A Wrexham man is celebrating after clocking up an impressive 40 years of service in the gas industry.
David Collins works for gas emergency and pipeline service Wales & West Utilities. As a teenager he wanted to join the Royal Navy but undeterred after failing a medical test, applied for an apprenticeship in the gas industry and hasn’t looked back.
He has worked in a variety of engineering roles and currently serves as Wales & West Utilities Gas Emergency Service Manager for North and Mid Wales, looking after Gas Emergency Service managers and engineers from the North Wales coast to Builth Wells.
David said:
“Forty years has really flown by and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m as committed as ever to working with my team to make sure North Wales continues to receive a safe and reliable gas supply, while delivering the outstanding levels of service our customers expect.
“I am so pleased with the way things have turned out. I haven’t looked back since starting my career in the gas industry, and still enjoy the diversity and challenges of the job as much as I did forty years ago.”
Wales & West Utilities Director of Operations Andrew Hopkins added:
“David is an essential member of our team in North and Mid Wales and we’re proud of the work he does to keep the communities we serve safe and warm. He has built up a huge amount of knowledge during his forty year career – and we’re glad he will be with us for a little while yet, passing his experience on to our managers of the future. I’d like to congratulate him on reaching a significant milestone and thank him for his continued hard work.”
Wales & West Utilities was recently re-accredited by the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) as achieving its ServiceMark with Distinction. The company has successfully demonstrated meeting the demanding national customer service standard, scoring considerably higher than the utility sector benchmark and more than sector leading companies like Amazon and John Lewis.
The company has recently won its fourth consecutive gold award at the RoSPA Health and Safety Awards 2017 and is also the first gas network to have been recognised for meeting requirements, in line with the exacting British Standard 18477, for its work to help the most vulnerable.
Wales & West Utilities has a team of more than 1000 trained and experienced engineers to help serve the 7.5m people across the south west of England and Wales that rely on its gas emergency and pipeline services. If anyone smells gas, thinks they have a gas leak, or suspects carbon monoxide poisoning, they should call us on 0800 111 999 and our engineers will be there to help, day or night.
Our team is also working on a multi-million pound, 30-year gas pipe investment programme which began in 2002. Old metal pipes within 30 metres of buildings are being upgraded to new long-lasting plastic pipes with a lifespan of more than 80 years, to make sure homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply now and in the future.