Copthorne man’s dedicated service to the electricity industry is recognised
A power worker from Copthorne has had his long service with the electricity industry recognised by his employer, UK Power Networks.
The company which keeps electricity flowing to 8.3 million homes and businesses across the South East, London and East of England invites employees who have given 40 years of continuous service to join a special 40-plus club.
Paul Fisher, 57, a senior project manager from Copthorne, joined the industry at 17 and after a four-year apprenticeship to become a linesman, progressed to work on live electricity lines and supervise teams, maintaining reliable supplies.
Paul said: “There is always that drive to get customers back on supply. We don’t want to leave people off supply and do everything we can to get customers back on.
“I cannot believe I have been working in this industry for 40 years. I have enjoyed all my roles, made good friends and worked on some great jobs.”
The company has 464 employees with over 40 years’ service. A total of 43 staff across the South East, London and East of England reached their 40th or 50th milestone this year.
Paul said: “There are not many people that would stay at a company for 40 years. The 40+ Club highlights what a good company this is to work for.
“The best bit about the job is the people I have worked with.
“As a linesman there could be four to 10 people all doing a job together. It was fun and someone was always getting their leg pulled. I’ve worked with some great characters.”
As part of industry mutual aid arrangements, Paul has worked across the UK and the South of France restoring supplies after major storms.
He said: “I spent many trips away from home restoring power supplies after storms, the best time being two weeks that we worked in the South of France.
“I still remember the Great Storm of 1987. I was living in Crawley and our first task was to get to the other side of Turners Hill. It took a day to get out there because we were cutting through trees in the road as we went along.
“It was solid work from first light until late, then straight home, living on packed lunches and grabbing a hot meal whenever we could, but it was enjoyable.”
Paul remained a linesman until 2013, when he accepted his first office role, overseeing teams who worked on live electricity cables. His career progressed to become Crawley area manager, running a large team of engineering experts who complete maintenance, connections and fault repairs to maintain reliable electricity supplies for thousands of local homes and businesses. In 2020 he took up his present role, managing projects.
Reflecting on the future of the industry for newcomers he added: “There is a huge future ahead for people looking to come into the electricity industry with all the innovation that is happening and the growth of electric vehicles.”
Basil Scarsella, chief executive of UK Power Networks, said: “We take this opportunity to recognise the commitment and dedication of our longest-serving employees, who have served their local communities for decades. The last 18 months have been an unprecedented time and I am grateful to all of our staff for their key role in keeping power flowing and enabling people to go about their daily lives, while preparing the networks for an exciting low carbon future.”
In addition to career development for existing staff, UK Power Networks continues to run apprenticeships, including 21 new apprentices who joined the business in September.
1981 factfile:
• Lady Diana Spencer married the Prince of Wales
• London Marathon was first held
• NASA launched Columbia, the very first Space Shuttle mission
• A pint of beer cost about 51p
• Raiders of the Lost Ark became the highest grossing film of the year
• Pope John Paul II survived a gunshot assassination attempt
• Ronald Reagan became US President
• Greenham Common protests
• Muhammad Ali retires with career record of 55 wins and five defeats
The company which keeps electricity flowing to 8.3 million homes and businesses across the South East, London and East of England invites employees who have given 40 years of continuous service to join a special 40-plus club.
Paul Fisher, 57, a senior project manager from Copthorne, joined the industry at 17 and after a four-year apprenticeship to become a linesman, progressed to work on live electricity lines and supervise teams, maintaining reliable supplies.
Paul said: “There is always that drive to get customers back on supply. We don’t want to leave people off supply and do everything we can to get customers back on.
“I cannot believe I have been working in this industry for 40 years. I have enjoyed all my roles, made good friends and worked on some great jobs.”
The company has 464 employees with over 40 years’ service. A total of 43 staff across the South East, London and East of England reached their 40th or 50th milestone this year.
Paul said: “There are not many people that would stay at a company for 40 years. The 40+ Club highlights what a good company this is to work for.
“The best bit about the job is the people I have worked with.
“As a linesman there could be four to 10 people all doing a job together. It was fun and someone was always getting their leg pulled. I’ve worked with some great characters.”
As part of industry mutual aid arrangements, Paul has worked across the UK and the South of France restoring supplies after major storms.
He said: “I spent many trips away from home restoring power supplies after storms, the best time being two weeks that we worked in the South of France.
“I still remember the Great Storm of 1987. I was living in Crawley and our first task was to get to the other side of Turners Hill. It took a day to get out there because we were cutting through trees in the road as we went along.
“It was solid work from first light until late, then straight home, living on packed lunches and grabbing a hot meal whenever we could, but it was enjoyable.”
Paul remained a linesman until 2013, when he accepted his first office role, overseeing teams who worked on live electricity cables. His career progressed to become Crawley area manager, running a large team of engineering experts who complete maintenance, connections and fault repairs to maintain reliable electricity supplies for thousands of local homes and businesses. In 2020 he took up his present role, managing projects.
Reflecting on the future of the industry for newcomers he added: “There is a huge future ahead for people looking to come into the electricity industry with all the innovation that is happening and the growth of electric vehicles.”
Basil Scarsella, chief executive of UK Power Networks, said: “We take this opportunity to recognise the commitment and dedication of our longest-serving employees, who have served their local communities for decades. The last 18 months have been an unprecedented time and I am grateful to all of our staff for their key role in keeping power flowing and enabling people to go about their daily lives, while preparing the networks for an exciting low carbon future.”
In addition to career development for existing staff, UK Power Networks continues to run apprenticeships, including 21 new apprentices who joined the business in September.
1981 factfile:
• Lady Diana Spencer married the Prince of Wales
• London Marathon was first held
• NASA launched Columbia, the very first Space Shuttle mission
• A pint of beer cost about 51p
• Raiders of the Lost Ark became the highest grossing film of the year
• Pope John Paul II survived a gunshot assassination attempt
• Ronald Reagan became US President
• Greenham Common protests
• Muhammad Ali retires with career record of 55 wins and five defeats
Keep up to date
Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for our latest news and updates.