Recently we have been doing some work for the nice team at the Handel House Museum here in London as they refurbish Handel’s old home. You can read all about the recent work and the move we did by clicking on the link here.
http://hendrixathome.wordpress.com/2014/08/12/post-52-on-the-move/
Yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1. The conflict would rage for 5 years, across three continents and claimed some 37 million died. Beside the obvious devastation the war also created the conditions which gave us WW2 and shaped the modern world.
In New Zealand and Australia, WW1 and specifically, Gallipoli, is regarded as the birth of these two nations. It was from this conflict that they started to see themselves as distinct from the UK and took on their own unique personalities and independent foreign policies.
One can not help to be moved though by images of the poppies at the Tower of London which creates an incredibly evocative image and shows the sheer number of British dead in WW1.
On a personal level, my family was deeply involved in the war. My Great Grandfather George (standing) and his younger brother John (sitting) both signed up early on and fought in Gallipoli with the ANZAC’s where both where wounded in 1915. John died within months of his wounds and George died from complications of his wounds in 1920. Another relative fought in Palestine and the Middle East as an Engineer, surviving the war, while another died on the Western Front. Fortunately New Zealand has kept a vast array of records and I have been able to collect the war records for the two brothers below, including their medical documents, giving a fascinating snap shot of the past and indeed a glimpse of what my relatives went through.
As we remember the tens of thousands of other young men who died, it is easy with the hindsight of time to be critical of the decisions made that would prove so costly, but in reality no one could possibly have envisaged their consequences. Instead, I believe we should study the past and apply these lessons to the present, but also be grateful for the sacrifices made and for the freedoms that we in the western world are able to enjoy as a result. We should also be grateful that in an uncertain world we still have young men and women who are prepared to defend our interests and freedoms in far of lands.
Do take the time to learn more about WW1, if you don’t already know your own family’s history with the war you may discover some interesting facts.
Lest We Forget
Regan McMillan
Managing Director, Kiwi Movers
When you secure your goods in self storage or containerised storage you do so expecting them to be safe and secure. With our Kiwi Storage we ensure that your goods are constantly under surveillance with restricted access.
If your goods are stored in our containerised storage, the container is sealed with the date on the tag. Our systems ensure that all information is recorded when entering your goods into storage, including any oversize lane items. Our modern and state of the art container warehousing has 24/7 surveillance by camera and includes fire protection systems.
If you choose to use our self storage in battersea, Surrey, Chelsea or Twickenham you will have 24/7 access with your own lockable unit. To access your storage unit we will provide a combination lock and access code to enter the facility whenever you need to. Recently our Battersea location underwent a further upgrade with 8 new security cameras, including HD, and number plate and facial recognition. This also includes the lifts.
It is our aim to ensure that no matter what you are storing, from household goods, business items to antiques, you can feel secure in the knowledge that your items are well looked after as a premium removals and storage company in London.
To learn more about storage options, please call us on 020 8877 9682*
Living Medicine has recently won an Award of Merit from the Conservation Foundation’s ‘Gardening Against the Odds’ competition, for their work to educate people in the London Borough of Newham on how to use plants and food for health and wellbeing.
We are always trying to improve our services so we have put together this quick survey.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the following.
* Required
Always Sometimes Doesn’t Matter |
Everything! Important Just give me the best price! |
Always Sometimes (If I have time) Never |
Once per year Every few years Once a decade or more |
Word of Mouth Other |
| {module_ccsecurity} |
When were not just providing Movers London our staff are also getting up to all sorts of things, such as crew member Scott Burrows who is about to make his way around the UK and Europe over the next six months.
In the meantime, if you need home removals, give us a call on 020 8877 9682*.
We recently had our 10,000th client for moving in London!
Thank you to everyone who had supported us since 2009. We continue to learn and to improve what we do all the time.
We have grown from moving in London to storage, cleaning, national and international moves and a multitude of commercial clients.
We would like to particularly thank our team who do a fantastic job.
Cheers,
Team Kiwi
Was Santa good to you? Time to make extra space with self storage London or moving in London to a bigger place?
Christmas is a hectic time of year and with gifts and the Boxing Day sales we can often amass a lot of new items that require additional storage, rubbish removal or we have to start thinking about getting a bigger place and moving in London.
January usually signals the time to cut back on the excesses, taking stock after what is enviably an expensive December and planning for the new year ahead. As the economy seems to now be getting stronger, the housing market has picked up and people are generally feeling a little more confident. If this year you are planning to undertake renovations, upsize or downsize, there are a few considerations that you might want to think about now.
Traditionally we think about Spring as the time to clear out our old or unwanted stuff, but it is always prudent to get ahead of the game and clear out your cupboards, donating to charity shops or using a rubbish removal service. Storage in London is always at a premium, so the earlier you get on to this the better. If by the end of January that new home gym or running machine is starting to look less of a good idea than it was at the start of January, self storage can also be another good idea.
The bigger option though is always to move home. Moving in London takes time though, as the buying process can be long and drawn out, while actually securing the place you want may take many months. To make your move in summer as most want to, you really need to start looking now. If you are renting, January can be a good time to get a better deal.
Whatever you plan to do in 2014, we wish you a safe and prosperous year!
After last weeks blog on FAQs I thought I would share some of the not so frequently asked and more interesting questions we have received and some interesting removals we have completed:
Do you ship aeroplanes?
Earlier this year a client asked if we could ship an aeroplane to New Zealand. This wasn’t a toy plane; it required its own custom container. You may think why can’t they just fly there? However this was a Pilatus PC 6 which is small aircraft built to fly short distances. Flying to New Zealand is not just around the corner!
Moving a life sized Lego house
Just over a year ago our team moved James May’s life sized Lego house. This was built using 3.3 million plastic Lego bricks and included a working toilet, shower and bed. The house was split into large sections when moved and filled two of our Luton trucks.
Can we move a life size deer?!
Just over a month ago we were asked by a commercial client if we could move a deer for them. No it wasn’t alive! This was a life sized male deer trophy, approximately 1.5m high with antlers and the works. The size of it alone made it difficult to move but add in the three flights of stairs it had to go up plus being very fragile definitely made it an interesting move.
Buckingham Palace’s Christmas tree
A few Christmas’s ago we moved and assisted with the set up of Buckingham Palace’s Christmas tree. Completing a move for royals is no ordinary job, but moving a four meter high Christmas tree definitely made it an unforgettable experience for our team.
The world’s largest butterfly
Earlier this year a client we moved owned the world’s largest butterfly. The butterfly was in glass housing and unfortunately wasn’t alive so luckily we didn’t have to catch it then let it free at their new house! For those wild life fanatics the scientific name for this butterfly is Atacus Atlas.
Every year people wait in anticipation for the Christmas Ads to come out. Well, this year we have put our own one together.
We hope you enjoy!
Kiwi Movers try and commit to community work on a regular basis. We believe this is important, as a member of the local business community and as a responsible company. For most of us at Kiwi Movers, we have been involved with some sort of volunteer work, whether its parents managing their son’s under 10s rugby team, planting new trees for the Department of Conservation or delivering food parcels for the elderly through the ‘meals on wheels’ programme, the majority of Kiwi’s are happy to volunteer to help out their local community.
Many charities rely on volunteers and wouldn’t survive if it wasn’t for their help. Here at Kiwi Movers we decided to bring the mentality from home into our community here in Wandsworth and London by using our knowledge moving stuff, but also a wide skill base within our team.
Recently our team got their hands dirty with a couple of charities in London:
Earlier in the year during July when the sun was shinning for 10 hours a day our team volunteered their time with the local St Anne’s Church in Wandsworth. St Anne’s Church holds their annual summer fete every July to raise funds for the church. Using our knowledge of ‘moving stuff’ we assisted with the logistics and helped set up the stands at the fete.
Our commercial client Portland Brown Serviced Apartments regularly assists London charity the Christ Centre by donating beds, sofas and various other types of furniture. The Christ Centre gets people off the streets in London by finding them a roof to live under and assisting with employment. Portland Brown recently asked if we would like to help out. We jumped at this opportunity and our team delivered mattresses and sofas to various locations throughout London.
You may not get something in hand when volunteering but it sure is rewarding putting smiles on people’s faces and knowing you have done a good deed for your communityJ.
If you have a community or charitable project where you need assistance, please get in touch and we will be more than willing to see how we can help.
Jake George
Move Manager
We like to get involved and help out where we can in our local community here in Wandsworth. Recently we have been able to do this several times with different events. On the 22nd June some of our team helped out with the annual St Anne’s Church Fete. This has been the second year that we have been involved and in this case, really is about giving our neighbours a hand, as St Anne’s is located very close to our office.
Over the weekend, some of our team helped out at the Clapham Common Fete held on the 7th July. Again, some of our team helped out setting up and transporting a lot of the tables, chairs etc required for the day.
Thankfully on both occasions, the weather has played its part, while our guys don’t mind helping out with the BBQ (we do have a background with BBQ’s!).
If you have a community event and need a hand, please feel free to contact us. We can’t guarantee we can help on every occasion, but we will always do our best to help.
Please contact our Commercial Manager on 020 8877 9682*.
The June issue of Village Magazine has done a great article on Kiwi Movers and Removals Wandsworth. Have a read or check your letter box!
At Kiwi Movers we take great pride in providing a quality service. This isn’t just something that we talk about, it is something that we practice and instill in our staff.
To demonstrate this, we have created a new Company Charter that is based on the principles we believe best reflect our values. These are:
If you wish to know more about this values, or any other information about Kiwi Movers, please contact 020 8877 9682* or for more information about us, visit kiwimovers.co.uk/about
We have been making the news recently both in London and New Zealand.
Kiwi Movers Directors, Regan McMillan and Matt Lowe recently completed the Marseille Marathon. The Marathon was a bit of a wash out weather wise, but it does go to show that we do try and keep fit, even in the office!
Our Move Manager, Jake George is also competing in the London Marathon on the 21st April. We are expecting a good time from Jake!
Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows I’ve moved recently – a lot.
First, I moved in with the boy. Then, I moved out. Then there was a temporary stay with a friend. Then a stint of flat-sitting for another. And finally, last month, the final move (for a long while at least!) into my fabulous palace with two wonderful girlfriends, up here in sunny NW London.
I’m not going to lie, it’s been fairly traumatic. Packing. Lugging. Transporting. Unpacking. Repeat. No fun at all. Especially when you’re loading and unloading into friends cars, bruising legs and breaking nails on a regular basis.
So last time, as I was on the 5th floor and tired, I decided enough was enough and enlisted the help of a moving service. I was a little bit tight on budget but wanted a good service (where nothing would get smashed or “lost”) so asked for recommendations on Twitter and checked out various reviews. In the end it came down to two – Aussie Man and Van, or Kiwi Movers. I ended up booking with the latter and when moving day came, I was hugely grateful I did.
First of all, they turned up precisely on time. The driver was friendly and we were chatting away like pals within minutes. I’d already started to shift some boxes, but he insisted on doing the rest so I went off to finish the boring admin duties I had to do, and within 10 minutes or so the van had been packed, my possessions secured and our journey underway.
We made our way across London, and at the other end the lovely Driver grabbed all of my boxes and again, refused to let me help (although I did sneak the odd bag in when he wasn’t looking). The paperwork was already drawn up so a quick exchange of cash and he was on his way – and even offered me a lift back up to the station so I could continue my chores for the day. What a Gent!
I don’t often mention things like this on TLLWTL but I genuinely was impressed with the service and would recommend Kiwi Movers to any of you looking to move – whether it’s the contents of one room or a whole house. Good service and good prices. What more could you ask for?!
JJ Miller
This Little Lady
http://thislittlelady.co.uk/2011/04/great-service-kiwi-movers/
Help us reach 250 Likes on our Facebook Page and the 250th person will receive £30 of GBK Vouchers – YUM!!
