Pilgrims Group guarding officer Joseph Blades has won the National Officer Gold Award in the security company’s annual ceremony, which rewards excellence among the security teams who protect the premises of major corporate clients.
The Pilgrims Manned Guarding Awards, at the Holiday Inn, Woking, in May, saw ten officers and three teams win accolades for their dedication, innovation and willingness to go the extra mile. Blades, pictured right, who works with the company’s Grimsby team for a pharmaceutical client, won the award for being thoroughly reliable and justifiably self-confident. Pilgrims senior management said it trusts explicitly Blade’s common-sense, experience and judgment, describing him as an individual who demonstrates excellent practical application in his role as a security officer. Other award winners include Andrew George (National, Silver), Robert Smyth (National, Bronze) and the Speke team (Team, Gold).
Tony Wisdom, contract development manager of Pilgrims Group’s UK Guarding Northern Division, said Joseph has consistently presented himself in a professional manner. Wisdom said: “He has a positive, can-do attitude and a willingness to take on all tasks. He provides not only a security presence but a friendly and familiar face to the client and their staff. He is well respected within his team by both his line manager and peers, playing an integral part in the review, evaluation and testing of a major project to transform an antiquated patrol system into something which met the needs of the business. His impeccable presentation is something which has received numerous comments from visitors; he’s calm under pressure and always willing to do what is required to ensure the job is done. An asset to the contract and to Pilgrims, Joseph Blades is a deserved winner of this Gold Award.”
Pilgrims COO, David Freear, pictured left, added: “These awards are about recognising individuals who have delivered an extremely high level of service to our clients. Aside from all of our team being trustworthy, reliable and committed, we pay particular attention to those who have provided the highest levels of customer service and those who go beyond the call of duty to add value to what we and our clients do. It’s a pleasure to recognise and reward them.”
The winners in full:
National Officer
Gold – Joseph Blades
Silver – Andrew George
Bronze – Robert Smyth
Regional Officer South/London
Gold – Andrew George
Silver – Richard Peters
Bronze – Irshad Syed
Highly Commended – Vincent Gyassi
Highly Commended – Christopher Piponias
Regional Officer North
Gold – Joseph Blades
Silver – Robert Smyth
Bronze – Andrzej Szymanski
Highly Commended – Lee Jensen
Highly Commended – Raymond Moore
Best Team (client’s name removed for confidentiality)
Gold – Speke Team
Silver – Guildford Team
Bronze – Grimsby Team.
