFI canteen’ and was
briefed by one of the guides, Harry, who had served in the
RAF in the cold war period. We were free to explore the
by Paul Wood
museum, Harry on hand with his extensive knowledge and
occasional hair-raising stories of his time in the service. I
had a particular interest as my father was a Halifax pilot in
1944/45, flying from the nearby Pocklington base. It was
quite staggering to see the sheer size of the aircraft type he’d
flown into hostile territory after probably insufficient training
(in Oklahoma!) at the age of only 21.
We were impressed by the amount and quality of displays
at the Yorkshire Air Museum. It has no government funding
and is staffed mainly by volunteers with a love of aviation
and the history of WWII in Yorkshire. Volunteers probably
outnumbered the visitors on the misty December Tuesday that
we were there! It is well worth a visit if you’re in the area,
even if you only have a passing interest in aviation, as it
recounts the day-to-day story of a crucial period in our history
(rather than glamourising it) and some of those who fought to
defend our country.
2
Editor’s note: Entry costs £6 concessionary price, £5 for groups.
1) Yorkshire Air Museum, Messerschmitt 109 and Halifax
2) YBSPA members at Yorkshire Air Museum
THE ISLE OF MAN CELEBRATES BURNS NIGHT
A great night was had by all at The
Cherry Orchard Hotel, Port Erin.
Twenty-six attended – not bad for a
small branch! This photo was sent in
by branch secretary, Fenella Gray,
who was awarded an MBE in 2011
for services to the community.
The collage was made by Graham
Fox-Hulme, who also took the shots.
SPA NE WS | 25
SPA B R AN CH EVE N TS, C A L END A R, 2016 A ND CONTA CTS
Cheshire
Kenneth Skeldon Email:kenneth.skeldon1@virginmedia.com
10 May Haddon Hall, Bakewell Derbyshire
7 Jun Severn Valley Railway from Kidderminster
to Bridgnorth.
29 Jun Southport ”90 Glorious Years” at the Floral Hall.
5 Jul
Trip tba, possibly Lake District
18 Aug Nantwich market, Dagfields then
Chairman’s Strawberry Tea.
Chilterns & Thames Valley
Judith Turner Tel: 01895 637188
Email:judith.turnerspa@btinternet.com
5 May Spring Lunch & AGM, Sonning Golf Club
Cumbria & Lancashire
Ken LovellTel: 01900 823414
Email: kennethlovell@btinternet.com
18 Apr AGM & Lunch, Longlands Inn, Tewitfield, Nr.
Carnforth, Lancashire
1 Jun Summer Lunch, Gateway Hotel, Kendal
Devon & Cornwall
David Watters Tel: 01803 856648
Email: dgwatters@gmx.com
17 May Formal Lunch, Pier House Hotel, Charlestown,
Cornwall
28 Jun Pub Lunch, Plymouth area, Devon
East Anglia
Sally Brown Tel: 01502 585023
Email: spbrown.blackshore@gmail.com
21 Apr AGM & Spring Lunch at Park Farm Hotel,
Hethersett nr Norwich
19 May Sizewell/Thorpeness area, Suffolk. 5 mile circular
walk with pub lunch.
9 Jun Reunion for Shell Expro East Anglia staff and
colleagues who worked at Lowestoft, Bacton or
Offshore. Venue RNSYC Lowestoft. See Reunions
Page for contacts and more information.
16 Jun Visit to Pensthorpe Natural Park,
nr Fakenham, Norfolk.
13 Jul Visit to Lady Spencer Gardens, Gt. Yeldham,
Nr Halstead, Essex. Tour with lunch.
May Trip to The Severn Valley Railway
6 Jun Summer Lunch June 6th.
Isle of Man
Fenella Gray Email: fenellagray@manx.net
27 Apr AGM and lunch at Rowany Golf Club
13 Jul: Visit to Milntown house gardens with lunch.
Isle of Wight
Jocelyn Hardy-Bishop Tel: 01983 866303
Email: johardybishop@hotmail.co.uk
15 Apr The Lifeboat, East Cowes, PO32 6UB
Kent
Linda Leborgne Tel: 01634 262081
Email: linda@leborgne.freeserve.co.uk
13 Apr Lunch, Fruiterers Arms, with entertainment
by Cameo Opera
10 MayAGM, Boughton Golf Club, Nr. Faversham
The Marches
Gill Stovold Tel: 01568 760241
Email: gill.stovold@virgin.net
Apr 14 Spring meeting, Leominster Golf Club
8 Jul
American Picnic, The old Rectory, Stoke Prior
Midshires
Alan Chandler Tel: 0121 705 1648
Email: alan.16@blueyonder.co.uk
14 Apr The Midland Air Museum at Coventry
8 Jun Tour of BMW Mini Plant at Cowley Oxford
North London & Herts
Robert Hillyard Tel: 01707 654165
Email: robert_hillyard@hotmail.com
11 May Docklands Walk
29 Jun Summer Lunch, Old Hunters Lodge, Whipsnade
26 Jul Visit to Royal Chelsea Hospital and Chelsea
Physic Garden
20 Aug Shuttleworth Flying Proms
North & Mid Hants
Malcolm Wells Tel: 01256 346743
Email: malcolm.j.wells@btinternet.com
Essex
Northern Ireland
Iris Shaw Tel: 01375 679908 Email: irisshaw@tiscali.co.uk
Guest speaker each month
18 May AGM,and tea party, Corringham
Alma Atkins Tel: 02890 839003
Email: almaatkins@icloud.com
28 Jul AGM with visit to Hillsborough Castle
11 Aug Castleward with lunch in Strangford
Greater Manchester (details on branch website)
Bryan Clarke Tel: 0161 456 5083 Email: groveblue@sky.com
Branch website www.spa-manchester.org.uk
Regular events: flat walking every 3rd Thur,
hill walking every 2nd Wed
16 Apr Trip to York
26 | SPA NEWS
Northumberland & Durham
Doug Renton
Tel: 0191 252 5331
Email: douglas.renton1@virginmedia.com
19 Apr Pub. Lunch at the “Badger” Ponteland.
12 Jul Pub lunch, The Boatside, Warden, Hexham
1
2
3
4
5
Scotland
June Wilson Email: sspamembershipsec@gmail.com
Mid AprGeocache Walk/Lunch
14 May AGM
2 Jun Fleming Golf Trophy
16 Jun Presentation by Tina Gilchrist
Mid Jul BBQ
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Northumberland Red Lion pub Bolden
East Anglia Walkers
Sussex
N London Herts - punting in Cambridge
Yorkshire - supper
Selkent
Pauline Langley Tel: 020 8856 1816
Email: pelangley0@gmail.com
12 Apr Spring lunch - Cyprianis, Petts Wood
4 May Legal London - Walking tour of Grays Inn and Middle
and Lower Temple
26 May Foundling Museum, Brunswick Square
21 Jun Great Fire Walk - Guided walking tour celebrating
350th Anniversay of the Great Fire
Severn & Avon
Gerry Mapson Tel: 01452 712084
Email: camap.gb@blueyonder.co.uk
12 Apr AGM Minchinhampton Golf Club
17/18 May South Coast Field Trip (Fully Booked)
7 Jun Portishead Walk
6 Jul
Garden Party
21 Jul St Fagan (Cardiff, South Wales)
South Hants & Dorset
Colin Lambert Tel: 01202 749676
Email: colin@lambert14.orangehome.co.uk
14 Apr Lunch, South Lawn Hotel, Milford-on-Sea.
South Wales
Gill Beach Tel: 01792 369320 Email gillianbeach@mac.com
East Surrey
Martyn Hankin Tel: 020 8946 2519
E-mail: jandmhankin@hotmail.com.
17 May Lunch at Leatherhead Golf Club.
11 Jul Visit to The Royal Hospital Chelsea.
West Surrey
Margaret ParsonsTel: 01483 811103
Email: mike_margaretparsons@btinternet.com
13 Apr Spring Lunch, Surbiton Golf Club
16 May Lunch & Quiz at Old Wimbledonians Rugby Club
13 Jun Backstage Tour, National Theatre
20 Jul Concert by Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall
15 Aug Chairman's Walk & 'Pot Luck' Lunch, Claygate
Sussex
Nigel Beesley 01903 812775
14 Apr Spring Luncheon, Windsor Hotel Worthing
19 Jul Visit to St. Mary's Gardens, Bramber
Yorkshire
Hanneke Wood Tel: Contact SPA Email: pandhwood@mac.com
27 May (to be confirmed) AGM
SPA NE WS | 27
SPA CONGR ATUL ATI O N S
Here's a selection of the many wonderful photos we
receive. If you wish to share details of your celebration,
please contact Lynn who deals with these announcements.
B y Ly n n F o r s d y k e
GOLDEN (50 YEARS)
EMERALD (55 YEARS)
DIAMOND (60 YEARS)
Horton, Jean and Barry of Sutton
Coldfield – 19 Feb. Prior to retirement
Barry worked for Shell UK.
Dunn, Audrey and Barry of Ellesmere
Port, Cheshire – 4 Mar. Prior to retirement
Barry worked at Stanlow Refinery. They
celebrated their anniversary in Newquay.
Carr, Irene and Jeffrey of Bolton - 24
Mar. Both Irene and Jeffrey worked at
Shell Carrington.
Pritchard, Nita and Reg of Ellesmere
Port, Cheshire – 10 Mar. Prior to
retirement Reg worked at Shell Stanlow.
Mooney, Christine and Terry of
Warrington, Cheshire – 12 Feb. Prior to
retirement Terry worked in Shell UK Ltd,
Manchester Airport. They celebrated with
family and friends and are going on a
cruise in July.
Head, Enid and Mike of Otford, Nr
Sevenoaks, Kent – 24 Dec. Prior to
retirement Enid worked in Shell Aircraft.
Mike worked for Anglo Saxon Petroleum
in St. Helen’s Court, leaving in 1961.
Swankie, Irene and Dave of Dundee
– 31 Aug. Prior to retirement Dave was
a Platform Maintenance Engineer in the
Brent Field. Irene and Dave celebrated
with family for a weekend in Aviemore,
and then spent a week in Orkney.
28 | SPA NEWS
Scott, Ann and Bill of Giffnock, Glasgow
– 26 Jan. Prior to retirement Bill worked
at Bishopbriggs Terminal near Glasgow.
BLUE SAPPHIRE
(65 YEARS)
Waring, Joan and Doug of
Lincolnshire – 10 Mar. Both Joan
and Doug worked for Shell, Joan
in Catering and Doug at Stanlow.
SPA OBITUARIE S
Pensioners who are SPA members will automatically be included in this column. We are happy to
include the death of a spouse of an SPA member but are totally reliant upon you advising us of the
details. Unfortunately, we are unable to print any obituaries over a year old. We regret to report
the death of the following members:
Bisiker, John Greville (89) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 7 December
Bournes, Philip John (83) – Shell
Chemicals UK Ltd died 14 January
Brace, Mrs Marjorie (90) widow of
Frederick – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd died
25 January
Bracher, Mrs Patricia M (87) widow of
Donald – Shell International Petroleum
Company Ltd died 10 January
Brady, Ms Eileen (82) widow of John Leo
– Shell Chemicals UK Ltd died 5 February
Breen, Mrs Barbara (84) wife of Alfred
– Shell Chemicals, Carrington died 26
December
Broad, Mrs Nellie (89) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 26 January
Abbot, Mrs Betty (90) widow of Ronald –
Shell UK Oil Products Ltd died 7 February
Adams, Mrs Mary (93) widow of John
Anthony – Shell International Petroleum
Company Ltd died 28 December
Allen, William John (87) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 9 January
Anderson, Mrs Violet Louisa (88) widow
of Angus – Shell Portuguesa S.A.R.L died 17
January
Ayling, Brian (78) – Shell UK Oil Products
Ltd died 19 December
Bader, Lady Joan Eileen (97) widow of Lord
Douglas Robert Stewart – Shell International
Petroleum Company Ltd died 18 December
Bate, Ronald (87) – Shell Chemicals UK Ltd
died 7 December
Beahon, Mrs Florence Sheila (94) widow
of Joseph – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd died 4
December
Bennett, Dr John Edward (86) – Shell
Research Ltd died 4 January
Bentley, Mrs Winifred Mary (92) widow
of Stanley – Shell Chemicals UK Ltd died
31 January
Bevan, Graham (79) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 29 October
Brooker, Arthur Ernest (97) – Shell UK
Oil Products Ltd died 10 January
Caie, Robert Nelson (81) – Shell UK
Exploration and Production Ltd died 1
December
Castle, Herbert Victor (85) widower of
Betty Mildred – Shell Research Ltd died 6
November
Castleden, John Robert (88) – Shell
Indonesia died 4 January
Chaloner, Mrs Eileen Josephine (89)
widow of R Chaloner – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 3 January
Charlwood, Mrs Dorothy Mary
(100) widow of John William – Shell
International Ltd died 26 November
Cooper, Michael Brodie (90) – Shell
International Petroleum Company Ltd died
13 February
Coore, Mrs Vera Maud (79) widow of
Augustus – Shell Chemicals UK Ltd died 28
December
Cope, Thomas William (74) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 10 November
Coulthard, Donald (87) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 22 November
Coulton, Mrs Doris Irene (92) widow of
Edward Richard – Shell Chemicals UK Ltd
died 29 January
Coutts, Brian Frank (76) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 27 January
Curphey, Mrs Helen (94) widow of A
Curphey – Shell Tankers (UK) Ltd died 5
January
Darby, Robin (84) – Shell International
Petroleum Company Ltd died 2 January
Davies, Mrs Audrey Margaret (93) widow
of Charles Albert – Shell International
Petroleum Company Ltd died 30 November
Davies, G (91) – National Oil & Chemical
Marketing Company died 20 November
Davies, Mrs Joan (80) widow of Albert
McClennon – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd died
12 December
Davis, Mrs Winifred Grace (99) widow of
Albert Godfrey Charles – Shell International
Petroleum Company Ltd died 25 January
Day, Mrs Rosina (89) – Shell Research Ltd
died 29 November
Charman, Eric John (87) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 9 January
Donnellan, Dr John Francis (75) – Shell
Research Ltd died 22 January
Clarke, Cyril Charles Johnson (89) –
Shell UK Oil Products Ltd died 24 January
Doyle, Capt Desmond Arthur (90) – Shell
Tankers (UK) Ltd died 7 January
Clarke, John (84) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 11 December
Dunnett, Mrs Dorothy (93) widow of
Daniel Alexander – Shell Research Ltd died
30 December
Cook, Mrs Alice (74) widow of Alfred
Christopher – Shell Tankers (UK) Ltd died
18 January
Cook, Mrs Enid May (95) widow of
Raymond Charles – Shell International
Trading & Shipping Company Ltd died 11
January
Egalton, Mrs Elaine (65) – Shell
International Ltd died 24 October
Ellis, Mrs Marjorie Katherine (88)
widow of John Herbert Maisey – Shell
International Petroleum Company Ltd died
18 December
SPA NE WS | 29
SPA OB I T U AR I ES
Ellul, Anthony (80) – SIPM died 29 January
Engert, Mrs Anne Rosemary (83) dependant
of William Frank – Shell Tankers (UK) Ltd died
9 January
Engledow, Cyril Raymond (87) – Shell UK
Oil Products Ltd died 9 February
Everett, Trefor John (71) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 30 December
Fairfield, Dennis (86) – Shell Chemicals UK
Ltd died 4 January
Fell, Mrs Doreen (91) widow of George –
Shell International Petroleum Company Ltd
died 26 October
Forbes, Ronald (74) – Shell UK Oil Products
Ltd died 28 January
Garner, Mrs Marjorie Ashton (94) widow
of John Ernest – Shell International Ltd died 1
November
Garratt, Mrs Mary (89) widow of David –
SIPM died 21 December
Gay, Ian Seton (89) – Shell Chemicals UK Ltd
died 31 January
Gibbons, John Robert (92) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 8 December
Gibbs, Albert Frederick (86) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 24 January
Graham, Alexander John Ross (83) – Shell
Chemicals UK Ltd died 14 January
Graham, John Donaldson (89) – Shell UK
Oil Products Ltd died 20 November
Grant, L M (94) – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd
died 29 November
Greaves, Christopher Thomas (70) – SIPM
died 11 December
Green, Mrs Joan (93) widow of Alfred –
SMBP/Power/Nat.Benzole died 11 February
Griffiths, Alexander (93) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 25 January
Hale, D (89) – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd died
21 November
Hale, David (79) – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd
died 4 January
Hall, Derek Leonard (89) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 14 January
Hawkins, Leslie (83) – Shell Chemicals UK
Ltd died 21 November
Hayles, Mrs Valerie Wyndham (91) widow
of Guy Vivian – Shell Trinidad Ltd died 29
December
Haywood, Mrs Doris (91) widow of Percy –
Shell Chemicals UK Ltd died 19 January
30 | SPA NEWS
Heaton, Mrs Marjorie (85) widow of
James Alfred – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd
died 28 January
Lydall, Mrs Norah Trevor (96) widow of
Edward Francis – Shell International Petroleum
Company Ltd died 24 November
Hemingway, Mrs Marguerite Laurie
(94) widow of James – SMBP/Power/Nat.
Benzole died 12 January
Lynagh, Patrick (86) – Shell UK Oil Products
Ltd died 29 November
Hepworth, Haydn (87) – Shell UK
Exploration and Production Ltd died 23
January
Higginson, Eric (92) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 16 January
Hones, Malcolm Henry (71) – Enterprise
Oil died 2 December
Hordern, Arthur Francis (97) – Shell
Chemicals UK Ltd died 17 November
Houtby, John Terry (81) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 26 January
Howe, Mrs Pauline (71) widow of Hugh
– Shell International Petroleum Company
Ltd died 2 January
Hughes, Lionel Victor (84) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 30 December
Hunt, Alan (75) – SIPM died 8 December
Jeffery, Mrs Jacqueline Marcelle (95)
widow of Ralph – Shell UK Oil Products
Ltd died 23 January
Jennings, B (88) – Shell UK Oil Products
Ltd died 16 January
Jones, Mrs Inge (63) – Shell International
Petroleum Company Ltd died 12
November
Jones, Mrs Jennifer Lesley (69) wife of
Richard (Dick) – Shell Research Ltd died 5
September
Jones, William Norman (93) – Shell
Chemicals UK Ltd died 24 January
Kilbey, Mrs Rona Gwendolen (93)
widow of Royston Howard – Shell
International Petroleum Company Ltd died
20 November
Mallier, Paul Louis (80) widower of
Nancy Marie – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd
died 29 June
Mann, Mrs Edna (88) widow of Eric – Shell
Chemicals UK Ltd died 5 January
Matthews, Leslie (85) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 25 December
Matley, Brian (81) – Shell Chemicals UK Ltd
died 16 January
Maybury, Norman (84) – Shell Chemicals
UK Ltd died 17 January
Mayhew, Michael George (79) – Shell
International Trading and Shipping Company
Ltd died 8 January
Mcdougall, Edward (89) – Shell UK
Exploration and Production Ltd died 20
November
McIlhinney, Mrs Eileen (96) widow of
Norman – SMBP/Power/Nat.Benzole died 24
January
McIntosh, Mrs Lydia Watson Pettigrew (86)
widow of Frederick – Colas Products died 3
December
McKay, E W (93) – Shell International
Petroleum Company Ltd died 25 December
McKenzie, Mrs Anne (76) partner of J S
Liddel – Shell Chemicals UK Ltd died 17
January
Miller, Kenneth John (82) – SIPM died 28
November
Morris, Mrs Joyce Myrtle (95) widow of
Anthony Charles – Shell International Trading
& Shipping Co Ltd died 5 January
Moscrop, Francis Robert (89) – Shell
Chemicals UK Ltd died 15 November
Kyle, Mrs Jannette Birch (76) – Colas
Products died 11 December
Mossop, David Clement (84) – Shell
Chemicals UK Ltd died 10 December
Lavery, Gregory Joseph Anthony (81) –
Shell Chemicals UK Ltd died 30 December
Newton, Mrs Barbara Jeanne (86) widow of
Denys Barrett – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd died
17 November
Lawton, Keith (82) – Shell UK
Exploration and Production Ltd died 2
February
Lithgow, Arthur Spence (70) – Shell
International Ltd died 22 January
Longdon, Mrs Aileen Patricia (79)
widow of Alan David – Shell UK
Exploration & Production Ltd died 5
January
O’Connell, Mrs Mary Kate (101) widow
of Patrick – Shell International Petroleum
Company Ltd died 8 January
Ortega, Miss J M (95) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 30 November
Owen, Mrs Annastasia (85) widow of
Wallace Lloyd – Shell Chemicals UK Ltd died
6 February
Owen, Mrs Cynthia Mary Travers (93)
widow of Stanley Charles – Shell International
Petroleum Company Ltd died 19 October
Parker, Mrs Joyce Amelia (95) widow of
Ernest Walter – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd died
27 October
Parry, David Michael (86) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 28 November
Pentland, Duncan Thomas (72) Shell
UK Exploration & Production Ltd died 15
November
Perry, Mrs P (87) – SIPM died 30 November
Phillips, Miss Diana Lavinia (83) – Shell UK
Oil Products Ltd died 25 November
Sharpe, Robert William (86) – Shell UK
Oil Products Ltd died 10 December
Tilbury, Geoffrey John (78) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 7 January
Shepherd, Eric Louis (93) – Shell
Chemicals UK Ltd died 22 December
Towe, Mrs Olive (78) widow of John – Shell
UK Oil Products Ltd died 27 January
Short, George (91) – Shell UK Oil Products
Ltd died 14 November
Trenery, Mrs Ilma Betty (81) widow of
Maurice – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd died 7
February
Simcock, Herbert (75) – Shell Chemicals
UK Ltd died 8 January
Smith, Mrs Beryl Margaret (93) widow
of Peter Harry Langley – Shell International
Petroleum Company Ltd died 14 September
Smith, Derek (73) – Shell Tankers (UK) Ltd
died 28 December
Phillips, Stanley Richard (89) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 17 January
Smith, Frederick Arthur (88) Shell UK
Exploration & Production Ltd died 14
November
Philpott, John Gordon (89) – Shell
Venezuela SA died 8 January
Smith, James (78) – Shell UK Oil Products
Ltd died 27 November
Pillinger, Mrs Ethel Elena (88) – Shell
Research Ltd died 31 October
Smith, Mrs Joyce (95) widow of Derrick
Strang – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd died 28
November
Plummer, D E (90) – Shell UK Oil Products
Ltd died 23 October
Preston, Mrs Joan Ruth (87) widow of
Thomas Joseph – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd
died 21 January
Price, Ralph Samuel (82) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 14 November
Psaila, Edgar John Joseph (81) – Shell
Chemicals UK Ltd died 8 December
Randoll, Bruce Paul (81) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 21 December
Regan, Mrs Margaret Lesley (64) widow of
Michael Anthony – Shell Chemicals UK Ltd
died 29 November
Rippingale, Mrs Claudia Juliet (79) widow
of Frederick Lionel – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd
died 15 November
Robertson, Mrs Anna Stewart (94) widow
of A S Robertson – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd
died 10 November
Robertson, Miss Heather Rose (79)
dependant of A Robertson – Shell International
Petroleum Company Ltd died 23 December
Robertson, J I (93) – Shell International
Petroleum Company Ltd died 15 December
Romeo, Mrs Maria Ramira (78) – Shell
International Ltd died 30 January
Smith, Mrs Melanie Jane Scott (58) wife of
Adrian – Shell PLR, formerly Shell Lubricants
UK died 15 December
Snelson, Mrs Iris (87) widow of Frank –
Shell UK Oil Products Ltd died 30 October
Sprules, Mrs Lavinia Rhoda (85) widow of
Clifford George – Shell Chemicals UK Ltd
died 16 December
Stack, Mrs Joan Mary (82) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 5 January
Stokes, Mrs Doreen Nancy (85) widow
of William Dennis – Shell Research Ltd died
11 December
Strudwick, Mrs Mary (92) widow of Ivor
Percy – Shell Mex & BP died 23 January
Sutton, Alan John (89) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 8 February
Taylor, Mrs Grace Noreen (94) widow of
W Taylor – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd died
18 November
Tully, M B C (90) – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd
died 22 December
Turner, Mrs Ada (94) widow of George
Alfred John – Shell Mex & BP died 16
December
Utley, Mrs Barbara Jaqueline (89) widow
of F R Utley – Shell International Ltd died 29
November
Valentine, David (82) – Shell Research Ltd
died 24 January
Ward, Peter Adrian (71) – Shell International
Trading and Shipping Company Ltd died 9
December
Webb, William Pinches (85) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 10 December
Willett, Mrs Dorothy Ruth (97) widow of
Ernest William – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd
died 1 February
Wilson, Mrs Joan (89) widow of Geoffrey
Walter – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd died 11
December
Wilson, Robert (69) – Syria Shell Petroleum
Development B.V. died 15 January
Wood, Jack (91) – Shell Research Ltd died
12 December
Wootten, Alan Peter (78) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 11 December
Wybrew-Bond, Ian (74) – Shell
International Petroleum Company Ltd died 22
December
Yates, William Alfred (90) – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 8 January
Taylor-Bagshaw, Mrs Constance (87)
widow of Arnold – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd
died 25 November
Teal, Anthony Frederick (89) – The Shell
Petroleum Company of Nigeria died 10
December
Sadler, Mrs Rosalie May (91) widow of E H
Sadler – SIPM died 24 November
Terheyden Van, Mrs Marion Graham
(88) widow of Rene Antonius – Shell UK Oil
Products Ltd died 14 January
Sedgley, Mrs June Dorothy (90) widow of D
J Sedgley – Shell UK Oil Products Ltd died 13
October
Tibbs, Ronald (82) – Shell International
Petroleum Company Ltd died 29 November
SPA NE WS | 31