Last Friday, a few of us met at the Frankie and Benny’s on Bugsby Way in Greenwich for a breakfast catch up. On a side note, this has become one of our favourite places to hold an impromptu, informal morning catch up because it’s always good food, good service and good value. Thanks F&B!

Alongside our more formal business meetings, I find these catch ups are a great way to learn what is going on. We cover a large area in London and the Home Counties and so I may not always hear about an issue until after the fact. Too often, this relates to traffic and the road closures that are making our technicians’ days more difficult than they should be! Mostly, though, it’s a great environment in which to discuss things that will improve the services we offer customers.

On this occasion, however, it gave us a chance to celebrate and welcome a new team member.

Firstly, we wanted to celebrate our Newham Chamber of Commerce business award for ‘COVID Response and Resilience’. Part of the reason for entering awards is to share successes with your staff. This award was won by us as a team and so we wanted to celebrate as a team.

Secondly, we were celebrating Simon Richford’s third anniversary with LNPS. Simon is a natural pest control technician and I can truly say he has found his calling in life. He joined us as a trainee but is now a vital cog in our business – respected by colleagues, liked by customers and trusted to always deliver high-quality services whatever the pest problem.

Finally, we took this opportunity to welcome our newest recruit Darren Salter. Darren is an experienced pest control technician with a great reputation. In addition to being a good all-rounder, he has a passion for wildlife management. This means that working with Darren we will be able to expand our customer offering.

The benefit of a good catch up is that it is informal. Darren was able to entertain us with tales of the different hunting methods employed by birds of prey, all while we enjoyed a delicious breakfast.

At a time when many of us are still getting back into the habits of a less socially distanced life, a good catch up over eggs and bacon (or a vegetarian alternative) is the perfect way to celebrate and remember why we like working for LNPS.