Exeter street sweeper honoured

A street sweeper who went to the aid of an elderly lady, who had fallen over in Exeter city centre, has won an award.

Matt Campbell who is part of Exeter City Council’s city centre team was recognised at Exeter Tidy Group’s Ambassador of the Year Awards.

The Awards recognise the people - street sweepers and grounds maintenance staff -  who keep Exeter looking good.

The workers were given a celebration lunch, courtesy of McDonalds, at Exeter’s historic Guildhall.

This year is the 36th year of the awards. They were hosted by Group Chairman, Cllr Percy Prowse, with the silverware handed out by Lord Mayor Cllr Rob Hannaford.

Matt was praised for his compassion and the way he reacted to a medical emergency. After spotting the lady collapsing, he ran to the scene, and dialled 999. He set about making the lady comfortable and stayed with her until an ambulance arrived. He was also praised for his continued efforts in keeping the city centre looking tidy.

Runner-up was John Coles, who has worked for the grounds maintenance team for the last two years. John was recognised for his fine turf management at Northbrook Approach Golf Course. Martin Duben, who works as part of the car parks team was highly commended for his standards of cleanliness in the City Council’s multi-storey car parks.

Every year, the teams are asked to choose their Personality of the Year. This year the popularity award went to Tony Tancock, who is part of the City Centre Team. Many of those who voted for Tony described him as “a thoroughly nice guy that I look forward to working with.”

Finally, the Semper Fidelis award went to a member of staff that has “stepped up to the mark, gone that extra mile and is always willing”, accord to his team leader. Dean Melluish only joined the public and green spaces team recently but his work on grass and positive attitude have stood out so much so that he was recognised for an award.

Organisers thanked sponsors McDonalds, Waitrose and NatWest Bank.