Whitby man celebrates 40 years of council service

In an interview with Louise French for the Whitby Gazette, Chris talks about his career and his hopes for the future.

Chris, 59, left Whitby School in 1983 needing 18 months work experience before he could begin full-time horticultural training.

He took a seasonal post as an apprentice gardener with the then Scarborough Borough under David Law and foreman, Peter Wright.

“Under them I gained a wealth of experience prior to going to college, “ said Chris, who then went on to attend Askham Bryan.

At the awards ceremony for the completion of his course, Sir Peter Hillier said: “Now you’re qualified, go and learn your trade!”, words that have stayed with Chris throughout his career.

“I came back to a six-month contract with the council, and I’ve been here ever since,” he said.

“I’ve done just about every job within parks, I started as a gardener, but I’ve also done grass cutting, tractor driving, even grave-digging.

In 2001, Chris was made team leader under Roger Bennett and carried on learning.

“It was about that time that we got involved in the ‘In Bloom’” movement,” he said.

Over the years, the council won numerous accolades, not least of which was in 2011 when Whitby In Bloom were recognised as the best in the UK

The judging for that day took place in what Chris described as a ‘monsoon’ - “It’s the only time I’ve ever walked down the 199 steps in a suit while holding a brolly,” he laughed.

The In Bloom team certainly cut things close to the wire that day, putting the finishing touches to displays in Ruswarp, at Crossbutts and along the Moor Road as the judges drove into town, but given the inclement weather, the piece de resistance came with the raising of the final one of four special flags, ordered by the In Bloom team.

The ladder required to put the flag up wasn’t long enough, and at the last moment, a retired merchant seaman grabbed the flag and shinnied up a flag pole to hoist it.

Chris said: “Walking around everybody got soaking wet - everything had gone against us. I simply said: ‘what we get is what we get - we’ve put everything into it.’”

A phone call later in the year, delivered the news the team had hoped against hope to hear - Whitby In Bloom had been awarded a prestigious Gold and and were category winners - “The judge said on the day we were the best.” recalled Chris.

Chris is now External Works and Contracts Officer for North Yorkshire Council and is responsible for the general maintenance of schools, colleges and corporate buildings in Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby.

Chris said: “It’s natural that the new council has taken time to bed in. Merging seven districts was always going to take time and it’s good to use my experience to help guide them through the early years.

“I enjoy meeting people, we do a lot of work in elderly people's homes and we always try to work with the residents, because at the end of the day, it’s their home.

“I also enjoy doing a bit of design and training teens to work professionally.

“One of my favourite things is to see a member of staff achieve their full potential.

“I want to encourage volunteering, see staff develop and pass stuff on.

“People say knowledge is power - I say knowledge is only strong if you give it away.”

Chris is uncharacteristically quiet about his plans for the future. He certainly shows no signs of slowing down yet.

He has been an active member of Whitby Lions for many years, is a past President and is currently the Welfare Officer.

He said: “I enjoy the Lions work - it’s nice to give back to people.

“I’d only been in the Lions for about six months when we heard about a family who had lost all of their Christmas toys in a flood.

“The Lions stepped in and Toymaster ordered everything that they lost then the president at the time and his wife wrapped them all and delivered them on Christmas Eve.

“It’s nice now, because we’re seeing a lot of younger people coming through, including my daughter Krysta who is a third generation Lion, following in the footsteps of myself and my Uncle George.

“I’ve never been one for being sat around and when retirement eventually comes, I’ve promised I’ll do more with the Lions.”