Compass Group plc is a British multinational contract foodservice company headquartered in Chertsey, England. It is the largest contract foodservice company in Europe, ahead of Sodexo, employing over 500,000 people. It serves meals in locations including offices and factories, schools, universities, hospitals, major sports and cultural venues, mining camps, correctional facilities and offshore oil platforms. Compass Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It is also a Fortune Global 500 company.

Chertsey
Pyrcroft Road/Eastworth Road (Business District)
Guildford Street The principal Shopping Street with an adjoining arcade and supermarket.
Chertsey Location within Surrey
Population	15,967 [1]
OS grid reference	TQ039667
District	Runnymede
Shire county	Surrey
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Chertsey
Postcode district	KT16
Dialling code	01932
Police	Surrey
Fire	Surrey
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Runnymede and Weybridge
List of places UK England Surrey 51.3902°N 0.5074°W

Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, 29 km (18 mi) south-west of central London. It grew up round Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 CE, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in the early 15th century.^[2] The River Bourne through the town meets the Thames at Weybridge. The Anglican church has a medieval tower and chancel roof. The 18th-century listed buildings include the current stone Chertsey Bridge and Botleys Mansion. A curfew bell, rung at 8 pm on weekdays from Michaelmas to Lady Day ties with the romantic local legend of Blanche Heriot, marked by a statue of her and the bell at Chertsey Bridge. Green areas include the Thames Path National Trail, Chertsey Meads and a round knoll (St Ann’s Hill) with remains of a prehistoric hill fort known as Eldebury Hill. Pyrcroft House dates from the 18th century and Tara from the late 20th. Train services are run between Chertsey railway station and London Waterloo by South Western Railway. The town is within the M25, accessible via junction 11.

Toponymy

The first written mention of Chertsey is by Bede c. 750, in which he describes the location as Cerotaesei, id est Ceroti insula (translated as “Chertsey, that is the island of Cerotus”). The settlement appears in 13th-century copies of 7th-century charters as Cirotesige, Cirotesge and Cerotesge. The manor is recorded as Certesi in Domesday Book in 1086 and as Certeseye in 1129–30. Other later forms include Charteseye (mid-14th century), Charsey (in 1543) and Chutsey (in 1606). The first use of the modern spelling “Chertsey” is from 1559.^[3

The first part of the toponym “Chertsey” is thought to refer to a Celtic individual, whose name was subsequently Latinised to Cerotus.The second part derives from the Old English ēg and means.