04.11.09

SYDNEY PRIOR: THE OLDEST DIY’er IN TOWN!
***B&Q is proud to celebrate its oldest worker’s 95th Birthday***

For many people, hitting 65 means its time to relax, lay back and enjoy your retirement.  Not for Sydney Prior who this week is celebrating his 95th birthday and still hasn’t retired!  Syd is a hugely valued member of staff at B&Q (the UK’s leading home and garden retailer) working at the New Malden store in London.

Leon Foster-Hill, B&Q’s Diversity and Engagement Advisor says; “B&Q is proud of the diversity within its workforce and over a quarter (28%) of our store employees are over 50.  The older workers employed in our stores, like Syd, have greater life experience and a true willingness to work which means they can pass on their knowledge and skills to customers and younger members of staff.  We are also investing in all our staff with a national apprenticeship scheme with colleagues aged 18 to 70 already signed up, which we believe makes it the most diversity-friendly apprenticeship scheme in the industry.”

Whilst B&Q is proud of the age diversity within its workforce, the employer is constantly working to remove the age barriers to work.  One of B&Q’s main achievements has been to develop an age neutral working policy.  The company removed the retirement age over 15 years ago along with any age criteria in relation to recruitment or benefits.  It also offers a flexible retirement option enabling employees to draw their pension whilst continuing to work”.

Syd has worked at B&Q for 19 years, starting at the sprightly age of 76, following a career as an office assistant for more than 40 years, serving in the army during the Second World War and working as part of a family grocer business. 

Born in Horsham, West Sussex on 3rd November 1914, Syd attending boarding school until he was 13 when he entered a career at the Liverpool Navy School where he lasted…two days as he had an inner ear problem, so gone were his dreams of a career at sea.  Instead he went to night school where he learnt to type and for the next 25 years he worked as an office boy for a large US company.  In 1939 Syd joined the Royal Core of Signalmen where he served for over six years until the end of the war and found himself serving in North Africa and Italy. 

When he returned from the war Syd became a salesman for a machinery company and stayed until he retired (for the first time) in 1979. 

For a short while he then worked with his nephew who had a grocer business in Covent Garden until his nephew left for a new life in Spain leaving Syd without work.  Not for long though.  Syd met with a friend in his local Victory Service social club who was the manager of Wimbledon B&Q.  The next day Syd was working in the garden section thinking it would be nice hobby for a year or two.  But 19 years later he is still with B&Q and loving it more than ever.

Syd now meets and greets customers as they enter the store in New Malden and was actually honoured with the role of opening the new store this year.  He works on Wednesday from 10am until 4pm and says: “working at B&Q gives me the chance to put my knowledge and experience to good use, advising customers on where they can find exactly what they are looking for in the store. Working with people of all ages gives youngsters the chance to learn a little from an old timer like myself, and they help to keep me young at heart!  I have no plans to retire anytime soon!”  And Syd’s secret to staying so active and young at heart?  Plenty of socialising, lunches out and nights at the theatre!

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