Two employees have been recognised for their long service to Douglas Borough Council, refuse collector Neville David Uren, 20 years and Electrical Services operations supervisor Paul Davies, 40 years.

At a reception to mark Mr Uren's and Mr Davies' achievements, His Worship said: 'The loyalty and commitment of our employeees is a vital contribution to the continued success of the Council and our long service awards are the cornerstone of how the Council shows its recognition in the workplace.'

Neville David Uren

David, (as he is better known) Uren joined the Council on 26th June 1998 where he works as a refuse collector in Waste Services, in the Department of Environment and Regeneration, having previously worked for Rathbone’s Bakery in Douglas before it was taken over by Ramsey Bakery.

David and his colleagues go out every day in all weathers to collect and remove the household, industrial, and commercial refuse from numerous locations throughout the Borough, and sometimes beyond.

He and his colleagues empty 700,000 wheelie bins a year, in often unpleasant and dirty conditions, but still find time to help elderly and vulnerable people with disabilities and offer assistance to those who cannot deal with their own bins.

The job has changed considerably over the 20 years that David has been doing it, but the importance of it to the Council and people of Douglas has not and he and his fellow workers were all very proud when last year Waste Services won the 2017 Keep Britain Tidy Quality Improvement Award.

Environment and Regeneration director Dana Enyon receives Mr Dunn's award in his absence

Paul Davies

Paul Davies joined the Council on 9th October 1978 as an Apprentice Electrician in the Housing Department.

In 1983, he successfully completed his apprenticeship with the Council and continued working as an electrician in the Housing Department.

In 1990, he was appointed the Electrical Foreman, and in January 1997, was promoted to Electrical Services Superintendent, on the retirement of that post-holder, Mr Fred Kissack.

From August 2001 to the present time he has served as the Electrical Services Operations Supervisor.

The work of the Electrical Services Section is extremely varied.

•             It installs and maintains the Council’s Public Lighting and Decorative Lighting, and undertakes improvements for those via capital and revenue projects, and proactively 

               improves the whole of the street scene in the Borough;

•             It also assists with the installation and maintenance of electrical installations in all the Council’s domestic, public, and commercial properties; and in the furtherance of

              community safety and to make Douglas a safer place to live and work, it installs and maintains the CCTV provision in the Town Centre and Council 

               properties.

The service also deals with:

•             PAT testing (appliance) testing of all the equipment owned or used by the Council;

•             Fire alarm and emergency lighting testing of all the Council systems;

•             Installation and maintenance of all the equipment in the Council’s car parks;

•             All the flags and banners on the promenade and throughout the town;

•             Summerhill Glen;

•             Work at civic and other Council events (road closures / traffic management / etc), including the Carnival;

•             Fireworks night, Armistice Day, and the Christmas Lights Switch On;

In his private life Mr Davies is a keen gardener and a regular winner in the Douglas in Bloom Private House with Garden category.

His Worship presents Paul Davies with his long service award

The Mayor and Mayoress with, left to right, Finance Director Antony Boyd, Chief Executive Kathy Rice, Environment and Regeneration Director Dana Enyon, Paul Davies, Electrical Services Manager Donal Cullen, Director of Housing Sue Harrison and HR’s Tracey Cowley