Texaco Service Station

 Fawkes said, “What's been most important is the great working relationship we have developed with Darren and his team. I hold our relationship with Ascona in very high regard and have come to know Darren and his team for their determination and dynamism in business, whilst still maintaining a down-to-earth and fun company culture. A combination that has undoubtedly led to their success."

 It has been a busy and exciting time for Ascona, who recently announced the acquisition of its 50th site in the UK, growing from one in 2011. The majority of these new sites have been acquired in the last three years. But they have no intention of slowing down. As well as looking to add more sites to their portfolio, they immediately invest to improve on their offering to the local community, which in turn drives up footfall, sales and volumes.

 One of the new Texaco-branded sites, opening later this year, is Bush Hill Service Station, soon to be renamed Green Garage Service Station, in Pembrokeshire. This new 5,000 sq ft Ascona development will be the company's flagship site and will feature Ascona's trademark deluxe jet wash, Instawash laundrette and the Ascona fish bar, as well as 3,500 sq ft Nisa-branded convenience store.

 Andrew Cox, Valero's director, sales and marketing, said, “Darren and his team are fantastic retailers to work with; forward thinking, innovative and always aiming to exceed their customer expectations. We are proud to supply 23 of the Ascona sites and to support them with their continued growth." ​

 ​​​Fuel retailer Usman Patel recently celebrated 40 years of selling Texaco branded fuel at his three service stations in Greater Manchester. Usman owns the Mabco Group sites: Caroline Service Station, Lancashire Hill Service Station and Reddish Service Station. All the sites are located within 10 miles of each other in Stockport and have supplied fuel under the Texaco brand since Usman first became a tenant in 1980.

 Usman said, “The time feels like it has flown by, but it's been 40 years since our first Texaco site and I have never felt the need to change supplier. The deals have always been transparent and competitive and they offer a great loyalty programme for our customers too." He went on to say, “However, the main reason I've stayed with Texaco for so long is because of the people, who I've found to be honest, trustworthy and ready to help in any way. I know where I am with Texaco. “

 Andrew Cox, Valero's director sales and marketing, said, "Usman is an excellent retailer and we have a fantastic relationship with him going back many years. I'm delighted that we've been able to support Usman over the years and I'm extremely grateful for the help and assistance he continues to provide to ourselves and other Texaco branded retailers. Our aim is to focus on helping customers grow their business, and we hope to remain the preferred supplier of choice for Usman for many years to come. Congratulations on 40 great years Usman!"

 Usman developed an interest in working in petrol stations at an early age and started operating his first Texaco tenant site (Reddish Service Station) at the age of 18. A further nine Texaco tenant sites were acquired between 1980 and 1995, which were run as a family business with his three brothers.

 In 1995 he decided to move out of the family business with two of the sites, Reddish Service Station and Lancashire Hill Service Station and a few years later acquired Caroline Service Station. Today, he continues to own and manage the three sites with his two sons Sufyan and Khalid Mohammed.

 All sites have a Londis shop, jet wash and stock all grades of fuel including Supreme Diesel. His years of experience led him to become a founding member of Texaco's National Advisory Council, through which he has helped make improvements to business infrastructure and services and has tested new concepts that have benefitted Texaco retailers across the country. In his spare time Usman enjoys flying in his Piper Archer plane which he bought in 2006 after gaining his pilot's license.

 ​While Christmas 2020 will be remembered as exceptional – and in ways that we hope we don't have to revisit – some of Valero's festive traditions managed to run, albeit in a way unique to a rather unusual year. While restrictions have kept staff at home or isolated from each other, Valero volunteers have rallied to continue to fundraise for the local communities that they have supported throughout the year.

 Instead of a Christmas jog with colleagues, 42 Valero staff took part in a Virtual Relay, where they dressed in festive clothing and undertook 20 minutes of exercise for a donation starting at £10. This raised a total of £1,355, boosted to £1,656 with Gift Aid, to help the work of Mind in Tower Hamlets and Newham, the Alzheimer's Society and Brain Tumour Research, Valero's three charities of the year, voted by Canada Square and field employees.

 This year, the Christmas Toy Appeal involved an Amazon gift list that Valero employees clicked on to contribute 86 toys to children aged three months to 14 years old, living in Newham.

 Kevin Jenkins, the Founder of Ambition, Aspire, Achieve and the Christmas Toy Appeal, said, “In this, the most difficult and challenging of all years, [the appeal] was able to provide 2,891 children with a Christmas stocking for Christmas morning and 100 families (approx. 300 children) with a seasonal food hamper. Thank you Valero for your wonderful support, which was truly appreciated."

 With many staff working from home, the usual foodbank appeal was not practical this year. Instead, staff emailed in pictures of donations to local foodbanks and the number or value was recognised with volunteer hours. In total, 22 people took part and were awarded 72 volunteer hours.

 Valero's first virtual raffle was a great success with 65 people raising £1,400 for the chosen charities. As John Lewis couldn't source the hampers, vouchers for the store were sent out instead. Many of the physical prizes – including the Hotel Chocolat hamper – were sent out directly from the manufacturers.

 One Christmas volunteering event did involve real-life actual volunteers. A three-strong team went to the Isle of Dogs headquarters of the East End Community Foundation to pack up 'care packages', assembled from donated items that included food items, toiletries, word search books and warm blankets. The EECF were amazed that our volunteers managed to pack 133 bags in just three hours.​

 ​While the 66th Texaco Children's Art Competition has taken place with less hullabaloo than usual, the entries still poured in. This year, the judging was delayed by the onset of COVID and the usual award ceremony did not take place, with the prizes sent directly to the winners' homes.

 Still, over 25,000 artists from across Ireland sent in their entries for six age categories, ranging from six and under (Category F) to 16 to 18 (Category A), with Category G reserved for artists of all ages with special educational needs. Full details of all the winners and a gallery of this years and some previous artists' works are available at the Texaco Children's Art website.

Petrol near me

 The competition is the longest running arts sponsorship in Ireland, with a continuous history back to 1955. Many famous Irish artists and public figures are among the long list of previous winners and highly commended.

 In 2020, the overall winner of the competition was Casey Etherton, now 18 years old, a student at Coláiste na Sceilge in Caherciveen, Co. Kerry. His oil painting, 'Kevin in the Pink', earns him €1,500 and high praise from the Final Adjudicator and Chairman of the judging panel, Professor Declan McGonagle. He said the winning entry as “an exceedingly lifelike and sensitive painting in which the subject is caught in a thoughtful moment".

 Unlike many of young artists, this was Casey's first entry to the Competition. “My teacher really pushed me to put in something. I was working on a painting project of different people around my town.

 “I knew about the Children's Art Competition from First Year. I never really gave entering a thought as there always such great submissions and winners that I never thought I'd be at that level. I still don't think I am, to be honest. I have a feeling that I stole it as there are such great artists who entered this year. But then it is the judges' opinion over mine."

 Casey lives in Caherdaniel, a small village, down the road from Kevin, the subject of his painting. “I saw him at a party at my grandparents and seeing him under a really bright light and seeing the contours on his face, I thought it was really interesting and I really wanted to paint him. He was very happy to help out and he and his wife Mary were delighted with the painting."

 Casey is drawn to artists such as Francis Bacon. “I did use a lot of red in that painting. At that time I was very interested in the way he worked, how he looked at an anatomy and how exaggerated he made some things seem. I suppose subconsciously, the influences were there."

 Looking forward, Casey is putting together a portfolio for art college, where he hopes to study animation. He has prepared all his pieces for his application to Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design + Technology.

 The deadline for the next Children's Art Competition is 24 March 2021 and a TV advertising campaign will roll out in the New Year to look for Irish artists of the future.

 James Twohig, Director of Valero Ireland, thanked parents and the many teachers from schools throughout Ireland who, he said, “have continued to give encouragement and support to the many thousands of young artists who have entered the Competition over the course of its 66-year history."​

 It’s been a very different year for Valero’s volunteers in 2020, with many of the planned events and fundraisers having to be cancelled due to the pandemic. However, the company, who market fuel in the UK under the Texaco brand, has been determined to continue supporting its charities and have not let the pandemic stop them from finding other ways to raise money.