Pendeford Housewares has been celebrating 40 years of service for Maggie Brooker, one of manufacturer’s production team, who joined the company aged 19.
Multi-skilled, Maggie works on a number of areas in production. Pendeford’s sales and marketing manager Patrick Winters explains: “One day she may be attaching the knobs to the glass lids or riveting handles onto saucepans, or assembling egg poachers, and another day she may be finishing our microwave cookware range or assembling packaging, or picking and packing items ready for dispatch.”
Patrick adds: “She always seem to have a smile on her face and is an integral part of the team.”
Maggie was surprised when Lee Parkin (the new owner and managing director of Pendeford) and Andy Smith (new general manager) presented her with a bracelet, card, flowers and champagne. She admitted: “I’m shocked and delighted; it’s hard to think I’m 40 let alone been here for 40 years,” while joking: “Does the mean I can stay?”
Long serving team members are typical at Pendeford. Its previous owners, Ralph Humphries and his sister sold the business to retire after over 30 years last year. Patrick’s nine years with the company is small fry when compared with Eileen Horton, who retired last year from the accounts department aged 84, after 32 years’ service
Top: Maggie (centre) with teammate Indu (who has been at Pendeford for over 25 years) and line manager Gian (over 20 years at the company). Together the trio has clocked up over 80 years’ service.
