Leeds-based Crown Relocations Packer, John McNamara, has won the title of ‘Best packer in the UK and Ireland’ at Crown’s annual ‘Packer of the Year’ competition.
Local man John – who works in the Middleton Grove Road office – fought off tough competition from expert packers across the country to claim the title in the company’s fourth annual regional competition.
The contest, held at Crown Relocations’ Enfield branch, brought together the best Crown packers from around the UK and Ireland to spend a day competing against each other. The packers were challenged with the tricky task of wrapping a brand new, reproduction glass fronted grandfather clock and were judged on their speed and efficiency, use of correct tools and materials, manual handling and neatness of the finished item, among others.
The two highest scorers from the heats went onto the final round, where John found himself up against fellow Leeds colleague Darren Keating. The final round saw the expert packers having to place the clocks into crates, seal them and then manoeuvre the clocks carefully through the narrow corridors of the buildings, finally loading them into the van.
After a demanding final round that saw both finalists achieving the same scores, John came out on top to claim the ‘Bob Hall Memorial Packer of the Year’ award and a £500 cash prize, after judges claimed he ‘added the Crown touch’ of acid free tissue to the face of the clock, as well as putting Silica gel packages near the workings of the clock to protect it.
John commented: “All of the packers in the competition were very experienced so I am thrilled to have won this award. The competition is a great way for the company showing staff that they recognise our skills and hard work and it’s great to learn from other contestants from around the UK and Ireland too.”
Karen Campbell, Branch Manager, Crown Leeds said: “We are delighted that both John and Darren reached the final, it stands as great recognition of the quality of service that our team here in Leeds presents. John should be very proud of his well deserved achievement.”
The Packer of the Year competition was introduced in 2007 to commemorate the life of Bob Hall, an employee who worked for Crown Scotland for over 20 years. Sadly, Bob passed away in 2006 after a period of illness and it was felt that this was a fitting way to remember him.
Left to right: Steve Slade, Environmental Compliance Manager; winner John McNamara and David Hollins, Regional General Manager for the Southern Region.