Two loyal Wigan members of staff saluted for putting in 50 years of service between them

MGF held celebrations for Jason Jones and Carl Grimshaw at their respective depots in Astley and Ashton to congratulate them on the landmark.

During those years both have taken different roles within the company, from working in the workshop, driving the wagons, as a yard operative as well as office-based jobs.

Based at the Astley depot, Mr Jones spent his first years in the workshop and yard of the old depot, where he was responsible for operating the lathe, drill and saw and later the testing jig and press, as well as sorting sheets and tank brace equipment.

Nine years ago he moved into the testing and repair of lifting equipment, including chains, and most recently has taken the time to carry out training to become a welder.

Astley’s depot manager Danny Dyson said: “Jason is a credit to the depot and is a very amenable and popular character, whose skills and diversity make him an extremely valuable asset to the company.”

Outside work, he likes to relax with a beer watching TV and spending time with his new grandson, he cycles to and from work every day and has recently joined the gym.

Mr Grimshaw’s career with MGF also began at Astley driving rigid wagons, where at the time there were only around three depots meaning he had to deliver to further locations.

Some 15 years ago he moved to a temporary depot in Lowton before moving to Ashton once head office was established.

He was the first person to drive head office’s first artic wagon, which allowed MGF to deliver larger kit to further locations across the country. Mr Grimshaw even drove to Ireland once to deliver an order.

After spending a short time in the workshop, he decided to go into kit sourcing for 12 months before again going back to driving wagons.

During the pandemic, Mr Grimshaw, alongside three others, continued to work at head office, sharing roles when needed for driving and in the yard among many other tasks.

He has since gone back into the office to work with EMVs and is currently working as part of the team in capital sales.

National sales manager (capital sales) Graeme Hodgson personally congratulated Mr Grimshaw on an “amazing achievement” of 25 years at MGF.

He said that Mr Grimshaw is well-known and liked across the business and has delivered to lots of different depots, not just in the North West, and in his earlier days even did some driving for MGF founder Michael O’Hara.

Outside work, Mr Grimshaw is a Wigan rugby league and Manchester United fan, he enjoys cooking and baking while spending time with his wife, two daughters and family dog.

As part of the celebrations, lunch was provided at both the Astley depot and head office, where the pair were presented with a trophy and certificate alongside other gifts from their friends and colleagues.