A Personal Message from Co-Founder Dipalee Jukes

2024 has been a significant year for the company and its founders. Ground & Water completed its 15th year in business in September and Fran and I successfully navigated 15 years of our “work marriage”! That said, not many people know the real background behind the Ground & Water story.

Our journey together actually started 26 years ago.

Fran: “It was September 1998, the first day of starting my undergraduate geology degree course, at Southampton University. Dip was the first person I spoke to (she doesn’t remember this) and we quickly became friends. What followed was four years of fun for me… Dip took the learning more seriously!”

We have shared fieldtrips together, graduations, celebrated many (!) birthdays, first homes, weddings, children, christenings, and many things in between. Fran even trusted me to help him pick out an engagement ring.

We have also supported each other through the hard stuff – losing parents, losing babies, sick children in hospital, health issues, cancer, covid, and all the business challenges you can possibly think of!

AND we are still here, still committed as ever, and very excited for the future of Ground & Water and the next steps on the journey.

This company has been built on deep-rooted friendship and commitment; values we seek in all the people we work with. We are so fortunate to have an incredible team, where people are genuine friends.

Thank you to Fran, my team at Ground & Water and all our wonderful customers, suppliers and strategic partners, for helping us build and create this wonderful community.

The top 15 fun/significant wins and celebrations for our team and company in 2024 to mark our 15 years in business:

1. Partnership with Charity: water – working towards helping 9 UN SDGs.

2. Finance assistant Katy had a baby girl.

3. Penny got promoted to HR Manager and Engineering Technician Jon got promoted to Operations Coordinator.

4. Principal Engineer Miltos gained his Chartership.

5. Libby and Katy moved into their new homes.

6. Inspiring the next generation – The team took part in several school, college and university careers talks and career days. We have also seen some of our longer employed engineers fly the nest. Like grown up kids leaving the family home we said goodbye to Alice, Aubyn and Myles.

7. Nominated as finalists at five awards, ranging from Ground Engineering Awards, New Civil Engineer to Women in Construction.

8. Over the year, Ground & Water has been rated on average 9.1 out of 10 on client surveys. An increase of 0.2 from last year. So, our service has improved!!!!

9. Project locations have ranged from being seen from the office window to Cowdenbeath. We have worked on the Olympic Park and over the year have used pretty much every rig available on various sites. Utilizing restricted access windowless sampling and cable percussion, to rotary and sonic, to hand pits and machine excavated trial pits and Cone Penetration Tests (CPTs).

10. Continuous learning and development for the whole team, from internal / external CPDs and conferences, to Director Fran continuing his PhD in chalk risk assessments. Meanwhile Director Dipalee successfully enrolled onto the NatWest Accelerator Programme and continued her learning with the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Programme for alumni.

11. Twelve successful team pot lunches, from a BBQ, to Indian and North African to Mexican.

12. Office refurb completed – creating a more inviting and collaborative work environment.

13. Senior Engineer Roger completed 700 Park Runs.

14. Big celebrations with our team, customers, and suppliers for our 15-year birthday.

15. A bit of a cloud, that has been hanging over Ground & Water since February 2020, was lifted. More about that in the New Year.

As we look forward to a few days of festivities before returning to the fray in January refreshed and raring to go, all that is left to say, is THANK YOU. We wish you the very best greetings of the Season and happy and prosperous New Year. And we look forward to working with you in 2025.