Corporate Awards
Community Assistance – above and beyond normal call of duty – saving lives.
Two citations of two lives saved by our express family at the front line.
Mike Clarke CitySprint Brighton
Client asked for help, a customer lay dead on the floor, courier resuscitated the customer from clinically dead with cpr
Calm, quick thinking and diligent in his work, as well as life saving skills.”
Mike arrived at a Wickes delivery and was unloading the van when the customer came running out of the house saying her workman had collapsed. Mike went straight into the house to find the workman on the floor of the kitchen and he was clinically dead at the time, he had no heartbeat and was not breathing.
Mike performed CPR on the work man and managed to get his heart beating again. The ambulance arrived a short while later and took over I am pleased to say that when Mike left, the workman had a strong heartbeat and was breathing by himself, he was then taken to hospital. Without the quick thinking of Mike, I would hate to think what could have happened!
Chris Riley Yodel Truro
With no answer to knock at the door, identified the customer had collapsed on the floor inside, his actions that followed were praised by the emergency services, this courier saved a life.
“A truly worthy nomination. Chris is a stalwart of our team, reliable, honest, hardworking, and always there for us. He cares and in so doing, saved a gentleman’s life.”
During a recent delivery on his tour, Chris noticed, through the window that a gentleman was laying down and clearly seemed to in discomfort and became alarmed. He called an ambulance and told them what he'd seen. The paramedics arrived and were welcomed by neighbours, and Chris who had stayed to support. With the gentleman now in the care of medical experts, Chris then continued on his tour as usual. The following day when Chris returned on his tour, the gentleman's niece thanked him for his quick thinking and thoughtfulness suggesting that he may have even helped to save his life.
Chris is a stalwart of our team, reliable, honest, hardworking, and always there for you. We never get complaints only compliments about ‘this friendly and caring delivery driver’ he makes a difference to the customer and for the company he is a professional and dedicated driver.
A true ambassador to the Logistics Industry, and to Yodel. Truly worthy of formal recognition and will be a well-deserved nominee for a National Courier Award.
Step Change – a unique three time, triple win of the prestigious Institute of Couriers Step Change Award.
Evri - Bringing a Step change to express sector.
Bringing change to support of the self employed courier
Holiday pay, sick pay & a pension deal for couriers.’
The Institute of Couriers step change award is what it says on the can.
Bringing step change to sector this company already has two previous wins, they become a unique three time winner bringing step change to our sector a third time.
There first step change award was for Sunday delivery, their second for national order by midnight for next day delivery.
Their third win tonight is for the auto-enrolment of their self-employed couriers to pensions.
This company announced under their new brand that it is to auto-enrol its self-employed plus (SE+) couriers, 85% of the network, into a pension by the end of this year. This move is a UK logistics industry first and represents a £7 million plus investment each year in the earnings security of its SE+ couriers.
In addition, following discussions with the GMB Union, ‘Evri’ also introduced the right to maternity/paternity leave for all SE+ couriers with effect from March 2022.
Stephen Timms MP, chair of the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee said: “This is a huge step in the right direction and will help thousands of couriers plan for retirement. I am delighted to see Hermes Evri provide pensions and parental leave in addition to the holiday pay, guaranteed pay rates and union recognition already available.”
Martijn de Lange, CEO at Evri, ‘When we first announced our SE+ model in 2019 we committed to continuing to develop our support for our self-employed couriers and we are proud to have been true to that and be leading the industry once again. Our couriers receive guaranteed pay rates, paid holiday and now a pension but have also been able to retain the flexibility that so many treasure, fitting in their deliveries alongside their other (often family) commitments.’
Steve Garelick, GMB Organiser, said: “This breakthrough deal is a massive step forward and will make work better for GMB members. Tens of thousands of couriers will now have the safety and security of knowing their retirement plans are being looked after. Meanwhile, the right to maternity and paternity leave will break down barriers previously blocking those with children from entering the profession. GMB and Evri (was Hermes) have shown once again that when trade unions and businesses are in agreement, the so-called gig economy can be a better place.”
Mark Pawsey, MP for Rugby and member of the House of Commons BEIS select committee said: ‘I welcome Hermes’ ongoing commitment to investing in their workforce by introducing this pension scheme for their couriers. This will be a great benefit for their couriers, including those in my constituency, and will give them confidence and security in their retirement. I also welcome their ongoing work to support their workforce through the right to paternity leave from this month.’
Step change for 2022 at the National Courier Awards to Evri for pension auto enrolment for self employed couriers, sick pay and holiday pay.
Working Together - Two individuals working together to provide solutions for a specific order or client.
Hutchinson & El-Bashary Absolutely Couriers
Sameday team challenge operating procedure to deliver food & drink in the Golden Hour with 15min windows.
“Doug and Daniel have been instrumental in finding new ways of working. The development of new customer partnerships has been instigated by the innovative thinking and can-do attitude of Doug Hutchinson and managed by the flexibility, accountability, and commitment of Daniel El-Bashary.”
2022 has brought a year of change, with the opportunity to work with food & drink customers, this now equates to c.8% of daily sameday volumes. The development of these partnerships has been instigated by the innovative thinking and can-do attitude of Doug Hutchinson and managed by the flexibility, accountability, and commitment of Daniel El-Bashary.
These two have been instrumental in finding new ways of workings as the operational requirements are very difficult indeed as most deliveries are often within a golden hour of 10:00hrs to 11:00hrs, with an exact delivery success only allowing for a 15-minute window either side. This challenged our operating practices, and it wasn’t plain sailing. It took perseverance and strong communication which Doug and Daniel delivered and without them the success of Trustpilot score of 4.8 would not have been achieved.
In establishing this growing sector knowledge and expertise, Absolutely needed to challenge operating practices. This wasn’t always plain sailing and has taken perseverance and strong communication to improve our service offering. We have worked hand-in-hand with our customers and their tech partner, Orkestro, to launch a new operating system and technology platform to give live access to all collections and deliveries. A very difficult, and challenging, sector indeed. Despite these hurdles it is fantastic to see the Absolutely Trustpilot score of 4.8, which is industry leading, underpinning our commitment to great service.
The collegiate working practices between this team and each individual client we work with, has enabled Absolutely to adapt and to deliver the right tech, the right delivery solutions, the right communication and the right service to our food customers, something to which we are very proud.
Road Safety
Road Safety Champion – Daniel Green Tuffnells
‘Road Safety has been the biggest challenge and Best experience of my career.’
My first 6 months as a Regional Road Safety Champion, has been the biggest challenge I have faced since I started 7 years ago. I have learned a lot and keep learning daily. Since day one of being part of the Road safety Team it’s been great to make a difference.
Daniel green at Tuffnells ia a road Safety Champion – ‘Best experience of my career.’ I wanted to make a difference, I wanted to help people and most of all promote road safety within Tuffnells. I can honestly say it has been the best experience in my working career, I have a strong like-minded team around me full of experience, knowledge, and drive.
I am Looking forward to Peak and the months ahead and continue the great work we are doing as a road safety team.
Team Collaboration Awards – Two winners, one in same day fashion, the other on the Brexit at the Irish border
First - A team who have shown outstanding co-ordination and information interface.
Addison Lee team, Client Collaboration – High end fashion house in London team up to early delivery notifier for same day.
High-end, multi-channel, fashion retailer offering a wide range of delivery options, including 90 Minute deliveries and nominated 1-hour time-slots to eligible orders within London worked with the Addison Lee team to target exact time delivery with an icing on the cake early delivery notifier where available.
The technology that sits behind this enhancement has successfully been implemented across client base, improving overall customer experience and changing the way we operate.
Through collaboration, Addison Lee team and the fashion house designed and implemented an ‘early delivery notifier’, ensuring operational efficiency, courier productivity and client satisfaction, without compromise. Through use of Addison Lee’s advanced route planner, predictions of early deliveries notify the courier and send an ‘early delivery’ request directly to the customer. The customer is then empowered to decide whether to accept or decline the ‘early delivery’ through a simple one-click response. Once the customer has responded, the courier is notified via their handheld device, where in turn the decisive action informs their next steps. This operational enhancement has been well received from online booking, auto allocation and now to interactive customer engagement.
The Second team collaboration award
Viking Courier Team Award dealing with Brexit on the Irish Border
Dominic Cooper, Bryan Duncan and Jon Waite - Distribution Team.
January 2021 saw challenge with Brexit causing huge losses in our business in the Irish market. The team worked hard to change carriers in Ireland and win back over the internal customers with the switch of UK carriers for our 20,000 parcels a night.
The team have worked hard on delivering this success through dedication, focus, going through the contracts and making tough decisions, they have driven up service, reduced cost spending and have allowed the sales team to attract more customers.
They are now delivering the Irish border on time and on budget.
The team came up with a plan that would execute the change, save cost, and deliver a better level of service for our customers. The change took place after 3 months of planning. The team have seen an increased level of service from 92% delivered on time to 96.4% and customers returning to our business.
Corporate inspiration Award
Cultural Impact - Huboo Bristol - Supporting sport, the community and social responsibility
Final mile Unique five way culture partnership
From express fulfilment, Huboo support sport in Bristol with all age inclusivity.
Fulfilment final mile at Huboo who has locked in a support deal for widespread local sport that doubles up to replace over eighteen adverts that restricted youngsters enjoying replica kit fo their heroes. It hits hard into the solution of culture across the Bristol geographic where Huboo has their UK head office. OC fellow, Allan Blakely explains a unique and historic UK-first. Huboo has announced a groupwide partnership of sport support around its HQ Bristol geographic. The sport support frees the younger teams from over eighteen adverts and makes inclusivity core to the Huboo community.
In the deal supporting local sport, Huboo becomes the Principal Partner for all FIVE of Bristol Sport’s professional sporting teams from the start of the 2022/23 seasons, including: Bristol City Football Club, Bristol City W.F.C. Bristol Bears, Bristol Bears Women, Bristol Flyers
Given the breadth of the groupwide agreement, and both Huboo and Bristol Sport being headquartered in the same city, the deal is unique in nature and the first of its kind in the UK. It sets the standard for sporting partnerships going forward. It will also be the first time that all five of the group’s professional teams will have one unified front of shirt partner. Aligning the Huboo brand across multiple sports, and for both men’s and women’s teams, was key in creating this partnership, and supports a theme of equal representation across Bristol. It’s a truly authentic partnership that works on many levels due to the synergies between Huboo and Bristol Sport, from rapid growth to their commitment to supporting local communities and making Bristol proud.
Martin Bysh, Co-Founder & CEO, Huboo: ‘Huboo’s core values are perfectly aligned with those of Bristol Sport’s and together we aim to raise the bar for what is possible with a partnership of this scale. It’s an exciting time for both Huboo and Bristol Sport. We have a shared vision of making Bristol proud.’
Bristol Sport founder Steve Lansdown CBE said: ‘Bristol Sport offers a unique opportunity to associate with all different types of sports, fanbases and communities. We’ve always said sport will support the city and the city should support sport. Here we have a local business supporting all of our sports and that is fantastic and I’m really looking forward to us working together over the next few years to take us both forward.’ For Bristol Sport, having a fulfilment brand that was created in the South West as the front-of-shirt sponsor not only illustrates the synergy of this unique partnership, but also means that young supporters can proudly wear the same shirts as their idols; something that wasn’t possible under their previous partnership agreement. As Principal Partner and fulfilment provider, Huboo also fulfil eCommerce retail orders for Bristol Sport’s teams, and the picking, packing and distribution of fans’ season tickets packs for the new season. Recently, Bristol City players Kal Naismith & Kane Wilson were on hand to help Huboo surprise some lucky young fans with their 2022/23 City season tickets!
EIIR Merit Award – In honour of the late Queen Elizabeth the Second
To recognise those who help our sector.
For duty, dedication, commitment, and outstanding initiative, contribution to our final mile sector.
Three winners, a regional body, a govt dept and a national emergency service.
Rachel Foye & Graham Jones Transport for West Midlands – Commonwealth Games
Knowledge & planning to deliver in closed roads
TFWM were instrumental in getting information on the Comonwealth Games impact on roads to the express delivery sector, extensive briefing, in person at IOC heads of industry tables and in regular data for both the Sunday emails and senior fellows vbreifings, even the closing ceremony detail refreshed on the eve of the big day for next day delivery success.
The IOC thanks TFWM for excellent circulation of the knowledge that the express delivery sector needed to get all the parcels delivered successfully during the closed road sectors of the games.
The second winner or EiiR merit, a govt dept with vision for the future of our sector.
DfT boost for freight – Future Freight Plan published to create a more resilient and greener sector.
Government unveils major new plan to provide a pipeline of recruitment in sector and move to fewer planning permission obstacles for bigger warehouse.
Then Sec of State for Transport, Grant Shapps said: The pandemic shone a spotlight on the importance of our country’s freight and final mile sector. We are committed to working closely with the industry to attract a strong pipeline of talent.’ DfT campaign launched to kickstart careers in logistics and create a more environmentally friendly and resilient transport sector. Millions of people across the UK will be encouraged to kickstart a rewarding career in logistics, with the government unveiling a multimillion-pound new plan to bolster the supply chain and create a more resilient and greener transport sector.
The major campaign is launched ( June 2022) to recruit and retain a skilled workforce in the logistics sector. This builds on the government’s unprecedented action during the pandemic. Express opportunity in apprenticeship has never been greater, over 500 candidates have signed up to Express delivery operative, the degree apprenticeship for Express managers is live at UWL and the new Express Sortation apprenticeship found its first candidate starts at Tuffnells with West Thames College LSA. DPD trialled Sector Work Academy Programes, Whistl were recognised for Kickstart recruitment and DPD began Job Centre guaranteed job interviews.
The DfT campaign is one part of the government’s Future Freight Plan setting a strategy for the government and industry to work more closely together to deliver a world-class, seamless flow of freight across the UK’s roads.This included increasing the number of driving test slots, investing in new roadside facilities and introducing bootcamps, which has seen the number of available HGV drivers stabilise. It comes as part of wider government efforts to help more people into work.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: The pandemic shone a spotlight on the importance of our country’s freight sector. As a proud, free-trading nation, moving goods at home and abroad has always been the backbone of Britain’s economy. Our 33 interventions to tackle the shortage of drivers means we now have a stable recruitment pipeline and a robust supply chain, and today’s measures will help the sector grow from strength to strength. We are committed to working closely with the industry to attract a strong pipeline of talent, decarbonise the freight network and deliver a world-class road transport sector.
This Future of Freight plan explains how a National Freight Network will be explored to help remove any existing barriers faced by the sector that prevent it from delivering a seamless flow of goods across the country. A call for evidence will also be launched to better understand how the sector can more easily approach planning applications, so there are fewer obstacles to creating bigger warehouses to meet customer demand.
The final winner or EiiR merit at the National Courier Awards, City of London Police for facilitation of Operation London Bridge liaison to deliver final mile during the ten day mourning.
City of London Police – Operation London Bridge
Received by Superintendent Patrick Holdaway, City of London Police from Alderman Alison Gowman
Operation London Bridge was responsible for roads during the ten day mourning period of the late HM The Queen. Run by the Metropolitan Police and liaised to the IOC via the City of London Police. Actions of the operation made final mile delivery possible in the most challenging closed roads operation we have seen this year.
Our sector of Express, final mile and courier logistics is indebted to the outstand work of Superintendent Patrick Holdaway and Paul Fagg leading at City of London Police NBCC to deliver knowledge and connect appropriate depts during Operation London Bridge.
With a long trusted relationship they acted urgently from the start of the ten day period, tirelessly and at all times of the day forwarded many updates in regards to roads, access and security to help get many of our Institutes courier companies through to delivery during the London Bridge period. Their contributions delivered knowledge, road routes and access detail that made delivery possible for both local and national networks who deliver final mile in Central London. Particularly SW1 and surrounding postcodes. Deliveries from meds to food. The access knowledge was made available from owner operator SME vans to national networks.
Carl Lomas MBE, ‘As chairman of the Institute of Couriers I wish to get a special thank you recognised for two of your team who gave invaluable help to support our entire sector, they made it possible for national courier companies to receive knowledge that made it possible to plan accurately and continue deliveries to the door during Operation London Bridge.’
Alderman Alison Gowman, Ward of Dowgate, City of London Corporation, "The City of London Police well understand the need to keep the City operational at all times and have a great network with businesses that means they are in touch and keep everyone up to date."
Andy Magromallis, IOC group chair for security, ‘Superintendent Patrick Holdway support and commitment to the IoC security group has always been second to none, however during operation London Bridge, Patrick's support continued unwaveringly. Whilst still maintaining all of his other duties and functions, simultaneously being a key player in operation London Bridge, the largest police operation in British history, Patrick continuously made himself available to the IoC to provide support and advice throughout a challenging period time for the sector, with information that made it possible to keep the final mile driving forward.’
Stuart Godman boss at London same day express firm Absolutely, ‘On behalf of Absolutely, and that of every London courier, parcel operator and Logistics supplier, we would like to say a heartfelt thank you. Not only was the organisation of London’s road first class, but the proactive communication was also exemplary. This enabled our sector to successfully navigate through the streets of London, ensuring urgent goods were delivered on time. It was first class, and we are all extremely grateful for such timely, and well thought through, communication.’
Well done them, they made a national impact in a regional area during a period of exceptional challenge. A very big thank-you to them both.
Clean Air Award
All-electric target updated to 30 Town and City locations. Electric cycle, cargo bike, small and large van, all zero emission.
DPD first confirms all-electric delivery status first for 10 towns and cities ,then announces plans for five additional ‘green' towns before updating to 30 locations, two years earlier than planned.
Setting an exemplary standard in clean air final mile, the first ten, DPD has confirmed that it is now providing an all-electric delivery service to 10 UK towns and cities and is aiming for 30 all-electric locations by the end of 2023 - that's five more than originally planned and two years earlier than expected. In October 2020, DPD announced plans to create 25 all-electric towns and cities in the UK by 2025. In July 2021, Oxford became DPD's first ‘green' city, with a fleet of 40 electric vehicles based at the new DPD Bicester eco-depot, delivering over 15,000 parcels a week across the city. This week, DPD has confirmed that nine additional UK locations have achieved the same all-electric delivery status. The ten ‘green' towns and cities are, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Hull, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Reading, Southampton and Stoke.
Progress is well underway at the remaining 15 original green delivery locations - Birmingham, Brighton and Hove, Cambridge, Coventry, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Sheffield. DPD now expects these locations to achieve all-electric status two years earlier than planned, by the end of next year. In addition, the firm is now planning for five more towns, Birkenhead, Gateshead, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Rotherham and Shipley to become all-electric by the end of 2023. To-date, DPD has invested over £90m on all-electric vehicles in the UK, including the most recent order of 1,000 Ford E-Transit vans in May 2022, which will take DPD's electric vehicle fleet to over 2,500 in total. The company, which hasn't bought a diesel van since summer 2020, expects to deliver 26 million parcels this year on electric vehicles, a saving of 7,200,000kg of CO2.
Elaine Kerr, DPD UK CEO, commented, "I'm absolutely delighted to confirm that we now have 10 UK towns and cities being delivered by an all-electric DPD fleet. One of our big aims is to be the UK's most sustainable delivery company and by the end of 2023, we will have over 5,000 EVs on the road and 30 urban centres delivered on all-electric vehicles. "Since opening the UK's first all-electric parcel depot in Westminster in 2018, we have grown our electric fleet year on year, despite some of the issues that have held us back, such as the lack of righthand drive EVs for the UK market. We are now seeing improved availability of larger electric vans, which is what we need. As a result, it is fantastic to be able to extend our original pledge to 30 locations and two years earlier than planned. "By targeting major town and city centres with our electric vehicles, we can make a significant difference to emissions in those locations and help improve air quality where it is most needed. In addition to buying the vehicles, and investing in charging infrastructure, we continue to optimise our routing and operation, to create the smartest possible delivery system and reduce our overall miles per parcel."
Individual Awards
Contract Category
Emily Hollick Onit Logistics
Client – ‘It is very clear to me that she is very committed to her role.’
Emily is full of optimism and not shy to get stuck into all aspects of the business. Emily is by far one of the kindest/happiest/confident/hardworking work colleagues I have ever worked with.
There is no better testimony to start this nomination than that from one of our valued customers:
From our Client Operations Manager – Drinks Logistics Customer Birmingham: “Emily has been my main contact and what a credit she is to your organisation, I cannot praise her enough for her honesty and integrity, this is a credit not only to her personally but also to the company. I can honestly say I have never dealt with someone who acts so quickly, her response time is second to none and very thorough. She has never made a promise and not delivered
I know that I can call on Emily in live time and often all complaints are resolved immediately and rarely need to be escalated to Customer Services. It is very clear to me that Emily is very committed to her role and has a long career ahead of her. I know I can always rely on her no matter if it is during her working hours or not she is always available to support”
Emily is full of optimism and not shy to get stuck into all aspects of the business. Emily is by far one of the happiest/confident/hardworking work colleagues I have ever worked with. Her responsibility is to work with customers and couriers to deliver exceptional customer care, plain and simple.
Her professionalism with customers and suppliers is above and beyond, her patience and unwavering commitment have helped us in more ways than I can express however on multiple occasions her approach and transparency has pulled victory from the jaws of defeat and has always struck a balance between culpability of company, courier and oftentimes customer! Pointing out politely that it’s not always out fault!
Emily is full of optimism and not shy to get stuck into all aspects of what ONIT entails. We have all trained Emily at some point in our time, but it is Emily who has trained and shown us how to be better individuals and to be better work colleagues and push ourselves further than we thought we were capable of.
A big team player never leaves a member of the team in a situation and stays over even when not needed to ensure areas are covered. She is the backbone of the office, genuinely one of the of the kindest, helpful, and pleasant people I have met.
Reggie Calder CitySprint Southampton
Ten client testimonials this year. “Reggie has impressed us with his tenacity, comradery and dependability. His work ethic is impeccable, and no task is too much for him.”
“He is a true part of the team – making an appearance at every work function, fellow colleague charity event or social functions. A massive team player whom staff and clients respect and enjoy spending time with, he certainly deserves this award!”
A recent client satisfaction survey provided insight into what a valuable colleague Reggie is, with an incredible 10 testimonials who named Reggie to be friendly, polite, and a pleasure to work with. It’s been the first time since running this annual survey that one individual person has received such a high number of positive personal feedback!
Reggie will often pick up extra work and overtime without a second thought and his loyalty to CitySprint is apparent. He even regularly recommends us to friends and family as a company to work for.
He is a true part of the team – making an appearance at every work function, fellow colleague charity event or social functions. A massive team player whom staff and clients respect and enjoy spending time with, he certainly deserves this award!
Sarah Humphries Rico Logistics
“Over the last decade, her insightful knowledge means that she leads the inventory team with outstanding skill.
She is customer focused and driven to succeed and this is evidenced by the consistent high praise that customers give when they talk about their interactions with her.”
Over the last 10 years I have had the pleasure of working with Sarah Humphries, she is a pivotal member of the inventory team. Her insightful knowledge means that she leads the inventory team with outstanding skill. She is customer focused and driven to succeed and this is evidenced by the consistent high praise that customers give when they talk about their interactions with her.
She cares about the work she does and the people that she works with. Sarah has the responsibility for training new staff. She takes them under her wing, shares her knowledge and gives them the confidence and skills to succeed – as they say success breeds success, and this certainly is true with in the Inventory Team. Many of her colleagues have gone on to other roles, some promotions, and they attribute their success to the training and development that Sarah has given them.
She is a shining example of what teamwork can achieve and it is for this reason that I am nominating Sarah Humphries for this year’s National Courier Achievement Award. I know that everyone who works with her will support my nomination as she is deserving of such recognition.
John Madden FedEx Cork Airport
He has been in position for the last 17 years. We have received continuous positive feedback from long established customers in relation to hIs contribution. He has catered for a large population resulting in a high volume of residential deliveries.
John Madden has been an extremely diligent member of the team as self-employed contract courier. Training new drivers and trialling new technologies.
John Madden has been an extremely diligent member of the team in the FedEx Cork station covering a large geographical area consisting of a number of big towns with long established key customers as well as catering for a large population resulting in a high volume of residential deliveries. His delivery performance is always to the required FedEx standard.
John started his time originally working as an operation clerk and spent 5 years in this position before applying for a job as a self-employed contract courier, a position he has been in for the last 17 years.
John has always displayed a high level of customer loyalty and on numerous occasions has gone above and beyond to ensure the customer gets the service they are expecting. We have received continuous positive feedback from customers in relation to John’s contribution to endorsing our core values and keeping to the Purple Promise.
It’s in John’s nature to provide an excellent service to the customer, and he treats all his fellow staff with equal respect. If a customer is looking for information, he feeds this back to the sales or operation teams, he plays an integral part in the retention of our customer base in his area. He is quick to spot sales opportunities and ensures the information is passed on.
I have utilised John Madden’s experience in order to train new couriers, John was the first driver to trial new scanners and then assisted with the implementation. He has embraced the recent integration and transitioned well from the old to the new FedEx culture and continues to be a key member of the FedEx fleet in Cork delivering an excellent and reliable service to our customers.
Peter Nulty FedEx Dublin
An ambassador for our company. Customers always provide positive feedback. Without being asked, he starts the day helping off-loading before his round begins.
Peter has a very positive attitude, always in good humour and constantly goes above and beyond to assist other drivers especially those drivers that have routes which are close to his route.
He is a valued team member who always takes great pride in his job and always turns up for work in full uniform and a clean van.”
Peter Nulty is a great ambassador for FedEx, and we are very proud to have him as part of the team in the Dublin, Tallaght station.
Peter has a very positive attitude, always in good humour and constantly goes above and beyond to assist other drivers especially those drivers that have routes which are close to his route. He offers support to colleagues when he sees someone is struggling and will often assist by taking extra stops to help take the pressure off his colleague but also ensures that the customer receives their package on time with the best possible customer service.
Without being asked he takes it upon himself every morning to assist with the AM operations by helping with the off- loading of the air freight, ensuring that all parcels are allocated to the correct route / driver, and subsequently delivered on time.
He is respected by his colleagues and customers think very highly of him. In particular one of our customers, Standex, who are based in Mountmellick, always provide positive feedback about him and about how he is willing to wait on occasions while they finalise all their orders to assist with getting their collections back to the depot.
Peter is a valued team member who always takes great pride in his job and always turns up for work in full uniform and a clean van. I am really delighted to be able to nominate Peter for an IOC National Courier Award and I believe it would be a just reward for such a hardworking and dedicated driver to be shown the recognition he truly deserves.
Lucasz Romanowicz Smiths News
Identifying an opportunity to set up his own business. From four routes to three depots.
“He previously was a Trainee Depot Manager in Birmingham, whilst supporting Shrewsbury depot, he is a hard working and a dedicated team leader.”
Customer feedback is hitting 96% with comments like ‘it’s great to have such a reliable and easy contact for our deliveries.
Lucasz identified an opportunity to set up his own business to provide final mile services to Smiths News so went out to create a final mile delivery service. Initially running 4 routes to now providing services across Shrewsbury, Wednesbury and Worcester depots. He is so passionate that in addition to setting this new operation up he also moved house so as to be closer to the business.
The service he and his team provide is excellent. Customer feedback is hitting 96% with comments like ‘it’s great to have such a reliable and easy contact for our deliveries, nice one Lucasz’. He delivers excellence for us and has increased the customer base and service level for that area.
Four Wheels Category
Lee Bex HBC Logistics
One of four of our founding drivers. Remained alongside us as we grew, helping our sales team find and complete leads.
“Lee is a trusted and loyal driver, he acts professionally, safely and respectfully to our customers”.
Lee gives up a lot of his own time to help us in our charity work where we pledged to raise £10,000 for the Garden House Hospice in Letchworth.
Lee Bex is one of four of our founding drivers at HBC Logistics Ltd. He’s been with us since we were established in 2017 and has since remained alongside us as our courier company grew successfully. In the last five years, Lee has gone above and beyond as a driver to provide an outstanding service to our customers, as well as assist our sales team to find and complete leads. His attendance is impressive, and he has a clear understanding that our drivers are the face of HBC Logistics during collections and deliveries, so he always makes sure to act professionally, safely and respectfully to our customers.
Another attribute we admire about Lee is his loyalty. In a time where drivers and couriers are easily poached, Lee has remained loyal every time he’s been approached. Even the highest decision makers of our company allocate tailored projects and important jobs to Lee, he’s trusted that much. In addition to his professionalism, Lee is loved by all at the office. He’s a great laugh and when he visits the office in-between loads, he’s always up for some banter with the men and to put a smile on the ladies’ faces (let’s not forget, steal all of our biscuits). We are highly confident that every department would all agree when we say Lee deserves to be recognised for his uniqueness and unmatched dedication to the company.
Lee gives up a lot of his own time to work overtime as well as help us in our charity work. At the beginning of 2022, we pledged to raise £10,000 for the Garden House Hospice in Letchworth - an amazing charity that provides specialist palliative care to patients and families suffering from life-threatening illnesses. We are currently planning an upcoming project to collect some old clothes and furniture from our staff and customers to donate to the GHH’s charity shops based all around Hertfordshire.
Lee will be one of the few trusted drivers to help us safely deliver our donated freight to the hospice. We thoroughly believe Lee is a prime representation of a loyal, hard-working, dedicated driver. Despite the tiring hours he works, he still remains positive and motivated every working day. In this industry, every company needs a Lee Bex.
Mike Dyson Rico Logistics Ltd
Extremely flexible in his driving roles. Switching roles from trucks to vans. “A class driver, collections and deliveries in all types of vehicles.
Highly skilled in all customer service roles. Professional and helpful Mike delivers even when we ask at short notice, he is always willing to help out.”
I can not think of a better example of a helpful and professional driver who delivers, whatever the vehicle.
Mike is a class 2 Driver, collection and delivery driver. When required he switches roles from trucks to vans and from local, to nights and supports the trunking network too. Mike is extremely flexible in his approach, he is highly skilled in all our customer service protocols, he has amazing geographical knowledge and always goes over and above to deliver a great service. He changes his hours of work at short notice and supports the transport operation in every way possible.
I can not think of a better example of a helpful and professional driver who delivers, whatever the vehicle.
Iain Rosie CitySprint Edinburgh
For over quarter of a centuary - ‘If only we had 100 Iain’s – that would be amazing!.’
“Iain completes all his jobs in a timely and professional manner, he knows Edinburgh like the back of his hand.’
Great rapport and relationship with customers, he is also very highly respected by the couriers on our fleet and the staff in our office.
Iain is one of the few couriers who covers a considerable amount of local work based in Edinburgh City Centre, every day, five days a week. He joined CitySprint in July 1995 as a self-employed courier and has been an asset to the business from the start. He is extremely cool, calm, and collected and is always keen to help by taking on any delivery jobs sent his way.
He has 10 regular jobs for a number of CitySprint’s customers each day and always arrives and leaves customers with a smile of his face and ensures that they know the goods will be collected and delivered on time. Each and every time. As well as Iain’s daily runs, he also covers all the local ad-hoc work that comes in, which can be several jobs but again he ensures that nothing is ever late.
Iain completes all his jobs in a timely and professional manner and always thinks ahead – planning a route based on the postcodes and collection/ delivery times for these. His customer service skills are exceptional, and he always puts the customers first.
Aside from his great rapport and relationship with customers, Iain is also very highly respected by the couriers on our fleet and the staff in our office. And if there are ever any delays or issues while he’s doing a run, he is the first to call in and let the control team know what the situation is.
Iain has and will always ensure that his vehicle is kept very clean and tidy and that the van is never off the road as he ensures that it is serviced very regularly with his local garage.
We are also looking at introducing an electric van here in Edinburgh soon and Iain has put his name down for this role, again showing me and CitySprint his commitment to the company and its values.
If only we had 100 Iain’s – that would be amazing. He knows Edinburgh like the back of his hand and covers many local jobs that can take a lot of time in the busy city centre area. We have even called Iain in the past for help when other couriers have been struggling to find an address!
Sarwan Singh Yodel Leamington Spa
40 years as a courier. A million parcels delivered.
Never faltered, never given in, always gets the job done. Fantastic customer feedback.”
A quote from Sarwan on his 40-year anniversary ‘I believe that me and my colleagues have always worked together to do the best job possible.’
40 years as a courier - Sarwan has always been a driver since starting at Yodel and has seen the industry develop into what it is today; Sarwan has always been a driver that has been heavily relied upon because of the brilliant job he does and fantastic customer feedback he always goes the extra miles. Sarwan is a very respected driver who always makes time for others to support and help when needed and takes pride in ensuring the job is done correctly and to a very high standard.
Sarwan has delivered an estimate of over a million parcels in his career Sarwan has covered pretty much every area in his time at Yodel including long stints at Witney, Oxfordshire (Around 20 years) and then going on to cover different areas being a relief driver. Sarwan regularly helps out at the depot by doing extra collections on the way back to the depot and working his days off when he can to support the depot.
A quote from Sarwan on his 40-year anniversary “I believe that me and my colleagues have always worked together to do the best job possible, and I am proud of where the company is heading now after overcoming a number of changes in my 40+ years here. Even though we have faced a difficult period a number of times, we have always overcome the issues and got stronger at the end of it. I think the Leamington depot is second-to-none and have made lifelong friends whilst being here who I will always keep contact with even though some no longer work here”.
Two Wheel Category
Three for two in two wheel winners categories.
Two wheels at the very front line of express final mile. The bar was set high. Extracts of the two wheel nomination key notes - She is a go to person when we have the most difficult ‘sticky’ jobs to resolve. It soon became clear this person was a super-star. One of our most professional and hard-working couriers we have on our Fleet.
Viktorijia Bogdanova-Pearce Absolutely
The feedback we kept receiving from clients regarding her service, attitude and general demeanour was outstanding
It soon became clear we had a superstar on our hands.
“For Vikki it is more than just simply ‘delivering’ the parcel. It is the level of customer care that really matters to her. She has built a reputation for reliability and friendliness.”
Vikki was new to the courier industry, having never stepped foot into the world of logistics, and joined Absolutely just over two years ago. Initially Vikki worked as a self-employed courier riding one of our EAV zero-emission cargo bikes. It soon became clear we had a superstar on our hands!
The feedback we kept receiving from clients regarding her service, attitude and general demeanour was outstanding especially operating in a male dominated industry. This was recognised internally so we offered Vikki the chance to join the business, in a PAYE role, as one of our Pedal Team Leaders, and she was the first lady to do so! This has proved to be a great decision for all parties. For Vikki it is more than just simply ‘delivering’ the parcel. It is the level of customer care that really matters to her. She has built a reputation for reliability and friendliness.
Our customers regularly take the time to feedback specifically on her care and attention, and below are just two examples of such: “Vikki is by far the best courier I have met for collections to our office” “She is very friendly and an excellent representative for your company”
Vikki is a fantastic brand ambassador for Absolutely. She shows professionalism at every opportunity, engaging with customers, colleagues and members of the public in a positive and pro-active way. In May 2022 she was also voted 'Colleague of the Month' by the whole business, not bad for someone who is always out on the road!
Sukh ‘Sook’ Kandola Onit Logistics Birmingham
One of our most professional and hard-working couriers we have on our Fleet.
Every customer he has worked with has had nothing but a positive response to his hard work and commitment
“Sukh, friendly, honest and a highly skilled courier. A very positive attitude, always respectful to colleagues, staff or at a customer delivery point, he provides high level of service.”
Sukh Kandola was the first courier to join Onit Logistics Group in 2019, operating under our dray delivery service. He has worked alongside us ever since and is by far one of our most professional and hard-working couriers we have on our Fleet. Through the years, we have found Sukh to be a friendly, honest and a highly skilled courier, who has never given us a reason to doubt him or the service he provides for our customers.
Every customer he has worked with has had nothing but a positive response to his hard work and commitment. He is also hand chosen to operate daily by our customers in their operation, which shows how dedicated and good he is. He has worked on several of our contracts and has always been our primary courier to be utilised for new customers due to his outstanding performance and confident attitude and always giving his absolute best when visiting a new customer site. He has also trained couriers for specific contracts as he is a classed as a ‘super user’ for these systems and has a complete understanding of the customers’ needs and expectations. His personal attitude is that of a perfect courier with him being pleasant, responsive, and having a great sense of integrity. His communication skills are next to none, which is massively appreciated by us as a business and the customers he works with.
We believe that due to this, Sukh deserves to be nominated for this award as he holds the absolute ideals and abilities, we would expect to see in a courier working in this profession.
Customer Commendation:
Sukh has worked with us for nearly 3 years, and I can say that he is one of the best couriers we have been provided by Onit Logistics. He is hard-working and has no issues with going above and beyond and is always happy to offer a helping hand for us when needed. He has a very positive attitude and is always respectful to colleagues and staff when on site with us or at a customer delivery point. He is thorough and is always requested by customers due to his high level of service he provides.
Sukh is an asset to Onit Logistics and DHL TT.
I would highly recommend Sukh to anyone who is looking for a great courier service as we have never had any problems with the service, he provides us.
Vineta Saukane Santis Global
She is a go to person when we have the most difficult ‘sticky’ jobs to resolve
“She is a major part of our pushbike/cargobike team.
She is professional, presentable, and always willing to help no matter how difficult the job might be.”
Vineta has been with Santis Global since 2017. She is a major part of our pushbike/cargobike team having been here for a number of years. She is professional, presentable, and always willing to help no matter how difficult the job might be. She knows London extensively and flies around London doing the deliveries we ask of her.
She is a go to person when we have the most difficult ‘sticky’ jobs to resolve as we know she will execute these in a professional and timely manner. We are extremely happy to have Vineta on board working for Santis Global as she is a brilliant, willing, capable, and professional courier.
Office Category
Eight winners in the office category.
Eight winners in office category of the National Courier Awards from the highest shortlisting number in the history of the awards. From Scotland to Southampton. Apprentice to learning, SME to national, recruitment to credit control.
Darryl Harris FedEx Deeside
He has shown exemplary levels of competence, confidence and commitment to not only his usual duties, but that of the wider operation covering a number of roles and dealing with an evolving landscape.
Darryl is a very approachable and a caring character displaying compassion and empathy when engaging with all levels of the team. Working within district and region and collaborating between departments where he has raise profile and brand.
Remains positive irrespective of the challenges or any obstacles in his way, he radiates this positivity to his team and continually motivates them to succeed
In addition to his usual remit of Operations Supervisor, Darryl has taken on a number of roles and responsibilities, all in support of the evolving landscape and in support of the needs of the station, along with his desire to develop his skills and progress his career.
During the latter stages of integration, Darryl willingly travelled to a number of other stations to support their operational journeys and is now well known within the district and region for his support. He is often requested to assist in advance of any planned changes going live within the operation, he is a great example of collaboration and works with many different departments and locations which in turn, has raised his profile and personal brand.
Darryl is a very approachable and a caring character displaying the appropriate levels of compassion and empathy when engaging with all levels of the team. He utilises his strengths of having great order to deliver discipline and structure, assisting the operation in delivering exceptional results in order to fulfil our Purple Promise to our Customers.
It is seen that Darryl will continuously evolve with the operation, striving to better not only himself but his team too when delivering the results.
As a popular character, Darryl always remains positive irrespective of the challenges or any obstacles in his way, he radiates this positivity to his team and continually motivates them to succeed as he does himself. He can be relied upon to actively get involved with any matter and to support other shifts in the operation - all in order to support his team members in any way possible.
Kian Jones City Couriers Direct Ltd
One of tomorrows leaders. He Joined our sector as an apprentice at the age of seventeen.
He has developed a great awareness regarding the needs of the industry.
He has undertaken key tasks both in presentations to senior clients but also in the use of Canva and developing into a key member of our van collections team.”
Kian joined City Couriers Direct Ltd at 17 years old as our apprentice via Chesterfield College and has undertaken many duties and challenges that have shaped and developed him as a valued colleague who is both well rounded and positive and has developed many useful skills through hardwork, dedication and a maturity beyond his years. Kian joined us as a shy individual unsure of his personal goals and without a considered career pathway. After joining us and mentored by his colleagues and management together with his tutors from college he has developed a valuable skill set that enables him to be a positive and useful member of the City Couriers Direct Team. He has developed a great awareness regarding the needs of the industry and has undertaken key tasks both in presentations to senior clients but also in the use of Canva and developing into a key member of our van collections team. He has been inspirational in his support of our chosen charity Brain Tumour research.
We have no hesitation in recommending Kian for this award. He would be fully deserving of this in recognition of his hard work, teamwork and overall skill set development. At 19 he has graduated from his college course and has a great future in the courier industry and is potentially one of tomorrows leaders.
Lois Kempson Santis Global
Lois had to learn systems and terminology that were completely new to her.
Lois very quickly picked up the processes required to become an integral part of the team very quickly.
Moving from retail, I cannot give Lois enough compliments for how she has taken on the roll withn our express sector,
We will be putting Lois through AAT - an accounts programme - this we feel will enhance her knowledge and also make her an asset to the business.
Lois joined Santis Global in May 2019. She previously had worked in retail but felt she needed to progress her career in a different direction. Lois had no previous knowledge of accounts’ so everything was completely new to her. As a small business we do not have a large accounts team and a lot of the work is also done by CS staff. We needed Lois to work on all areas in the accounts department. Sales Ledger and Purchase Ledger, we would also be needing her to help out in Credit Control. Lois very quickly picked up the processes required to become an integral part of the team very quickly. She had to learn systems and terminology that were completely new to her.
When COVID started we furloughed some accounts staff but felt Lois was such a valuable team member she would be needed during this very difficult period. Due to the nature of our work we did not implement a work from home and all staff came into the office every day, Lois included. Lois has shown over the years her loyalty and commitment to Santis Global. Lois is a team player and who can also take tasks and complete them on her own. We will be putting Lois through AAT - an accounts programme - this we feel will enhance her knowledge and also make her an asset to the business.
I cannot give Lois enough compliments for how she has taken on the roll with no previous experience.
Susanne Littlejohn FedEx Bellshill
She has been a key driver in improving our Training compliance, our Contract Compliance within the Region and is also one of our Engagement Champions who has been instrumental in driving our people engagement.
A well-recognised, respected part of the team, our “go to” support person who is highly regarded by everyone and the contribution she brings on a daily basis.
Susanne epitomises how much compliance and integrity is at the heart of what we do. We are privileged to have Susanne who actively lives and breathes the principles of the company every day.
In Susanne’s role as Executive Assistant, she not only plays an extremely critical role in supporting the regional managing director, in the day-to-day aspects of leading a team of over 1600 team members within Ground Operations North, but also the wider teams across the FedEx UK network.
Susanne is a well-recognised, respected part of the FedEx team, our “go to” support person who is highly regarded by everyone and the contribution she brings on a daily basis.
With her structured and pro-active approach to ensure we “do things the right way” Susanne was recently recognised as one of our Global Compliance Champions, one of only twenty-four team members to receive this recognition, which is even more remarkable in a company with over 550k team members. Susanne epitomises how much compliance and integrity is at the heart of what we do, and who we are at FedEx, and we are privileged to have Susanne who actively lives and breathes these principles every day.
Susanne has been pivotal in the improvements of our compliance standards within the Ground Operations UK North Region by taking personal ownership of our compliance status. Through her structured approach she has been a key driver in improving our Training compliance and our Contract Compliance within the Region. Susanne is also one of our Engagement Champions and has been instrumental in driving our people engagement. In particular, the improvement of the area of where team members can advance their career at FedEx Express, with the creation of a Career Support Tool to aid both Managers and individual team members, giving them access information and guidance to help support their career path.
Susanne’s willingness to go above and beyond to ensure that the company and the team have the support and help required is commendable, as is the part she also plays in the FedEx Women’s Inclusive Network in which she holds a lead role in Scotland which aims to improve Networking, Development and Mentoring opportunities, whilst encouraging and promoting the Champion and Member opportunities across the network, and activities to support our FedEx cares initiatives and charity events.
Mahak Sharma Rico Logistics Ltd
Support on all projects and is playing a key part in our courier recruitment and retention project alongside multiple key initiatives in the business.
A significant support and played a critical part in driving forward our data led decision making agenda.
A real shining star in the business with a huge future.
Since I have joined the business, Mahak has been a significant support and played a critical part in driving forward our data led decision making agenda. Highly efficient with her outputs and always has an analytical solution to the operational challenge that is posed.
Mahak will support on all projects and is playing a key part in our courier recruitment and retention project alongside multiple key initiatives in the business. Provides consistently high-level data sets to support driving the operational performance and efficiency of the business forward. Great can-do attitude, who operates at a consistently high level. A real shining star in the business with a huge future.
Lili Thomas CitySprint London
An uplifting disposition that makes her a pleasure to be around and to work alongside.
Not only does she perform her day job to a very high standard, but she also goes above and beyond to ease the burden of additional workload to her team.”
She provides the right information, in the right place at the right time, saving countless hours of effort for sales & account management teams.
Lili has an uplifting disposition that makes her a pleasure to be around and to work alongside. She is hard working and conscientious with a can-do attitude. Not only did she hit the ground running when re-joining CitySprint, she never says no when a colleague is in need and will try her hand at anything. Not only does Lili perform her day job to a very high standard, but she also goes above and beyond to ease the burden of additional workload to her team.
Some examples below:
Knowledge Base for All Staff – In the short time that Lili has worked back with CitySprint, she has not only mastered new systems, but has also taken time out of her own day to create knowledge process documents that help all of our Business Development, Customer Service and Operations teams in their day-to-day role. Over the nine months of 2022 there are now over 120 process and “how to” guides available to all colleagues.
Pathology Tracking Portal – Lili has been a key tester of new functionality and provides feedback as well as rolling out features to users.
Customer Content Management – With no one in place, Lili embraced our Content Management system and now heads up our Content Management App, maximising its usage within our business development team and liaising with the App Developers.
Lili has also engaged with other departments who are also now benefitting from content management usage. Having the right information, in the right place at the right time saves countless hours of effort for sales & account management teams and allows them to provide CitySprint customers with the answers to questions and handy hints and tips to make their shipping experience easy.
Zoé Walsh CitySprint Southampton
She is always on hand to answer any Courier Asset issues. She is patient and always explains processes fully.
She is always so happy and bubbly and genuinely wants to help those around her. Proactively makes sure drivers get onto the system and out on the road as quickly as possible.
Additional she is always available to help with the PAYE drivers from their devices to fuel cards. She takes it all within her stride
Over the summer months, we had an issue with sim cards on our Zebra devices. Zoe jumped into action and went through all the possible issues this could be due to and by the following day we had new sim cards to get the drivers back out on routes!
Additional to this she is always available to help with the PAYE drivers and their devices, fuel cards, etc. With over 40 drivers to look after, this in itself is a challenge, but she takes it all within her stride and in her usual bubbly demeanour. She also proactively makes sure drivers get onto the system and out on the road as quickly as possible.
Adam Williams Onit Birmingham
A born problem solver, customers and couriers are always asking for him this is a testament to his professionalism and dedication to our values.”
Primary responsibilities being recruitment of fleet, he is skilled in all areas of the business and can literally jump from one job to another to ensure everything is running as it should be.”
He keeps the atmosphere of the office at a high with his bubbly personality. Our department would not be the same without him.
Our department would not be the same without Adam. Despite his primary responsibilities being recruitment of fleet Adam is a book of knowledge when it comes to logistics, our customers, rules/regulations, and everything in between. Adam is always there to help and will help anyone in need. He is the go-to guy for everyone in the office, he keeps the atmosphere of the office at a high with his bubbly personality. The office wouldn’t be the same without him! Adam is skilled in all areas of the business and can literally jump from one job to another to ensure everything is running as it should be. Adam has been a big help to new members of the team, answering questions and helping people progress.
A born problem solver, customers and couriers are always asking for Adam this is a testament to his professionalism and dedication to our values. Adam is the living embodiment of one of our guiding values…one of Being Onit Together.
EIIR Merit Award
The ER merit awards for 2022
A new category for the National Courier Awards. In honour of the late Queen Elizabeth the Second.
An award for duty, dedication, commitment, and outstanding initiative, contributing in our sector.
Four winners to complete the 2022 National Courier Awards.
First a corporate rising to the unprecedented demand of media, then three individuals who all went from wheels to foot.
Smiths News
Smiths News Delivers As The Nation Mourns
During the mourning of the Queen. The rush for papers - many with special editions and sizeable commemorative supplements - was immense. This company rose to the challenge to deliver as publishers responded to massive increase in public demand.
An unprecedented, round-the-clock operation to deal with increased print volumes and meet customer delivery deadlines.
16.7 million newspapers and supplements to customers within the first three days – 5 million copies more than usual.
3.7 million newspapers to customers the day after the Queen’s funeral – an increase of 68% in copies.
Gary Jones, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily and Sunday Express, said: “Smiths News plays a valuable role in final mile, delivering our papers to the nation. To do what they do every day is very much appreciated by myself and our team.”
Smiths News employees and contractors demonstrated their commitment, agility, capability, co-operation, and sheer resilience as they pulled together to deliver on behalf of its clients for its customers.
Smiths News CEO Jonathan Bunting said: “This was undoubtedly one of the most globally significant news stories of our time and by far the largest we have distributed in the last 20 years. while maintaining efficiency and continuing to put customers first in everything we do.”
During this period of increased news media print sales, Smiths News distributed pre-9am:
• 2.98 million newspapers (an increase of 35%) to 24,000 retailers nationwide within the first 24 hours, using 1,000 of the company’s self-employed delivery drivers.
• 16.7 million newspapers and supplements to customers within the first three days – 5 million copies more than usual.
• 3.7 million newspapers to customers the day after the Queen’s funeral – an increase of 68% in copies.
Distribution Companies are often regarded as the unseen and unsung heroes of the retail supply chain, but Smith News’ highly successful operational action plan has won praise and recognition from those in the publishing and distribution industries.
Darren Barker, Managing Director of Newsprinters, said: “Following the announcement of Her Majesty’s passing, enormous pressure was placed on the newspaper supply chain. It’s great to see it come together and collectively tackle the challenges to ensure newspapers can produce memorable editions and maximise their sales opportunity.
“We at News UK would like to thank Smiths News for the part it played in making this successful. Additionally, communication from Smiths News to our teams at Newsprinters during this difficult period was first-class.”
Jason Birks, President of the Federation of Independent Retailers, said: “Thanks go to all the Smiths News wholesale teams for their efforts in ensuring our customers were able to make their regular and additional purchases. A special thank you must go to the dedicated night team, packers and drivers who worked tirelessly to process the millions of extra copies that this historic event demanded.”
Gary Jones, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily and Sunday Express, said: “Smiths News plays a valuable role in delivering our papers to the nation. Since the death of the Queen, this has been even more important for readers wanting a permanent record of events. To do what they do every day is very much appreciated by myself and our team.”
Roland Agambar, Managing Director of Mail Newspapers, said: “On occasions of such exceptional news events, our newspaper supply chain always steps up to the plate, once again demonstrated over the past 12 days. Please pass on my thanks and gratitude to all Smiths News employees and contractors for their commitment, effort and enthusiasm in ensuring our products hit the newsstand each morning. “
Public reaction to news coverage highlights the unwavering importance of print media and its place in global communications. Smiths News has shown itself to be a market leader in the distribution industry, displaying the capability and commitment to respond to the needs of its publishing partners when the call to action arrives.
Our second ER award goes to an individual.
Matt Garraway Evri courier from Penzance delivery unit
Closed roads challenge. ‘Delivery on foot during G7 conference’
During the G7 Summit in Carbis Bay summer 2021, the whole of this drivers round was shut down to traffic for several days.
The driver went out of his way to ensure that every parcel was still delivered on time and compliantly by taking his parcels out on foot every day.
To do this, he had to make several trips to and from his home collecting parcels and then going back to the area. He also let his customers know in advance that his deliveries may be at different times to his usual routine, but that the parcels would be with them on the specified days.
Roads closed, vans parked. Kelly Toms nominates Matt Garrawy for delivery in closed roads, taking his parcels out on foot every day for three days of G7 summit
Matt is always putting the customer first. During the G7 Summit in Carbis Bay summer 2021, the whole of Matts round was shut down to traffic for several days. Matt went out of his way to ensure that every parcel was still delivered on time and compliantly by taking his parcels out on foot every day. To do this, he had to make several trips to and from his home collecting parcels and then going back to the area. He also let his customers know in advance that his deliveries may be at different times to his usual routine, but that the parcels would be with them on the specified days.
This is a very specific occasion where Matt has gone out of his way to provide a great service to his customers and done a brilliant job of representing EVRi, but Matt regularly gets feedback from his customers praising him for his customer service. He always makes time to listen his customers and remembers upcoming life events that they have discussed.
Matt is a fantastic service provider in out Penzance delivery Unit, and it would be great to see him recognised for the extra effort and dedication he puts into delivering excellent customer service.
Martin West FedEx Slough
‘No loss of service during a very difficult time! ‘
This courier has always been flexible and understanding of the ever-changing needs and requirements of the courier industry and always conducts himself in a professional manner.
Faced with challenge of Windsor during the funeral period, he continued to delivered during the road closures at Windsor, he became a buddy driver and runner to get final mile completed.
Van driver to pavement, he was literally pounding the streets by foot to make deliveries and collections happen for his clients.
Martin West is a sub-contract route owner currently employing 4 drivers at our location. All his vehicles and drivers are immaculately presented creating the exact brand image FedEx requires.
Martin’s and his drivers perform their duties to the highest of standards mainly down to Martin’s recruitment selection and the training he has passed on whilst using his many years of service and experience. He will regularly spend a day with his driver to ensure the highest standards are met at all times, and this extends out to the great relationship he and his drivers have with their customers.
Martin is in attendance most mornings overseeing his drivers and interacting with employed staff with a courteous / respectful and happy manner. He has on many times volunteered to go on road and assist wherever we have required him to go without any hesitation and performing the tasks to full professionalism.
One of his contracted routes is Windsor and his responsibility really come to the fore in recent weeks following the sad passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Martin anticipated his driver may struggle to get around his deliveries and collections due to the increasing crowds and road closures expected. He was keen to ensure that the FedEx service was maintained, and a great customer experience was delivered so in order to achieve this, he became a buddy driver and runner for this area and was literally pounding the streets by foot to make deliveries and collections resulting in no impact to service!
Martin has always been flexible and understanding of the ever-changing needs and requirements of the courier industry and always conducts himself in a professional manner, always available and always helpful.
Tsevetomir Ivanov DPD
Tetso in SW1 for ten days on foot
This courier is brilliant, he finds solutions. His round in the very heart of Green Park postcode London SW1. He delivered during closed roads. Dedication to go on foot with trolley when no other option was left.
The parcels for London SW1 got delivered because of ingenuity and extensive local knowledge, making his van the depot of his trolley run that was wholly on foot for ten days of parcel final mile.
Multiple individual client nomination testimonials over the ten days of secure closed roads in London SW1 – Your driver delivered for us – such dedication should not go unnoticed – I was amazed he got through – HM the late Queen would have been proud.
DPD City of London depot driver deals with challenge of Operation London bridge by walking the parcels to the door
Two members of the public sent in separate nominations during the Operation London Bridge Queens funeral of road closures.
1) DPD van driver Tsvetomir Ivanov was not known to me before the recent road closures. Yes, I received deliveries from a driver but until now I didn’t know who he was. I have to write to you, what Tsteo did was above and beyond, and HM The late Queen would have been proud. All roads around our home SW1 were closed, Fort Knox, but your driver delivered. I was amazed. Such dedication should not go un-noticed and I am delighted you have these awards online.
2) During the recent road closures around SW1, I never expected to receive any parcels but amazingly so, I did. The driver from Dpd - Tetso is wonderful, a lovely driver who behaves so professionally, ‘just delivering’ he said. Well, there is no ‘just’ about it. To have the dedication and initiative to deliver by foot, and to ensure that parcels were still arriving on time is amazing. His attitude and politeness make him truly a great ambassador for your industry. Please give him our congratulations on an amazing job, exceptionally well done.
Tsvetomir has a regular route that was challenged by Operation London Bridge, roads closed for the ten-day period of the Queens morning and Operation London Bridge. Not defeated, Tsvetomir stacked his parcel trolly and took to foot to deliver his round where the roads had been closed and still made 88% on time delivery. The customer comments “Roads closed and express van driver still gets the deliveries to the door. Well done and Thank you Tsvetomir Ivanov at DPD, City of London Depot.”
