Beadle helps staff celebrate a quarter century
It was a case of ‘watch out – Beadle’s about’ when more than fifty Warwickshire County Council employees, who have each worked for the local authority for more than 25 years, were recognised for their long service at a special awards dinner at Leamington’s Royal Pump Rooms.
Television and radio celebrity, Jeremy Beadle MBE, was guest speaker at the special dinner and he made a point of chatting to every member of staff before they received their award.
County council staff including highways employees, social workers, firefighters, education staff, accountants, IT personnel and care home managers were recognised at the special event.
The awards were given to reward the loyalty of council staff for their years of employment serving Warwickshire’s residents, whether in a customer-facing role or behind the scenes, and to recognise their years of experience.
Deputy Leader of Warwickshire County Council, Councillor Bob Stevens, and Chairman, Councillor John Wells presented the awards, with each long-serving employee receiving a £100 shopping voucher.
Councillor John Wells said: “It is important to recognise what these members of staff have achieved. They represent completely diverse professional, technical and craft abilities, have a huge variety of job titles, and a lot of different responsibilities within Warwickshire County Council.
“Of course, they have one thing in common - their years of Local Authority service. Their dedication to the county council is very much appreciated, as is their commitment to the people of Warwickshire.”
Harbie Atwal, an Administrative Assistant for the Highways Area Office in Rugby, was one of those to receive an award. She said: “I was absolutely thrilled. My mind went blank when the presenter spoke, it was like being on TV. I never thought an ordinary person like me would be involved in something like this!”
Gillian Jowers, a Team Leader in the council’s ICT Systems Centre, also received an award. She said: ”I was a bit apprehensive about the long service awards dinner, especially when I heard Jeremy Beadle was compering. In fact, he made everyone feel at ease and was very funny too.
“It was a lovely evening and great to meet some new people who I’d not met before - even after 25 years. I am very lucky to live and to work in Warwick.”
It was not the first time that the County Council had given long service awards to its staff, but it was the first time that employees from across the council’s directorates had received their awards together.