LPG Catering Case Study - Friday Bridge Farm Camp

A major accommodation site in the Fens is enjoying the convenience of a reliable, single fuel source for its catering, heating and hot water needs – thanks to Calor LPG.

Friday Bridge International Farm Camp, in the heart of the Cambridgeshire countryside, is set in thirteen acres of land on the outskirts of Friday Bridge village. Situated off the mains gas supply, the camp relies on liquefied petroleum gas – LPG – supplied by Calor, to power all its heating, catering and hot water facilities. Dormitory accommodation and washroom facilities are provided separately for men and women.

The extensive facilities include a laundry, shop, bar and club, an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, a pool table and free English lessons given by one of the three teachers employed by the camp over the summer.

The main accommodation building houses boilers, water heaters and a laundry, all powered by Calor. The on site bulk tanks store the fuel supply, all of which are maintained by Calor and topped up regularly.

In the summer, the camp is home to nearly 500 international students of agriculture, in the UK as part of a Home Office initiative, the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme. Students travel to work on farms in East Anglia from countries all over the world, including Russia, Bulgaria, the Baltic States and South Africa. They come to the camp, the largest in the area, to work, meet other people and improve their English.

The students’ work mainly consists of picking fruit and vegetables such as strawberries, salad vegetables, apples and cabbages, mirroring the harvests between April to June and then again from September to November.

Calor works with all its customers to meet any technical developments the company makes with their customers’ needs and requirements. In this case, the decision was taken by the camp, in consultation with Calor Commercial Specialist Jeff Penfold, to install Calor’s latest innovation.

Jeff says, “Calor is installing Think Tank® telemetry at the camp. This is an innovative system which communicates gas levels to Calor and arranges deliveries so Friday Bridge should never run short”.

Adam Stromanis, the maintenance manager, is one of 30 staff employed at Friday Bridge. He is delighted with the contribution Calor has made over the years to the smooth running of the operation.

“We chose to use LPG to power our catering, hot water and heating facilities because it is an efficient and reliable fuel. It is also cleaner than the alternative, oil, and is much easier to store and use.