Reference
X962/R30
Title
Interview with Clive Martin, born 16 June 1955, Biggin Hill, Kent. Commercial manager, Garside Sands, Leighton Buzzard. Interviewed by Carmela Semeraro.
Date free text
Interview date 6 November 2009
Production date
From: 2009 To: 2009
Scope and Content
(05 mins)
[Interview during audio-visual presentation on the work of Garside Sands and its Leighton Buzzard quarries]
Born 16 June 1955 in Biggin Hill, Kent. Now lives in Lincolnshire – travels to Leighton Buzzard to work. Commercial Manager at Garside Sands for 9 years – a specialist in aggregate; natural progression to move into specialist silica sands.
History of Garside Sands: founded in 1890 by George Garside; since then there have been two generations running firm until 1960s. Various transitions: acquired by Aggregate Industries (major producer of aggregates, asphalt and building materials in UK); acquired by Holcim (Swiss cement producer with large global interests). Garsides has the aggregates and also produces ready-mix – so was a good ‘downstream’ contribution to Holcim.
Many customers insist on Garside Sands because the Leighton Buzzard sands are unique and their quality is known worldwide. Local sands sit on Greensand Ridge – over 130 million years old. This particular sand is a very sub-angular, rounded deposit making it unique with a wide range of natural colours: from white, through yellow to brown. Enables the company to satisfy a wide range of markets and uses.
(10 mins)
Sand here was deposited by wave depositions in lagoons. Munday’s Hill Quarry is one of only two in the UK using inland dredgers to win material, instead of the traditional way with diggers and dumpers. At Grovebury dredger moves into sand face -take away the bottom – sand falls and I drawn into a pipe and deposited onto the bank. The dredge is a kind of pump that draws out sand and water from the quarry. The pipe links on to the processing plants.
Sand processing – excavation – removal of ‘overburden (clay) reveals the sand. Gault Clay sits on top of the sand: 6m band of medium sand; then 18m of fine sand. Extract the mineral – create a void – use or re-instate the void by filling. Some commercial value but not great.
(15 mins)
Used quarry can go back to arable land usage. Become a lake and nature reserve, or be refilled to become land to be sold on for commercial properties. Munday’s Hill will eventually become a Marina for sailing boats in 17-20 years’ time.
Processes: washing to improve sand quality; remove clay and silt and all impurities; drying, before grading and testing. Sand tested in three stages: at start of process, at middle and at end, in laboratory. Sand can then be organically pigments, e.g. for playpit sand or arts sand in schools or the sports market. Sand sent to a specialist firm for pigmenting.
Sand is turned into 25 specialist products.
Churchways Quarry, off Eastern Way, has three quarter million pounds sand washing machine – fed via a series of lagoons – throughput of many tonnes per hours.
(20 mins)
This processing plant was invested in to reduce the firm’s carbon footprint through more efficient working. Then sand is dried in machines; powered by gas oils; is split into different grades and bagged – ranging from 1½ tonne bags down to 12½ kilos – by robotic machine.
Dried sands are divided into 10 standard grades plus the fine sands, from 0.25 to 3.35. Moist sands go into the construction market; other specialist sands go to markets in sports, such as equestrian and dog tracks. Sands exported all around the world where Leighton Buzzard sand is asked for by name – all sorts of packaging and delivery options – even to the Caribbean and to the Middle East, where there are no sands of the quality needed for processes such as filtration.
One of largest markets – sports surfaces – sand needed for ballast, drainage and to hold Astro Turf in place. Hectic 7-week period each summer when schools are closed – enables safe delivery of materials by contractors.
(25 mins)
Garsides – 7 out of 10 top ten sports contractors in UK – brand 2EW Garside Sands. 2010 busy year creating training pitches for 2012 Olympics – Garside’s expect to create pitches for range of sports, including Beach Volleyball and Beach Soccer.
Sand is also used for gold course bunkers, for natural and synthetic turf, greyhound tracks, jumping pits, beach volleyball courts and equestrian areas.
Garside provide beach scene sand for Milton Keynes shopping centre each summer
Unusual orders have included green sand for a synthetic track at the Tower of London and coloured sand for a public art version of Picasso’s “Guernica” which the public was then invited to walk through and mix up.
(30 mins)
Water filtration through sand – primary filtration before any chemicals are added - takes out anything suspended in the sand. 6ml gravel followed by a slightly smaller sand – and further finer sand – used by Thames Valley Water, Violo, Essex, Suffolk Water, Anglian Water for drinking water and industrial processes such as a Bulmer’s cider factory in Telford and for British Sugar. Filtration for swimming pools and paper processing.
Reed beds are a natural form of filtration – rhizomes on the reeds take out the detritus and suspended solids – used by a vegetable processing factory in Lincolnshire.
Sand also used as binding agents in fillers and flooring products; found in do-it-yourself stores. Sands can be mixed to give required colours and finishers in specialised restoration work in listed buildings.
(35 mins)
Silicon dioxide is 92% of the planet. Recycled glass is likely to take over from sand but sand is still needed in the glass-making process. Recycled sand is being considered but there are issues regarding contamination when sand form recycled sports pitches which have been played on and chemical applications used.
Sand can also be used for testing compressive strength, using extremely closely graded silicone. Such sand costs around £700 a tonne and goes all over the world. Very few companies produce it.
Sand is used in refractory and ceramic processes – bone china using silica flour. Brick manufacture – sand used to front the face of bricks and give a variety of colours during the firing process – brick is a fashion industry!
Pet care products – the sand-gritted card at the bottom of budgie cages. Decorative sands in aquariums and vivariums.
(40 mins)
Traction sand for Network Rail – to assist braking.
World Health Organization required a sand coated in anti-malarial material from Protect Formulations to sprinkle on the floor in refugee camps. Selfridges store in London required coloured sand for its window displays. Orange sand for artistic egg timers. Bags of sand in a cellophane bag issued by Interflora with plants. Over 200 bespoke applications listed on their database. Supplies from 1 kilogram to thousands of tonnes.
Garside Sands in the Community – educational work with schoolchildren and adults.
(45 mins)
Fairly large local employer; some employees working there over decades – Bob Lake for 45 years. Give quarry tours to lower and middle schools – linking with curriculum needs; good relationships with parish councils. Vocational Education Project – City and Guilds qualification work regarding health and Safety issues – practical skills on site
(50 mins)
Rewarding work – big impact on pupils for small outlay by company.
Future exploratory transport solution using barges to transport materials by canal or river; development meetings with Commercial Boat Operators; possible to Park Royal wharf in London. Part of the British Olympic bid – movement of aggregates to building sites via the River Thames – to keep trucks off roads and reduce pollution
(55 mins)
Oak Bank School – teenagers with problems – practical block laying and landscaping project around pavilion, Cock Hotel, Heath & Reach – assisted by Garside Sands. Bursary for Leighton Buzzard Railway.
Helicopter flight over Leighton Buzzard area – contours and topography indicate potential sand extraction areas – potential for satellite quarries: feeding sand into the central processing plant.
Future for high-value, niche markets providing high-volume, high-quality, fine sands.
(56 mins)
End of interview.
Summarised by Stuart Antrobus: (1 February 2010).
Exent
46 minutes
Format
Wave Sound file
Reference
Level of description
item