Congratulations to Mechanic Nigel Peill, who has completed twenty five years’ service with the Council recently.
Foreman Nigel works at the Council’s Central Vehicle Maintenance Unit and is part of a team who maintain the Council’s fleet of vehicles.
Nigel remembers starting as an Apprentice Mechanic at the Council on 14th September 1992. He said; “As a young lad I loved tinkering with cars and I always wanted to be a mechanic. I was chuffed to get an apprenticeship at the Council when I turned sixteen, getting lots of practical experience on the job and studying for my qualifications at Accrington & Rossendale College.”
He added; “On my very first day I remember going into the huge workshop at the Ellison St, seeing all the mechanics working on all types of vehicles. It was all a bit overwhelming and I thought “What have I done? What have I let myself in for here?”
But he soon got in the swing of things and a quarter of a century on he’s leading the small team at the depot, carrying out inspections, repairs and maintenance on all Council vehicles including road sweepers and refuse collection vehicles.
Nigel said; “Technology has changed things a lot since I started back in 92. Back then you were under the bonnet diagnosing the problem from the word go and then fixing it, so you needed a wide knowledge of all the vehicles and all the things that could go wrong with them. Nowadays we hook the vehicle up to a computer to diagnose the fault, but then we then still need the knowledge to go in and fix it.”
Nigel concluded; “Although completing 25 years’ service makes me feel old, it’s a great place to work and I still really enjoy the job. We have a brilliant close knit team here at the Vehicle Maintenance Unit, we work together really well and take pride in the job we do for the Borough.”
Dave Welsby, Chief Executive, presented Nigel with his 25 years award, saying: “It’s great to celebrate Nigel’s twenty five years with us. I’m extremely proud of the work he’s done for Hyndburn over the last quarter of a century; he’s a great employee, who leads a fantastic team.”
