Today we say, ‘Bon Voyage!’ to our colleague Martin Lowther, who, after twelve years – seven at the London Borough of Newham and five at LNPS – has taken the decision to retire.

A caring family man, Martin has always been dedicated to his local community – living and working in Newham. He is charm personified; kind, caring, honest, friendly and, as a pest control technician, renowned for his wonderful way with customers.

When we think about Martin, two words come to mind – helpful and caring. Back in the days before LNPS, our department at the London Borough of Newham would often close during the period between Christmas and New Year. However, Martin would, without fail, volunteer to carry out emergency work during this period. Martin has always been dedicated to this borough, its residents and his colleagues.

He has also never been backwards in offering praise, whether it’s to a colleague or manager. Too often, the efforts of managers are overlooked when things are going well, but Martin never failed to acknowledge hard work when he saw it. This caring attitude was, and is, much appreciated.

The mark of the man can be seen in the testimonies of his colleagues:

Managing Director Paul Cooper: “It has been an absolute pleasure working with Martin. He is a valued member of our team and, as one of LNPS’s first employees, he has helped shape the way we operate and the successes we have achieved.”

Director of Sales Mike Bailes responded to the news of Martin’s retirement with: “Oh no! We will miss him, I love working with Martin, he knows so many people.”

Finally, Team Leader Andy Riddle said: “I’m gutted! He is so helpful, what am I going to do now?”

This is just a small sample of his colleagues’ reactions to the news that he is retiring. It is clear he will be greatly missed by everyone at LNPS.

The decision to retire follows a period of ill health that has seen him undergo several hospital procedures – Thank you for sharing your scars with us! However, after every spell in hospital, Martin always bounced back, keen to return to work. We were all always left in no doubt that this kind, caring family man loved his work and missed his customers and colleagues.

As we say goodbye to Martin, we send him off with a bottle of Masons of Yorkshire gin (Paul’s favourite) – Martin likes a G&T – but we know this is not a permanent goodbye. LNPS remains in contact with all its former employees and so we know we’ll see him again soon at a company get-together. As a company, we recognise the contributions of everyone who has made LNPS a success and they remain very much a part of our family.

Pradeep Lawrence (Director)