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An AA man operating from Boroughbridge has been named Patrol of the Year at the breakdown organisation’s annual awards ceremony.
The award is the AA’s highest accolade for its roadside patrols across the UK, and Chris Wood will now spend the next 12 months as the public face of the UK’s biggest drivers’ organisation, representing it within the motor industry and to the media.
Chris said:
“I can’t quite believe I’ve won this award. I was so proud just to be nominated among so many outstanding patrols, so when I heard I’d been shortlisted as one of the finalists I was absolutely gobsmacked.
“To be named Patrol of the Year is unbelievable – it hasn’t quite sunk in yet. I’m really excited to see what lies ahead during the coming year.”
The judging process began in late September with nominations from across the UK, before six finalists were put through intensive technical and driving tests, panel interviews and mock radio interviews at the AA’s head office in Basingstoke in November. The awards were held at Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham.
Dean Keeling, managing director of Roadside Services at the AA, said:
“The AA Awards ceremony gives us the opportunity to recognise the efforts of the AA people who go above and beyond to help others and the Patrol of the Year award is the epitome of this.
“Chris exemplifies the values which set AA patrols apart with the skills to turn around a broken-down driver’s day and get them back on their way despite the challenges of working at the roadside in all weathers.
“His award is a true testament to his hard work, outstanding service and dedication and is a well-deserved accolade. Congratulations to Chris and all our finalists and award winners.”
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Snowplough maker named Bodybuilder of the Year
Ripon-based Econ Engineering is celebrating after scooping a major award at the ‘Oscars’ of the commercial motoring and road haulage industry.
The UK’s leading supplier of winter maintenance vehicles won Bodybuilder of the Year at the Commercial Motor Awards in Birmingham, where the cream of operators, dealers and suppliers competed for the top honours.
Econ, which supplies 85% of the nation’s winter maintenance vehicles from its assembly plant in Ripon, beat Lothian Vehicle Bodybuilders from Scotland and Cambridgeshire-based TVS Interfleet to the award.
A team from Econ was at the Road Transport Ball on Thursday, held at Birmingham NEC‘s, Vox Conference Centre to pick up their award.
Managing director Jonathan Lupton said:
“Words cannot describe how proud I feel right now to have come away with such a prestigious award.
“We know how hard every member of our team works to ensure that we maintain the high standards that Econ are renowned for, and this award goes to each and every one of the Econ family.”
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Coronavirus cancels 1,000 driving tests in Harrogate district
The coronavirus pandemic forced examiners to cancel nearly 1,000 driving tests in the Harrogate district over the last year.
Figures released by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) this week show the true scale of backlog faced by learner drivers.
Nearly half a million tests were cancelled across the country. The testing centre in Knaresborough, which serves the Harrogate district, cancelled 982.
A further 68 tests were cancelled between April 2020 and March 2021 in Knaresborough.
11 tests were cancelled for medical reasons, 34 because the examiner took leave. Acts of nature, like bad weather, also forced 23 cancellations and they were all in December.
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There was a major drop off in tests at the Knaresborough centre over the last year as a result.
Between April 2019 and March 2020 there were 3,649 tests compared to 1,265 tests between April 2020 and March 2021.
Of those that took place, 685 people were successful and that gave the test centre a pass rate of 54% which is above the national average of 50%.
The AA has called for the government to make more test slots available to cope with the pent-up demand.
Robert Cowell, AA Driving School interim managing director, said:
Alcoholics Anonymous in Harrogate reports surge in enquiries“Young people have faced several hurdles with starting their adult life in the last year.
“Many have faced disruption to education due to Covid outbreaks, frustration with securing employment and delays to learning to drive.
“Because of lockdowns thousands of would-be learners have also missed months of lessons and missed driving tests.”
Alcoholics Anonymous in Harrogate has reported a surge in enquiries since lockdown began — and one member has urged local people struggling to overcome addiction to attend a meeting.
Known for its 12-step programme for dealing with addiction, AA meetings provide a safe space to discuss experiences. The only attendance requirement is a desire to stop drinking.
Harrogate, which has long had a reputation as a drinking town, has twice as many AA meetings per capita than York and four times as many as Leeds.
The Harrogate district has 16 weekly AA meetings, including in Knaresborough and Ripon.
In-person meetings recently resumed after taking place for most of the year on Zoom. Public Health England has confirmed that AA meetings are exempt from the government’s “rule of six”.
Michael, which is not his real name, told the Stray Ferret he had been attending meetings for almost two years.
He said alcoholism often went “under the radar” in affluent Harrogate. Many people with problems were often functioning in highly paid and pressurised jobs rather than conforming to the stereotype of being asleep on a park bench, he added.
Read more:
Indeed Michael said he made a lot of money during a successful business career but pain inside caused him to drink. He explained:
“To the outside world I had the ideal life. But there was something that wasn’t right inside and my drinking escalated over 20 years.
Michael started rehab for a month in January 2019 and has stayed sober ever since. He credits AA with helping turn his life around.
Public Health England figures published last week revealed there are 8.4 million high risk drinkers in the UK, a figure that has almost doubled since February.
Many people drank alone at home when pubs closed during lockdown. But Michael said self-isolation is not unusual for people in the depths of alcoholism. After socialising with friends at the pub he would regularly carry on drinking at home with a bottle of wine or some beers.
Michael said when he first went to an AA meeting he was surprised it wasn’t all “doom and gloom”.
He added:
“My preconception was they would be depressing environments. It surprises people that you find people laughing and are happy. It’s not doom or gloom, it’s warm, caring and supporting. That can come as a shock to people.”
For a full list of AA meetings in the district visit this website.