BPA News Updates and information from the BPA team Coronavirus: the BPAs response Stay connected with webinars Its an unsettling time. The rapid spread of Covid-19 is having an impact on most aspects of our lives, including our professional lives, leading to the cancellation of meetings and events that members have worked hard for or looked forward to attending. The BPA is keen to use its webinar platform to help members remain connected, share best practice and continue promoting professionalism and learning. If you are interested in finding out more, visit britishparking.co.uk/Webinars or email info@britishparking.co.uk The BPA continues to monitor the situation closely as it develops in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respecting each governments advice. It will communicate any potential impact this will have on continuing to deliver its services on behalf of members, and has already made the decision to cancel all meetings and events until further notice. Further announcements will be made via the website, by email and social media, to keep members updated. All staff have now transitioned to working from home, with full access to our cloud-based systems to support members throughout this challenging period. Because of this, it would be helpful if members stopped sending items to the main office via Royal Mail or other postal services, as this may delay the ability to process requests and respond. The Associations top priority is the health and wellbeing of its community, including the staff team, members, stakeholders, and their families. The BPA wishes to extend its best wishes to all those personally affected by the coronavirus pandemic. These are exceptional circumstances, and we will, of course, keep you informed. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns please visit our website or email membership@britishparking.co.uk You can listen again to previous webinars, including recent broadcasts on how parking can support net zero living and an introduction to Park Mark Plus. Go to britishparking.co.uk/Past-Webinars Double award for BPA A right royal occasion Each year the BPA receives a small number of tickets to the Royal Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace and invites members who have demonstrated a commitment to the parking sector to apply to attend. Edward Amusan (individual member) and Mike Marrs (BPA vice-president) had been chosen to represent the BPA. Unfortunately, however, the escalation of the coronavirus crisis means these parties have now been cancelled. The BPA was delighted to receive two awards at the 2020 British Parking Awards last month. Membership engagement manager Rebecca Harper won the Young Parking Professional of the Year, and the Traffic Regulation Orders Discovery Project which the BPA has worked on with the Department for Transport, GeoPlace and Ordnance Survey won the Special Jury Award. Julian OKelly, the BPAs head of technology, research and innovation, said: We are thrilled to have the project acknowledged by the judges. Ensuring TROs are a better fit for the digital world of apps and connected vehicles will be increasingly important for how we manage our kerbside, so to receive the award was a testament to the significance of this project and the strength of the partnership. Rebecca said: It was such an honour to be shortlisted among such brilliant colleagues. When my name was called as the winner, I was in shock. I am absolutely over the moon, and would like to congratulate all of my fellow nominees. The BPA offers its congratulations to all members who made it to the final shortlist and especially to those who went on to win an award. The high standards of excellence, professionalism and commitment shown are impressive. You can read more about the British Parking Awards on pages 30-33. 38 britishparking.co.uk PN Apr20 pp38-39 BPA News.indd 38 24/03/2020 14:50