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Forty years' service to Street Care - and still going strong

from Cathy (cathyvpreece@aol.com)

Lambeth

Date: 24 June 2003
Ref: 1617
Press contact: Jo Rogers
Tel: 020 7926 2739
Email: jrogers3@lambeth.gov.uk

Press Release

Forty years' service to Street Care - and still going strong

A refuse collector and a street sweeper who have each notched up 40 years' service to street care in Lambeth will receive a long service gift at 10.30am on Wednesday 25 June in the Town Hall, Brixton Hill, SW2.

A photocall with the street sweeper and Councillor Clare Whelan, executive member for environment, will be held at 10.00am the same morning in Electric Avenue, Brixton - outside the Wing Wa Chinese supermarket (yellow frontage), by the junction with Electric Lane.

Please send a photographer for the photocall at 10.00am in Brixton market, and the presentation at 10.30am in Brixton Town Hall.

James Keating joined Lambeth Council on 6 June 1963. His first four years were spent as a street sweeper in the Brixton area, and he was then promoted to work as a driver in the street cleansing service. Twelve years ago he moved to the Brixton market cleaning team and is now keen to see out his service there.

James - who came to London from Tipperary in 1960 - says he still has four more years to serve and is hoping he'll make the finish line! When he joined, his salary was £8.75p per week. He says the biggest changes he has seen are the amount of traffic; and people's attitude towards throwing litter down on the street.

Michael Kelleher joined Lambeth on 20 May 1963. He has been a refuse collector since then, working for most of the time in Kennington and more recently in Clapham. The main changes that he has noticed have been the change from dustbins to plastic sacks, and now wheeled bins; the traffic; and the amount of waste being thrown away each week. Michael's first week's wage was £9.50p.

He came to London from Co. Clare in the mid-fifties and is looking forward to his retirement next year, when he and his wife are going back to Ireland.

"We are very grateful to James and Michael for their hard work over forty years, and for their outstanding loyalty to Lambeth," says Councillor Clare Whelan, executive member for environment.

"The people who work to keep our streets clean are not always shown the appreciation that they deserve: we would like to begin to change that."

Issued by the Communication Centre
London Borough of Lambeth
Lambeth Town Hall
Brixton Hill
London SW2 1RW

Telephone 020 7926 1000
Fax 020 7926 2839
www.lambeth.gov.uk

(posted 7583 days ago)

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