Two Wheels Award Winners: Gary Ormesher TNT, Barry Warner CitySprint.

    Gary Ormesher - TNT   Gary has been a subcontractor for TNT over 16 years and the wealth of knowledge and experience he has built up makes him a huge asset to the TNT site. When a deadline is tight we call Gary and we know the customer will not be disappointed. On his Honda ST1300 Pan European Gary is brilliant his attitude is second to none in this industry, no job too long or too short. Even in last winters extreme condition Gary managed to provide his service every day without exception. He is always on time and always available when he says he is, offering to do call and is totally reliable. He has taken on job roles that ensured a job got done rather than delayed and create a further problem for the customer. Several exceptional customer testimonies have been received for Gary over the last year alone

    Barry Warner – CitySprint (We just spoke of 16 years service with Gary, Bary brings 17 years!) Barry had been a pushbike courier for 17 years. He always has a smile on his face, a spring in his step and a cheery turn of phrase. The consummate professional, willing to go anywhere, anytime in any weather conditions. He is a superb ambassador for City Sprint, loyal, trustworthy and conscientious. Never have we had a problem on a job that Barry has been involved with. Clients are always happy to see him, whether sporting a colourful Mohican or, on Christmas Eve as is his tradition, a Santa suit. Barry has been the focus of media attention, including a recent double page spread in the Independent. This article presented our industry and Barry’s profession in a very positive manner.

Four Wheels Award Winners: Andrew Batho - Pink Express, Brian Lloyd - eCourier Sewa Singh Lalli - TNT

    Andrew Batho - Pink Express   The main reason for this nomination is simply the approach to of Andrew to helping customers, colleagues, controllers and especially collegues as he is so willing to support anyone within the company who needs advice or assistance. There are too many occasions to list where Andrew has finished for the day, gone home and then come out again to help the controllers out. In his own words ‘The customer comes first because they pay all our wages’. This is how we should all think and it’s fantastic for us to hear our couriers are on the same page as us. We have a client who builds large models and needs a transit van for deliveries. He always requests Andrew, trusting him to take that little bit extra care of his ‘baby’ when transporting their goods. Once on a delivery of a particularly special model they waited two hours just so Andrew could do the delivery. The customer said ‘He is your best, if we could employ him we would’.

    Brian Lloyd - eCouriers As we are all too aware couriers can be a notoriously loud bunch and are fond of making their views and gripes known to all and sundry, even sometimes including the clients! Our nominee is the diametric opposite of this courier cliché. Brian Lloyd is simply an unassuming professional courier. The rarer type of courier who simply shows up for work every day and accepts whatever the “Gods” have in store for him. He is always presented in an exemplary fashion and with a clean and tidy vehicle. This attribute alone is deserving of an IOC Oscar ! Brian joined eCourier almost five years ago and has established himself as a real solid member of the van courier team. He is respected by the controllers and fellow drivers and is first choice when any new recruit is selected for training with an experienced courier. We are sure that Brian is not always so appreciative of this task but always accepts the “request” with a quiet a calm and professional demeanour. Brian exemplifies what a professional courier needs to aspire to in order to be successful. Simply take a pride in yourself, your work and the company.

    Sewa Singh Lalli - TNT Sewa will always find a way to help cover the jobs. He never has to be asked to do anything twice and makes sure he is on time at all times. He takes a great pride in his appearance and has a highly professional, conscientious and proactive attitude. He treats his colleagues with respect and always offers assistance wherever and whenever he can. He is never late and will go out of his way to complete every task. An example of his dedication was seen when last winter he battled for four hours through snow bound traffic so that a critical consignment of blood was collected and delivered before it was out of validation. This was because the customer’s own driver couldn’t make the journey. He assured the client that he would make it and keep everyone informed along the way. These conditions were virtually impossible to pass but when most of us would have given up at the start, Sewa pressed on to ensure his consignment got delivered. Nothing is too much trouble for him and it is from his colleagues and managers alike who comment on this friendly manner, reliability.

Contract Award Winners: Bryan Attwood - DHL, Manni de Jesus - Pink Express Steve Grant - Excel

    Bryan Attwood - DHL   Bryan currently works for one of the hospitals in the Birmingham area delivering medication daily and weekly to terminally ill people who are unable to leave their house. This as you can imagine is a task that demands dedication and commitment and a huge amount of tact, empathy and humanity. Bryan receives regular feedback commenting on his excellent professionalism and manner with these patients , ‘he is an ambassador to the courier industry’ Without Bryan patients could possibly go all day without any other human contact. Bryan spends his time having a friendly word and assisting them if needed. He is a real credit to himself and the DHL brand with his amazing commitment. The following has been received from the the Hospital. I would like to say Bryan has gone out of his way numerous times....working over his shift time, coming back to store if we have made an error and never complained. He is always smiling and positive no matter what may be going on in the background.. Bryan is a pleasure to have as part of our team and a reflection of my values. No matter what we need doing, Bryan is happy to help. In fact, I don't think the word 'NO' exists in his vocabulary.’

    Manni de Jesus - Pink Express   More than eleven years service - ‘The person when you really need assistance’ Manni combines a positive outlook and attitude in every aspect of his responsibilities and has built a reputation of being THE person to go to when you really need assistance. Manni has been a loyal employee of Pink for over 11 years now and has become known as a total professional in the Contract and Logistics department. Based in an extremely busy Despatch Department for a global PR Company in Soho Manni is very much the ‘Mr Fix It’ of his department. His roles and responsibilities are many and various, mainly because NO is not in his vocabulary! Manni provides excellent support in roles that include building allocation, product management and fulfilment as well as booking and managing a variety of courier and car services. He is also responsible for all stationary and peripherals and looks after the despatch needs of over 250 people. So well is Manni regarded that he recently won an internal award at his host company. The extra mile award for his (and we quote): ‘Outstanding attitude, professionalism and sheer charm in everything he does’ This is the first time that the award has gone to someone who is technically not an employee of the company to which he is contracted.

    Steve Grant - Excel   Over thirty years in the industry! ‘Always prepared to go the extra mile’ Steve started in the courier industry early seventies with Courier Express, which became Lyns Express. UPS and then Cityside and a few mergers later Excel. Steve is engaged with the safe handling of some very high value fashion items. He is highly regarded by our client as the testimony confirms. Quote ‘Steve is always prepared to go that extra mile and ensures customer satisfaction’. Thanks to the services and reliability provided by Steve, the coverage of this contract is almost worry free as the control room know he’s going to be there.
    From a management point of view, Steve is a dream courier. Honest, reliable and a perfect ambassador for the Company. Excel believe that it is too easy to bypass the contract drivers, but when they’re not around the continuity can be lost and it becomes an additional task for an already busy control team. The testimonials provided by the client for Steve are just and worthy, and we are delighted to nominate Steve for an award in recognition of his efforts in helping maintain such a prestigious client.

Office Award Winners: Christopher Dryden - Pink Express, Joanna Haines - CitySprint Stuart Selley - GLH, Danny Nicholson - Excel

    Christopher Dryden - Pink Express   Most helpful and resourcefull member of the team and employee of the month four times in the last year. ‘he is just a thoroughly lovely bloke’ Chris was previously a car controller. Chris has a large family ( 7 children). He re-trained as a PSV driver before coming back to us in 2010. Chris has joined us on the courier fleet and has excelled in this sometimes very hectic role. He is liked immensely by the courier fleet and his customer service skills are a credit to the company. During the past year Chris has been undoubtedly the most helpful and resourceful member of our staff team. He has actually volunteered to cover the night controller’s shifts and has worked over weekend at very short notice! Bearing in mind he has a large and partly young family his dedication to Pink has been outstanding. He has been employee of the month 4 times in the last year, which is an award that is voted by all the staff to reward colleagues that have helped them with their own tasks. Last month whilst a controller was on holiday another controllers wife went into early labour and he had to dash to hospital. The team that was left had their hands full and we worked out a reduced break rota to cope. However Chris refused to leave the control room. If all our employee’s were dedicated as Chris we would win the Courier Olympics. On top of all this he is just a thoroughly lovely bloke.

    Joanna Haines - City Sprint   First time Mum but still first in and last out, winning new buisiness and driving procedures into the national model. As a first time Mum and recent returnee to work, Joanna’s dedication to her role within Citysprint has been outstanding. She’s first in, last out and has never taken time out with her increasing pressures of a young child! Joanna’s initial role within Citysprint was to assist in the turnaround of the Bristol Service Centre Joanna was key to developing a central location detailing the Bristol customer base and its specific requirements. Joanna was the crucial person that enabled Bristol to obtain a better understanding of its customer base and indeed not only maintain business but grow and win back lost business. Next key role was undertaking the responsibility of the day to day management of a national client. Joanna’s relationship with this customer and suggestions towards creating specific operations at the Bristol location lead to these procedures being rolled out on a National basis for them. Many times Joanna has taken the initiate to solve day to day problems, she seems to ‘juggle’ problems until they are all caught!

    David Nicholson - Excel   Twenty years in the industry ‘always a new challenge and something different to do each day’ Danny got on the rungs of the courier industry beginning of the nineties at the tender age of 17. In 1996 Danny moved from 2 to 4 wheels and in 1999 he became a PAYE controller and co-ordinator to cover night and day shifts. In December of that year Danny’s second child arrived but sadly his wife was to pass away. With two young children and a job to hold down Danny had to juggle both work and home life which he managed to do both without complaint. In January 2001 Danny was promoted to the role of Fleet Manager looking after recruitment and the company fleet of vans, bikes and passenger cars. Since then Danny’s role has expanded as the company has grown and now encompasses IT, office maintenance, telephone programming and office moves and the owned and managed fleet now consists of some 95 vehicles. He graduated seamlessly into management and now has 4 staff under his control helping him manage an ever growing workload. Danny is the “certified person of competence” for the company’s goods vehicle licence as well as the liaison for PCO and other industry affiliations. Danny is still in love with the industry as he quotes “there’s always a new challenge and something different to do every day”. In a changing industry he has seen a rise in the level of professionalism to meet the increasing demands of the customer. He has also known many drivers and riders over the years and has seen a trend for increased company loyalty.

    Stuart Selley - GLH   Again, over twenty years in the industry. The Late IOC Founding fellow John Scott and former winner of the coveted Services to Industry award would have been proud to see Stuart take this award. Stuart started at GLH as a pushbike courier in the late 80s, he quickly became a co-ordinator and then controller. Stuart took to his new post like a duck to water, and after 20 years is still a force to be reckoned with. Stu's a funny likeable chap with lots to offer, as well as a hard grafter. He's great with the riders and drivers and very much the "good cop" in our controller system. He works extremely hard all of the time but won't hesitate to pull out a joke on a strange situation. Stuart will always bend over backwards to help a colleague (whether it be a driver/rider or office staff). His consistent courtesy to clients, riders & drivers alike makes him stand a cut above the rest. He has always made an effort to be involved in things in the industry and any ideas he has to improve any aspects of the courier industry at an internal or external level he is not afraid to share them. Stuart has held employee of the year within his company GLH, family of the courier industry.

Quality Champion: Phil Bown - TNT

    Phil Bown   Almost quarter of a century in industry and a champion of the National Courier Awards. Phil was the crucial link between National Courier Awards and TNT, emulating the ethos of individual recognition he lead the idea of ‘Superstars’ and has maintained links to ensure the support of the event linking into the National Courier Awards. Phil, who has spent the past 23 years giving sterling support to every area of the business, started his career at TNT as an Admin Clerk succeeding through all areas of the company to his role as General Manager today. Specifically focusing on the Sameday Delivery division, he helped develop the company’s hugely successful “time critical” service. His responsibilities have spanned the business and he has helped introduce significant developments to TNT’s operations within the fast-paced and ever-changing courier industry. Through Phil’s leadership have made significant contributions that have made TNT more robust and commercially aware as a business. He has ensured that the business understands the customers’ needs and the drivers of the industry and remains at the forefront of not only meeting but exceeding expectations. Phil was the first TNT employee to receive the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award since the company became a chartered founder member.

Corporate Safety Award - City Link

    City Link   City Link, king of the green and yellow vans has been extremely proactive in investing in its workforce to ensure a safer working environment for all employees. The Don’t Look Away campaign has helped staff to be more aware of hazards and potentially unsafe conditions. The campaign has already demonstrated a considerable reduction in accidents and days off work. But the company has also invested in its workforce through high quality staff training to ensure they have the skills to carry out their activities as safely and efficiently as possible to further reduce hazards and accidents and provide a safe environment for all work colleagues. Don’t Look Away was included in City Link’s submission to RoSPA this year and helped the company achieve the Gold standard award for H&S excellence. During 2009, there were over 750 accidents involving City Link employees but only 38 near misses were reported. As every near miss is a potential accident, City Link needed to encourage and reward employees to recognise and report hazards. In 2009 the campaign ‘Don’t Look Away’ was conceived to raise awareness of hazards in the business and to ensure that they are ‘Sorted & Reported’ promptly. This was backed up when City Link partnered with logistics training experts System Training to provide refresher training courses and NVQ training programmes. Don’t Look Away Campaign The main aims of the campaign were to:

        Increase employee awareness of unsafe acts and conditions.
        Prevent accidents from occurring.
        Encourage employees to take responsibility for a safe working environment and report and remove hazards.
        Encourage people to change their behaviour and attitude to risk.
        Encourage people to take pride and ensure good housekeeping.

    Results Comparing accident statistics and causations for 2010 against 2009 incidents, the campaign had achieved a decrease of 13% in all accidents from 2009 to 2010, 10% decrease in lost time accidents and saw 25% reduction in working days lost overall. There is no doubt the Don’t Look Away campaign has raised employee awareness of hazards and risks. This has resulted in a decrease in accident statistics, therefore realising savings to the business in Staff Training City Link partnered with System Training to boost staff training in a further bid to reduce many of the hazards reported from Don’t Look Away. More than 450 key warehousing staff from 74 sites received novice or refresher courses as part of the company's investment in a safe workforce.

Military Commendations - Sgt S Whalley 25th Regt RLC & Cpl Kendall 29th Regt RLC

    Sgt Scott Whalley   Lt Colonel Curnow ‘An excellent ambassador for the College, the RLC and my Regiment, Sgt Whalley should be recognised for his considerable efforts.’   A long standing, pivotal member of the Postal and Courier Services Division consistently performing above the standard expected. Sgt Whalley has taken on extra responsibilities against the backdrop of diminishing resources. Key to the courses that have been designed to deliver relevant, contemporary training to all soldiers including the operational e-bluey package and the OETC. This is exemplified by his approach to initiating, developing, designing and delivering a 5-day ‘HNG’ training programme targeted at the WO and SNCOs in trade. HNG is a new working concept within the PC Trade that is aligned with the Post Offices’ Counter Application Package. Sgt Whalley has designed a template which is adaptable for future training within the Division, including Class 1 and 2 courses. Specifically he has produced a complete and bespoke PPP training package, designed two levels of training support paperwork (practice and live accounts), loaded live training accounts on all twelve HNG systems, acted as liaison officer on behalf of HQ BFPO and Royal Mail Group (RMG), hosted meetings between RMG and Training Support (in HQ BFPO) and produced a flow chart aide memoire which will be used throughout BFPO for future HNG training and development i.e. it is deemed as best practice by this external organisation.

    Cpl Kendal Cpl Kendall commenced his operational tour as a courier for Operation Herrick in Afghanistan in January 2011 having volunteered in April to extend in this role.  As a courier for a specialised niche of operations in Afghanistan, Cpl Kendall was one of a team of five couriers who rotated at short notice between the UK and Afghanistan accompanying forensic materiel for delivery under a strict time-frame.  The transit of this forensic materiel within time constraints is critical to mission success in Afghanistan as its exploitation can produce evidence leading to the successful conviction of enemy insurgents.   Captain Metherell ‘Whilst in theatre he performed over and above the duties he was expected to complete by actively volunteering to assist the postal and courier detachment based in Camp Bastion, where his lively sense of humour provided constant morale to the troops.  In sum, Cpl Kendall volunteered for an operational tour, working under difficult conditions and long hours to provide vital courier support to a mission-critical element of the military effort in Afghanistan, I whole-heartedly recommend that his professionalism and commitment be recognised for special commendation.’