The tenth anniversary bash was held in the shadow of St Paul's cathedral at Stationers Hall, to set the scene almost three hundred guests found a race paddock laid out before them in Stationers yard, Hawk Kawasaki presented their 2005 British superbike alongside a ZX10 road version of the mean green racer. Pink Express presented their national championship superstock Yamaha and race ridders where on hand to discuss high speed track handling. Camelot Training will took guests down memory lane with an original Honda CX500 presented from their training school museum. With a count down from ten and the howl of race bike engines, Lord Falkland unveiled the CX 500 to the public for the first time since its restoration. With the tenth year marked as a very special one past winners were named individually on a role of honour to mark a decade of excellence in the same day courier industry.

The 2005 National Courier awards was not to be missed. The industry took it to their hearts and it sold out late May.

Ex Conservative Transport Minister Steve Norris and Carl Lomas MBE made key note speeches. Almost 300 guests celebrated courier success at the event sponsored by Skills for Logistics, Camelot Courier Training, Ears Radio and Professional IT in what was the best same day courier event of the year. Courier companies large and small, town and city were represented from across the UK they enjoyed a gala evening at Stationers Hall in the City of London. Amongst the VIPs were Ian Hethrington chief executive of Skills for Logistics, Roger King chief executive of the RHA, Ian Mutch President of MAG, Alan Savage National Courier Association chairman, Kevin Walsh DA Chairman, Carmen Livery Master, Trevor Magnor BMF & Major Paul Holden Royal Corps Logistics.The ten year celebration event will be the gala courier evening to remember. Motorcycle News was there to report the action and bag some editorial on the famous red sofa. Want tomorows news today? As a very special gift EMAP MCN handed out the Wednesday papers in goody bags to everyone leaving the awards on the Tuesday evening.

The 2005 panel of Judges

Tracey Worth an ex chairman of the National Courier Association and Member of the Institute of Logistics and Transport again headed the co-ordination of the panel of judges. Lord Falkland alongside Steve Norris and Tracey Worth announced the 2005 panel of Judges for the National Courier Awards. In alphabetic order they are, Jon Barber - Scarlet Couriers, Judy Benn - Arrow Express, Tricia Bing - Connections, Marc Cheauveux - MPC, Mick Davies - Ears, Carl Lomas MBE - Camelot Training, Trevor Magner - BMF, Ian Mutch - MAG, Alan Savage - London Lonk, Steve Smith - Professional IT. Individuals generally take a two year role in the hot seat. Their task to judge the bet of the best same day. New boys on the list for 2005 are Jon Barber of Scarlet Couriers in Slough and Alan Savage of London Link in Milton Keynes. Instigator and mentor Carl Lomas has done the full ten years. Trevor Magnor and Ian Mutch bring a strong independence to the panel representing the UK rider groups, BMF and MAG

Detailed extracts from the 2005 winners portfolios:

2 wheels

Name: Stanley Andrews –Lewis Day Transport
Stan is the ultimate professional. He works every day without fail – whatever the weather and road conditions and he does it with total enthusiasm and passion for his work. He is helpful and hard working, he makes sure his bike is always up to scratch and he or his bike has never let us down. He sets a true example to everybody at Lewis Day and to the industry. Everyone at Lewis Day unanimously aggress he is a pleasure to work with.

Name: Max Liberson – Reuter Brooks
Max started his working life as a trawler fisherman before becoming courier in 1984. Max is a rock and is always there. He never lets us down. He is happy, cheerful and nice to everyone. An example of the character of Max was when he saw a Securicor Employee being viciously assaulted. He decided to intervene and quickly realized he was witnessing a robbery, and tried to stop the assailant inflicting further injury to the Securicor Employee. It is believed that the robbers only failed because of Max’s intervention, and without this the injuries to the Securicor Employee would probably have been far greater. As well as this achievement, it also has to be noted that the delivery was still made on time!

Name: Gary Ormesher - TNT
Gary is a great ambassador for TNT Sameday. He only delivers to private addresses, sometimes in very isolated areas, and the weather can play a major role in affecting the ability to deliver on a motorbike. Gary has never let this get the better of him, including one example when he ploughed through bad snow and high winds to get through to a small village in the Peak District. The recipient was amazed stating that "I didn’t think a van would be able to get down the lane let alone a bike", and it is this ‘must get through’ attitude that has helped Gary to maintain his 100% delivered on time key performance indicator.

Name: Tony Turbin - MPC
Tony has remained our best rider over the years as others may have come and gone. An example of Tony’s dedication was last winter during the heavy snow Tony was in every day. We never gave it much thought until his partner called one day to say that he maybe a little late due to the fact he had to literally dig his motorbike out of a few feet of snow. Tony got himself to work safely and without any fuss; we have riders who live locally that never made it. Tony is a cool and skilled driver. I believe that Tony’s skill, attitude, loyalty and professionalism has continued to shine through and has got brighter every year he has remained at this company.

4 wheel

Name: Kulbir Bachra - TNT
When you first meet Kulbir the first thing that stands out is his glowing personality. He treats everyone with respect and likes to see a job well done. Getting to know him you can see everyone loves him, fellow drivers, teams working in the office, and customers alike. His commitment and personal interactive skills are demonstrated daily. He always aims to deliver a five star service focusing on exceptional customer care with the Kulbir personal touch. Kulbir always sees the positive side to any situation. Kulbir’s dedication is outstanding. He has purchased a private number plate for his liveried vehicle to represent the company he works with. His ability to give 100% never fails.

Name: Andy Patrick - UK Today
Andy was the first ever UK Today Courier owner driver. As the person our customers meet regularly, Andy is the ultimate Ambassador for UK Today Couriers and is highly regarded as one of the best drivers. On occasions goods need to be taken to the offshore islands, Europe or the USA, and to be delivered ‘yesterday’. Whilst not core business for a same day courier or driver, Andy carries his passport at all times. This came in very useful when he had to deliver DNA toWashington DC in the USA. He has been nominated following an internal initiative where all employees could nominate there fellow colleagues. The Managing Director says "No task seems to be too much for Andy"

Name: Yassar Sharif - Citysprint
Although Yassar has only been with CitySprint Leeds for the last year he is an invaluable asset. From 8am until 6pm Yassar is constantly working non-stop, going from one pickup and delivery to another. If there are any problems, Yassar will always try to sort them out himself and find a solution. Yassar can always be depended upon. We are proud to put Yassar forward; his colleagues know that he is a winner because he never lets the company or the client down.

Contract

Name: Dan Leahy – UK Today
Dan was recently recognised as the UK Today Courier Employee of the Year and his nomination into the National Courier Awards 2005 cements the respect and value the team have of Dan. Dan has worked in the industry for 15 years, starting his professional career as an owner-driver and after taking on various sales and operational roles within TNT Sameday.
Dan is conscientious, considerate, stable, caring and well respected by all of his colleagues.

Name: Mark Fisher – GLH
Mark is the winner of the GLH Staff awards this year for the Driver category, coming out tops in a company wide vote. He is known for his friendly and willing personality. He is reliable, punctual and also has a good word to say about his colleagues – even the controllers!

Office

Name: Kay Baker - DHL
Kay is the Operations Manager at Birmingham branch, but often takes on many other roles. During a recent branch move she held everyone together, and it went without a hitch. Without Kay’s constant attention and assistance it could not have gone this smoothly. She also has the responsibility of the Security, Health and Safety of the branch. Many times over Kay has proven her worth, from the ability to solve issues with a calm and soothing manner to her attention to her team; ensuring they can do their job properly and supporting them appropriately. She never leaves anything to chance and the customer sees that in the delivery of the service her branch offer.

Name: Lisa McManus - MPC
Lisa was nominated by an employee of Quicksilver, the first cross company nomination of the awards. Congratulations to Lisa! During the lead up to the merger between Quicksilver and MPC, Lisa rapidly became the focal point for preparations. From the moment the merger plan was put into place, right up until the final day, Lisa was a major influence in proceedings. She worked tirelessly in preparing customer databases, pricing and staff rota’s whilst still performing her own duties. From the day the Quicksilver staff moved to MPC, Lisa was one of the first on hand to make them feel welcome. She unselfishly gave her time to train and assist staff and she never showed anything but a smile and a willingness to help. This nomination was a pleasant surprise to MPC.

Name: Russell Reid - Quicksilver
In October 2004 Quicksilver merged with MPC. Russell has always shared the controlling with Steve House and the two have managed the Quicksilver control room for more than 10 years. The merger didn't go right from an operational viewpoint from day one, with BT making a complete hash of the radios and phone lines. Added to learning new control systems, the boys had their work cut out. Sadly two days into the merger Steve called it a day. Russell relished the responsibility and showed true character and company loyalty. His ability to continue to maintain a high standard of service under such constraints has proven yet again that Russell never lets the company down. He kept everything together and kept both the customers and drivers happy. Russell was complemented on, the manner in which he took the customers into the merger and then back out again with dignity and guidance. Russell has our full support as he has proven to us and is a worthy credit to our industry.

SPECIAL AWARD FOR SERVICES TO THE INDUSTRY

Name:Jeffrey Ritterband – Lewis Day
Hilton Lewis - Managing Director comments: In an industry that demands perfection each and every time a delivery is completed, Jeffrey has an ability to keep his finger on the pulse. With one of the largest control centres in Europe, I have absolute confidence in Jeffrey's ability. His good humour maintains the high level of morale that has helped to make Lewis Day successful, and this sense of belonging to the company has filtered through to the drivers and riders on our fleet. His peers and colleagues say: Jeffrey’s journey into the industry started 30 years ago when he worked as a mini cab driver for Greater London Cars (call sign Fortune 90 he recalls with fond memories!). The rest, as Jeffrey says, is ‘really history!’ He embraces the day to day running of our company with total enthusiasm and a passion for what he does, and this shows across the board. His door is always open to any staff where he is welcoming, frank and honest at all times. His approach is hands on and he works excellently with staff, riders and drivers and customers alike to provide the best service.