It was the day the snow fell in Milton Keynes, that Pickfords held its first People Awards.
The event was the brain child of Louise Bernard a team leader in the international sales coordination department of Pickfords. She thought it would be a nice idea to recognise people’s talents while raising some cash for Pickfords’ adopted charity, NSPCC.
The black tie event was held at the Hilton Hotel in Milton Keynes and The Mover was there to report. The awards were in a variety of categories, some more serious than others. As the evening progressed, sober awards such as ‘Best Operative’ and ‘Best Surveyor’ gave way to the more frivolous ‘Best Joker’, ‘Best Hunk’ and ‘Best Babe’ – of which more later.
Adele Churchill from NSPCC was there to help Pickfords’ Regional Director Mark Taylor hand out the prizes. She said in her speech that Pickfords had raised around £67,000 for the charity during the year, thanked everyone very much for their hard work, and looked forward to the relationship continuing.
In response, Russell Start, Pickfords’ Managing Director said that all the staff thoughout the UK had been involved with raising money for the NSPCC. He confirmed that Pickfords had pledged to raise at least another £50,000 this year and thanked everyone for their efforts. He presented Louise Bernard with a bouquet of flowers as a token of everyone’s appreciation for the hard work she had put in to organise the event.
| Operative of the Year | Matt Potter, Leeds Branch |
| Surveyor of the Year | Nick Wright, Leeds branch |
| Manager of the Year | Nick Wright, Leeds Branch |
| Colleague of the Year | Kate Hardwick, International, Wembley Branch |
| Employee of the Year | Emma Brooks, European, Wembley Branch |
| Most Influential Person | Nicki Brotherston, Leicester Branch |
| Fundraiser of the Year | Roddy Wylie |
| Pickfords’ Joker | Jordan Smart, International, Wembley Branch |
| Pickfords’ Babe | Paul Howard, Imports, Wembley Branch |
| Pickfords’ Hunk | James Matthews, Barking Branch |
Hawkeyed readers will notice that the ‘Best Babe’ award went to a chap: Paul Howard. This was because all his mates voted for him because of his long blonde hair and his impressive curves. Unfortunately Paul was unable to attend the event as he was washing his hair.
The awards raised over £8,000 for the NSPCC and was a great success. Maybe next year, just for balance, a girl will win the ‘best hunk’ prize … perhaps not!
Top photo: (left) Russell start, Nick Wright, Surveyor of the Year, Louise Bernard.
