Published: Wednesday, 29th January 2020
Thirty-five members of staff were recognised for their long service to the borough council and their combined 600 years of experience and dedication to the local community.
The ceremony took place at King's Lynn Town Hall on Wednesday 29 January 2020. Certificates were presented by the Mayor Cllr Geoff Hipperson, and the Leader of the borough council, Cllr Brian Long. This year there are 20 awards for 10 years’ service, 7 awards for 20 years’ service, 7 awards for 30 years’ service and 1 award for 40 years’ service.
Ten year award recipient Alex Bird works as a Bodyworks Consultant at Alive Lynnsport: “During my 10 years’ service I have seen the facilities at Lynnsport continually grow and develop as well as having the pleasure of working with and meeting some fantastic people who have all helped me in the development of my career.
“I have always been afforded guidance, support and learning opportunities throughout my employment, most notably completing a NVQ Level 3 in Leisure Management qualification and won the College of West Anglia Sport Apprentice of the Year for 2019.”
Andrew Barrett, Electoral Services Manager at the borough council, is also receiving a ten year award: “I’ve had the privilege of working in two different departments, ICT and Electoral Services, working on a number of interesting and varied projects.
“Over the years I’ve been fortunate to meet and work with some wonderful people who display huge amounts of commitment and dedication – as demonstrated in recent months in the planning and running of a snap General Election.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my ten years and aim to be here for many more years to come and provide a high level of service to all the electors of West Norfolk.”
Principal planner and water management officer Peter Jermany is the recipient of a thirty year award: “When I arrived at the Council we were one of very few teams in the borough council which had a computer to use. We used to gather around to use it in a dark corner of the office. Maps were drawn by hand and letters and memos were hand-written to be typed up in the typing pool. If you wanted to look something up you had to find a book about the subject.
“I was fortunate in having opportunities to train and progress in my career here, working in three different offices; from King's Court to Juniper House, then for a short while Priory House and then back to King's Court again a few years ago.
“In the world of planning policy there have always been new and emerging issues to learn about and respond to, while I’ve also been fortunate to be involved in some big projects like the design and build of the St James multi storey car park and the long-awaited Hardwick Flyover. Hopefully other improvements to our road and rail connections will come to fruition over the next few years.”
Lorraine Gore, Chief Executive, added: “Working in local government can be challenging but I’m proud to see this kind of dedication from our staff.
“These long service awards reward long service but people do not stay with the borough council unless they enjoy their work, care about west Norfolk and want to make a positive difference to the area. I enjoy seeing how creative and innovative our staff can be, sometimes working with limited or reduced budgets.
“I want to thank all our staff for the incredibly hard work they do to serve our local community.”