On 3 April, 2012, a team from Cardiff-based Vale Removals & Deliveries moved former leader of the Labour Party, Neil Kinnock from Peterston-Super-Ely in Cardiff to Tufnell Park, North London.

It was a short notice move as the company had only been contacted a week before on Sunday, 25 March.   The company didn’t actually realise who they were moving until the team – Gary Lane-Cousin and Dominic Johns - arrived on the day and gave the company’s owner, Gareth Hobbs, a call to let him know.

Gareth said, “The move was only a small one and used just one of our 3.5t Luton vans. The boys had problems packing some cactus plants Mr and Mrs Kinnock had and by the end of the day had been stabbed numerous times!   The boys didn’t start until 10am at the request of Mr Kinnock and were stuck in the London traffic for around three hours.  The boys arrived back in Cardiff for 10pm.”

Both Gary and Dominic said that Mr and Mrs Kinnock were lovely and both received a £30 tip each.  Mr Kinnock wrote a very nice letter of thanks to the company and Gareth said, “I contacted Mr Kinnock to say thank you for the lovely letter and also to ask him to put a word in with the Queen if she ever decides to move!”

Vale Removals was first set up in 2005 and started as a man and van service.  The company now provides full packing, storage and removal services.  It also has a sister company, Vale Packing Supplies, that was set up in April 2011 and is doing very well at present, especially with its ‘once used boxes’, which Gareth said are flying out due to the current financial climate. 

Vale is a very family oriented business: Gareth’s partner Emma Cooper owns Vale Packing Supplies, Gary Lane-Cousin is Dominic Johns’ father-in-law, Mark Payter and Scott Kenny are childhood friends of Gareth’s, Gareth’s father Kenny Hobbs helps out in the office for Vale Packing Supplies, and the vans have been named after all the boys’ first children. 

Gareth concluded, “Things are going great and we have a great team.  It’s been a long hard struggle to get to this point but the boys have stuck with us through the hard times and it’s the beginning of a great career for them.”