Cleaner of the year 2015 announced!

Lichfield school cleaner wins new honour for dedication to customer service in Britain’s public buildings

A school cleaner employed by Staffordshire County Council has been named as Britain’s Cleaner of the Year 2015.

Samantha Bucknall of King Edward VI School in Lichfield is the winner of the inaugural award for public sector cleaning staff.

The annual ABCD Cleaner of the Year Award has been created jointly by the Association of Building Cleaning Direct Service Providers and Denis Rawlins Ltd, which also sponsors the award.

The aim of the competition is to recognise the special contribution made by cleaners working in council libraries, schools and other public buildings across Britain.

ABCD members nominated cleaning staff who ‘have gone the extra mile’ to maintain high standards of cleanliness and customer service. Other criteria include their willingness to learn and improve, and skills in communicating with clients and building users.

The award judges were James White, Managing Director of Denis Rawlins Ltd, and ABCD President Ken Baxter, who both interviewed the three finalists.

“It has been agonisingly hard to choose between the finalists, who were selected from the thousands of cleaning staff who look after our many public buildings day in, day out,” said Mr White.

“Each of the short-listed candidates has shown great dedication to their work and a commitment to excellent customer service that is truly inspiring and humbling. They all deserve our respect and thanks, and Samantha is a worthy winner.”

Samantha demonstrated all-round ability and initiative, while her team was without a supervisor, by motivating colleagues, raising cleaning standards and keeping staff at King Edward VI School informed of progress and changes to cleaning patterns.

Her prize, £250 of shopping vouchers and an engraved glass trophy, will be presented at the ABCD’s National Conference in Chester on May 14.

Second prize (a £125 voucher) goes to Collette Riley, who works for Nottinghamshire County Council. Collette cleans in many facilities, including libraries and schools, often starting work at 4am when teams are short-staffed. “Collette is an extremely positive and high-achieving team player, unimpaired by her hearing disability, which must make her role more challenging,” said Mr White.

The winner of third prize (£75 voucher) is Jayne Wodjak of Blackshaw Moor School, also in Staffordshire. Apart from cleaning to a very high standard, Jayne often helps out after school and on class trips. “Jayne has even overcome 6 feet of snow to open up the school, and is highly popular with the pupils who see her as an invaluable member of the primary school’s team,” added Mr White.

http://www.abcdsp.org.uk/

www.rawlins.co.uk