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| News and Press |  |  |  | What's new at Rock Steady | | Welcome to the Rock Steady news and press section. Here you can find out the latest information about the Rock Steady group and our activities.
| | | G4S Security Services (UK) buys top events group - Rock Steady | | G4S Security Services (UK) has acquired Rock Steady Group, the UK's leading event stewarding company. The acquisition enhances G4S's depth of crowd management capability in the events security sector, particularly within the areas of live music and venue services. The acquisition ensures G4S's position as the unassailable market leading event security company in Europe.
Headquartered in Edinburgh, Rock Steady is a world-renowned events specialist incorporating Rock Steady Security Ltd, Rock Steady Event Services Ltd, Rock Steady Sports Event Services Ltd and Avant-Guard Resource Services Ltd. G4S Security Services (UK) wil re-brand the business, bringing the Rock Steady companies under the G4S banner and managed by Mark Hamilton, currently Managing Director, Rock Steady Group.
Rock Steady group is responsible for the safety of millions of spectators and participants every year at sports, leisure, live music, cultural and business events. It has up to 2,200 full and part-time registered stewards who are deployed across the UK. Specialising in stewarding and crowd management, the company has provided security services for a number of high profile events including Live8, Radio 1 Big Weekend, the annual Edinburgh Hogmanay celebrations, T in the Park and V Festivals.
The acquisition will enable G4S Security Services (UK) to expand its current events capability so that it is best placed to manage the diverse security requirements of a growing calender of events.
Doug Hewitson, Managing Director, G4S Security Services (UK) commented:
" Rock Steady is a world famous name in the events sector and will complement our exisiting skills and expertise in this specialist part of the security market. This growing market will benefit from the widened range of capabilities we are now able to offer from live music, to political conferences, to iconic sports events."
Mark Hamilton, Managing Director, Rock Steady Group and Managing Director Designate of events, G4S Security Services (UK) said:
"This is great news for both Rock Steady and G4S. When looking at this opportunity we were impressed by the range of events which G4S already manages and are confident that merging the skills and services of both organisations can only be beneficial to clients, their customers and our staff.!
Rock Steady will complement G4S Security Services (UK)'s dedicated event security team which provides security at high profile events including the Conservative and Labour party conferences, the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon and the British Open Golf Championships.
Media Enquiries:
Alistair Kellie, 020 7282 2850
Ewan Robertson, 020 7282 2981
Ian Morris, 020 7282 1037
Max Duddy, 020 7282 2989
or
G4S Press Office, 07973 672 649
|  | | New Training Scheme (Jan 2008) | |  A ground-breaking adult training scheme designed to safeguard spectators and fans at major sporting events and concerts is being launched today.
It will offer approved qualifications for over 2,000 event stewards who look after high profile public at events in Scotland ranging from top flight domestic and international football and rugby matches to music festivals and concerts.
The stewards, employed by the Rock Steady Group whose Head Office is in Edinburgh, will be offered the course by James Watt College through a series of 12-week courses throughout Scotland. It’s believed to be the country’s largest project in the sector ever undertaken.
Dr Graham Clark, the Principal of James Watt College, said: “This is certainly one of the most exciting high profile training programmes we’ve ever been asked to provide but it is entirely in keeping with our mission to enhance employment skills throughout Scotland.”
“Moreover, as numbers at all type of events continue to rise, it’s of paramount importance that the safety of those attending is in the hands of skilled and properly qualified stewards,” he added.
Mark Hamilton, Managing Director of ROCK STEADY, said: “As a company we’ve always believed in effective training for all our employees and, while there is no statutory requirement for formally accredited event steward training, we now feel the time is right for our staff to be trained to an agreed national standard and to be awarded a formal qualification relating to their skills.” He continued: “Our clients, which include most major venues and Premier League football clubs in Scotland as well as rugby union at Murrayfield, need to rely 100% on our ability to deliver safe, sympathetic and effective stewarding at their events.”
“At the same time, our clients’ customers - those who buy the tickets - need to know that they and their families can be secure in the knowledge that they’ll be looked after in a safe and professional manner.”
“We are delighted with our partnership with James Watt College as it will enable us to offer our staff the training which will lead to the nationally approved NCFE Certificate in Event Stewards,” said Mr Hamilton.
The partnership between Rock Steady and the James Watt College was affected through Sportsvine Ltd, part of the Tribal Group PLC, and as one of the UK’s leading education publishers they will be providing all the approved learning materials for each candidate and managing the administration links between the employer and the college throughout the
project.
Each 12 week training programme will take the form of “blended” learning with a combination of classroom tutorial and individual study at home. There are six main areas of study which include: Role and responsibilities of an event steward; Health and safety for event stewards; Principles of spectator control; handling conflict at events; Promoting equal
opportunities; and Personal safety in the workplace.
When all six units have been completed, stewards will take an externally set assessment which, if successful, will lead to them being awarded the NCFE Level 2 Certificate for Event Stewards. Sportsvine director, Gerry Connolly, said: “Flexible learning using our specially approved learning and assessment materials is at the heart of this scheme as they provide a user-friendly and cost-effective learning resource for candidates and employers.”
He continued: “The NCFE qualification is an approved qualification for anyone considering a career in crowd or event management.
“It is also suitable for anybody working in the industry on a voluntary, part-time or casual basis who wishes to formalise and further develop his or her existing experience and skills,” he said. Mr Connolly added: “This Certificate is ideal for a broad range of employers in the leisure, tourism, sports, entertainment and security industries as it can be applied to stewards working in a wide range of spectator environments such as football, rugby, cricket, horse racing, indoor arenas and outdoor events.”
|  | | Centre for Crowd Management and Security Studies | | Rock Steady is pleased to announce that the Group Chairman, Mark Hamilton, has been appointed Head of Centre for Crowd Management and Security Studies based in Buckinghamshire New University.
Taking over the role from Dr Mick Upton who founded the Centre, Mark is looking forward to further developing the progress made by Dr Upton in creating a unique example of industry and academia working in partnership. The aim will be to encourage more participation in the Centre's activities by employers and employees within the crowd management and security industry so that we can produce the well informed, well educated and highly trained professional that event safety and security needs.
What the Centre offers is a range of services, including; highly effective work placed Foundation Degrees; training development; national and international research; a comprehensive resource facility; employment and career opportunities; debate and dialogue through conferences and engagement with Government.
Rock Steady currently has 9 employees on the current Foundation Degree in Crowd Safety Management and one other on a Professional Teaching Course for Adults in Higher Education.
|  | | Rock Steady against the competition | | Already in 2007, Rock Steady has been nominated for an award by the Total Production Industry Awards and the National Outdoor Events Association.
These nominations demonstrate our continued effort to improve and remain a very competative force.
Many thanks to everyone who put forward Rock Steady as their nominee.
| | | Nordoff Robbins Tartan Clef Awards 2006 | | Mark Hamilton, Rock Steady Group Chairman was delighted to receive, on behalf of all Rock Steady employees, the Nordoff Robbins 2006 Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Music Industry.
Rock Steady has been a supporter of Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy in Scotland for many years and it was an honour to receive an award that has previously been given to many of the music industry's most valuable contributers.
It was additionally pleasing to be presented with this award by the SECC who are not only a long standing client of Rock Steady, but also a sponsor of the Tartan Clef Awards.
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