Staff clock up more than three centuries of service

Simpsons Malt long service awards: Alison Inglis (30 years), Mark Mitchell (30 years), Steven Rowley (25 years), Malcolm Rodgerson (30 years), David McCreath OBE, Neil Fleming (15 years), Pat Richards (15 years), Mark Eden (30 years) andBrian Williams (30 years).

Staff being recognised at the family-owned firm, now in its fifth generation, were thanked by Simpson Malt board member David McCreath OBE at a dinner marking the special occasion.

Vice chairman Richard Simpson was himself thanked for his 20 years of service, having started as a harvest grain sampler in 1998.

Operations director Steven Rowley was also commended for his 25 years of work for the company.

Celebrating his retirement this year, following 40 years’ service, quality manager Chris Trumpess started at Simpsons Malt as a lab technician.

Alison Inglis, Mark Eden, Malcolm Rodgerson, Mark Mitchell, Brian Williams, Michael McAskill and Steven Wiles have each worked at the company for 30 years, while Noel Rosedale, Neil Fleming, Pat Richards and John Coull were all recognised for 15 years’ service.

Richard Simpson said: “In my 20th year working for the family business, it means a lot to be able to recognise the hard work and commitment that every one of our long service employees has brought to Simpsons Malt.

“We are committed to supporting our members of staff with personal development and training opportunities. This is just one of the reasons we believe that so many of our employees choose to remain at Simpsons Malt.”

Site manager, Mark Mitchell, one of the maltster’s longest-serving employees, having joined the company in 1988, said: “Working at Simpsons Malt for the past 30 years has been a real pleasure, and that is largely down to the fantastic team there.

“Simon, Richard and the rest of the Simpsons have made sure to make us all feel a part of the family, and that’s why they’ve had such a loyal group of people working for them for all these years.”

Simpsons Malt, the UK’s biggest independently-owned grain merchant and maltster, owns grain merchant McCreath, Simpson & Prentice, which buys more than 300,000 tonnes of malting barley from more than 2,000 farmers in the North and Scotland.