Women who lift – GGR’s female crane operators

Leading lifting solutions specialists, GGR Group, have recently recruited their second female crane operator as part of their ongoing commitment to bring more women into construction.

Kirsty Parkin, long standing operator and Appointed Person at GGR Group and Olivia Rollinson, their newest female operator, have been involved in some of the biggest and most prestigious lifting projects across the UK. 

Growing up on a farm in New Zealand, surrounded by machinery most of her life, Parkin joined the company in 2012, beginning her spider crane training at GGR’s Southern depot. Since then she has gained her A66 Category A, B, C, D and AP qualifications through specialised programmes at GGR’s dedicated training facility. These allow Kirsty to operate Unic mini spider cranes, pick and carry cranes, mini crawler cranes and trailer cranes.  She now works as a technical surveyor whilst also providing crucial operator or appointed person duties work where needed.

When asked about her role in a highly dominated male industry Kirsty said, “All it takes is some dedication to gaining the right qualifications and a company willing to give you the training, experience and tools you need to succeed”.

Rollinson joined GGR earlier in 2020 and was enrolled onto GGR’s A66 training scheme to become the company’s second female crane operator. Previously, she was a full-time student at York University, studying Biology, successfully graduating with a 2:1.

When asked about her new role, Rollinson said, “I have really enjoyed my time so far at GGR, I have successfully completed the A66A, A66D, which allows me to operate UNIC mini spider cranes and mini crawler cranes. I have also completed my below the hook vacuum lifter course and I am very much looking forward to training and learning to operate more machines”.

“No day is the same being an operator at GGR, from lifting glass, to working in substations to working on canals, I really love the variety the job brings. I have particularly enjoyed working with Kirsty on our most recent project on a listed windmill, it’s great to have some female support on site and I hope more females join the industry”. 

Parkin added, “It really would be fantastic to see more females on site in construction, so if you’re thinking about getting into the industry, go for it – Olivia and I are proof that it can be done! It’s fantastic that Olivia has recently joined the team on site, and I can’t wait for GGR to recruit more women in hands-on roles”.

GGR Group currently employs 150 people across three sites and the company is committed to bringing more female talent on board, especially in roles such as surveyors, operators and field sales staff. GGR offer specialised training for both novice and experienced operators at their training centres in both Manchester and Haddenham.