London based company Powerday is one of the leading recycling and waste management companies in the U.K for many years and this firm has close connections with Cavan as the owners hail from the Breffni County.

The Crossan family have roots in Drumgoon, but Mick has lived in the English capital all his life and he is the current managing director of the company. However, he has never forgotten his roots and spent many summers in the Cavan village.
Mick's father Jack was born and bred in Drumgoon and during one of his many visits back to the Emerald Isle, he happened to meet Brian Bailie, a native of Shercock, who's father was a good friend of Jack's and upon a chat in the local hostelry one night, Jack mentioned to Brian's father about the youngster travelling to the U.K for work.

"I was just finished college in Dundalk. It was the summer of 1979 and Jack met my father in the local pub where they got talking about what I was going to do and Jack suggested that I go over to London with him. I had studied construction engineering and there was not much work over here, so I decided to go over and Jack gave me work," revealed Brian.
Thirty one years later and Brian is still working for the Crossan family and over the years he has worked his way up through the ranks and is now construction manager for the company.

"When I went over first, I worked a few days a week with the company and went to college for the rest to train as a quantity surveyor, which the company paid for. Over the last 15 years, I have been the construction manager for Powerday and we have been involved in many projects."
Brian admitted that construction is a small part of the business, but it is an area that has flourished over the years, given the boom in the industry that occurred.
"We are still quite busy and have a number of contracts ongoing at the moment, while three more are due to come up in the New Year, so we are pleased enough on that front. A lot of our work would involve the local authority, while we have a customer list that would date back to when we first started.

"There would not be many employed directly in this end of the business, but there are a large number of sub contractors on the books, the majority of which have been on the books for many years. I would visit our sites two or three times a week in the knowledge that the work would be done to a very high standard, given the quality of tradesmen on our books."
The Powerday logo is well known throughout London and from humble beginnings the business has flourished and is now regarded as one of the leading players in its field of expertise.
Mick and his brother Sean set up a labour hire business in 1977 with the help of their father before buying their first skip lorry in 1980 and founding Powerday. Mick has since become the sole proprietor of the company, which provides recycling and waste management solutions.
Powerday provide an alternative to landfill, delivering 100 per cent recovery from waste to businesses and organisations across London and beyond. Providing this environmentally responsible approach, Powerday has experienced significant growth, doubling in size in the past three years. The company has a strong belief in its responsibility to the environment and local community. It has invested to maximise recycling and then to produce a fuel for energy recovery from residual waste. Traceability is assured with virtually all materials remaining in the UK.

Powerday's main site sits on a 26-mile lock-free section of the Grand Union Canal between Camden and Slough, just five miles from Oxford Street. It is licensed to process 1.6 million tonnes of waste, which is the equivalent of eight per cent of London's entire waste, and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The company's wharf can take three 90 ft barrages at any one time, carrying up to 80 tonnes of waste each time. The site is also situated at a railway junction hub and has its own sidings. A train leaves these sidings daily carrying recovered soil to Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire for use in restoration schemes. One train holds the equivalent of 70 lorry loads of material, making this an extremely environmentally responsible option.

Powerday harvest rainwater for use in dust suppression and road cleaning around the Old Oak Sidings site as well as in the fire-safety system. A new viewing gantry and training room has been built to provide safe and effective viewpoints for clients and other visitors interested in learning more about the recycling and recovery process.
Powerday also has recycling facilities in Enfield, Brixton and Neasden and plans to open another facility on a 27-acre site in West Drayton, not far from Heathrow Airport.
"The main focus of the business is on the waste management and it is an area that we can deliver the expertise and knowledge that is unrivalled over here."
The Crossan family have always had a close allegiance with Cavan football and have followed the fortunes of the Breffni blues through thick and thin as has Brian.
"I would have played a bit of underage with Shercock, but once I went to college that was it really. I came over here shortly after that. I would still watch the games every Sunday during the summer. It's a great sport to watch. I would follow the football over here a lot and I'm actually an Arsenal supporter despite being surrounded by a crowd of Chelsea fans, but you have to admire GAA players more as they play more for the love of the game." Tweet

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