SUFFOLK PAINTER & DECORATOR IMPRESSES JUDGING PANEL

Anna Bettis, a painter & decorator from Suffolk was one of the six finalists for the title of UK Worker of the Year came face to face to battle for UK Worker of the Year 2012- the winner to be announced at the UK Worker of the Year Gala Awards on November 2nd.

The finalists, who one-by-one had to sit in front of the five judges, were selected from almost 3,000 original entries from the nations’ workforce.

Anna, commented after being interviewed by the judging panel: “I was really nervous this morning but with talking to the other finalists they were reassuring. I had the nerves at the start but the judges were accommodating and reassuring. I am looking forward to the Gala, whoever wins will be the most deserving.”

The UK Worker of the Year, sponsored by Dickies and SEAT is now in its third year to recognise, reward and promote excellence in the British workforce.

“The number of entries to the competition continues to increase every year and the quality has been noticeably stronger than in previous years. This is my third year as a judge, but this year has been quite different to the previous two. The candidates were from a variety of backgrounds and working environments, but were all able to draw upon their past experiences and communicate their passion for their work.  There were a few positive surprises, but I know the winner we have chosen is worthy of the title of the UK Worker of the Year,” enthused Maurice Morton, European sales and marketing director for world-renowned workwear firm Dickies.

"We're really excited about our involvement with this great competition, which has coincided with the launch of the Ecomotive version of the Exeo,” said SEAT fleet & business sales & marketing manager and WOTY judge Peter Brooking. “I found the judging an interesting and unique experience; the finalists were all of a very high calibre and we had quite a debate over the second and third positions although the winner was more clear cut.”

As Peter implied, the competition’s winner will receive a superb SEAT Exeo S Ecomotive 2.0, worth more than £20,000, with the two runners-up winning thousands of pounds worth of holidays from Thomas Cook, as well as a host of high quality Dickies workwear.

As good as these prizes are however, 2011 UK Worker of the Year, Anna Simpson reminded the finalists that winning the competition is much more than simply taking one of the great prizes on offer. “Being recognised as UK Worker of the Year has been an enormous honour for me – it’s been a massive confidence boost and something truly life changing for me personally, my colleagues and my whole working environment,” said Anna.

Anna, who was also one of the judges for this year’s competition, added: “All six finalists have experienced hardship due to the downturn in the economy, but their passion and drive continues to shine through. It was interesting to be on the other side of the table this time as I could sympathise with them when they were nervous. They were all worthy winners to me.”

Another of the judges, TV presenter and consumer motoring champion, Quentin Willson said: “The concept behind the competition is to seek out and promote what’s great in the British workforce, and listening to the finalists reminded me just how much we have to be proud of in the UK. I was hugely impressed by all the finalists and I am looking forward to announcing the winner at the awards ceremony on November the 2nd.”

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Editor’s Notes

ABOUT UK WORKER OF THE YEAR

UK Worker of the Year searches for workers who exemplify what doing a good job is all about and workwear giant, Dickies and car manufacturer SEAT UK have expanded and enhanced the competition for 2012 to help better reach and reward the UK workforce.

The 2012 UK Worker of the Year will win a SEAT Exeo S Ecomotive as part of their prize for winning the title and there will be holidays for the runners up, as well as various products from the Dickies range of high quality workwear and from Makita Tools.

UK Worker of the Year was live for entries and nominations for the competition between May and September.

UK Worker of the Year is free to enter and is open to any UK worker aged 17 or over at the commencement of the competition.

The finalists will be invited in October to meet judges at the world famous Pinewood Film Studios – home, among many other blockbusters to the James Bond movies and TV favourites such as Dragons’ Den.

The crowning of the UK Worker of the Year will take place at a gala finale in November, which is being staged at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Marlow.

FACEBOOK, TWITTER & UK WORKER OF THE YEAR BLOG

The UK Worker of the Year Facebook, Twitter and Blogs continue to be the places to go for all of the latest developments and they continue to get a great reaction from people who are following the competition. The activity on the social media channels will further intensify, as the judging day and competition awards ceremony get closer.

UK Worker of the Year facebook site can be located at: http://www.facebook.com/ukworkeroftheyear

And the UK Worker of the Year Twitter site is at: http://twitter.com#!/UKWOTY

General details of the initiative can be found at the UK Worker of the Year website www.ukworkeroftheyear.com

For further information contact Gary Barak at Chicane on 01753 650004 (office) or email: gary@chicanemarketing.co.uk

More information about Dickies products can be found at www.dickiesworkwear.com and further information about the SEAT Exeo and other vehicles in the SEAT range can be found at http://www.seat.co.uk

For further information relating to this press material, please contact Gary Barak on: 01753 650004 or e-mail: gary@chicanemarketing.co.uk

Chicane is an established PR agency with a particular specialism in the automotive aftermarket and the motorsport industry.
Prix De la Communication and Barrington Needham Trophy award winners

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