Stagecoach East Midlands celebrates over a thousand years of service from employees

A number of employees of the bus firm have reached impressive milestones in their careers with Stagecoach East Midlands, with 45 members of staff accumulating a total of 1,160 years of service to the business, with some members achieving 45 years’ service.

To celebrate the commitment of staff the bus firm held its annual Long Service Awards at the Lincolnshire Showground on the evening of Saturday the 29th of February.

The awards are held to recognise the amazing work and dedication shown by Stagecoach East Midlands staff, presented by David Sheppard of the BBC, who also shared his own passion for buses. “By night, I’m a self-confessed anorak, spotter, and bus enthusiast”, he declared before presenting the list of winners.

The awards fell into four categories according to length of service, with drivers such as hull-based Kevin Thompson winning their category, having been with the bus company for 36 years.

The event also provided an opportunity to recognise members of staff for outstanding service. Included in this category was the entire Worksop depot team for their response to the floods in November 2019. After flood water engulfed their depot, the team evacuated all vehicles from the building and set up an emergency office upstairs to keep operations running. Their response to the disaster - which had them wading knee-deep through floodwater - previously earned the team the Outstanding Performance Award at the national “Stagecoach Stars” awards, which celebrate feats of outstanding service from across the entire national Stagecoach network.

Tim Dewis, a cleaner at the Newark depot, was praised for his outstanding commitment to the job, often working late to make sure the buses are clean and hygienic for passengers and staff. Driver Frank Leach was recognised for his role in attending to a car crash victim, and Grimsby-based Dave Kerrigan was praised for stopping his bus last September to rescue an unaccompanied toddler who had wandered into the road.

Matt Cranwell, Managing Director of Stagecoach East Midlands, said: “The Long Service Awards are an opportunity to give recognition to our brilliant team without whom Stagecoach East Midlands could not operate. On the night we heard just a few examples of Stagecoach team members who have been making a difference to their communities for many years by driving the buses, keeping the vehicles and depots clean, or providing exemplary customer service.

“We also shared specific examples of staff who have gone above and beyond their remit to help people in need, and we extend a huge thank you to these local heroes and celebrate their dedication.”

The evening was also attended by representatives from Macmillan, a charity with which Stagecoach East Midlands has been working closely. To date, the bus company has raised over £12,000 for the cancer charity - including £349.29 from donations on the night itself.