Bucks Council hails retiring Wing man who worked on county roads for 47 years

Bucks Council has celebrated one of its longest serving workers, a man from Wing, who retires today (19 July).
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For 47 years Les Reynold has operated a gully machine assisting on some the most important projects in Aylesbury and beyond.

Today he will hang up his high-vis gear at Griffin Lane for good, ending a near 50-year career.

Les has worked for the local authority since he was 16, joining Bucks County Council after finishing school in August 1975.

Councillor Steven Broadbent with Les ReynoldCouncillor Steven Broadbent with Les Reynold
Councillor Steven Broadbent with Les Reynold

He said: “I hadn’t planned to work at the council. When I left school, I wanted to work as a carpenter on a building site but when I went to the job centre, they didn’t have any jobs like that. They told me they had this job at the council and suggested I take that in the meantime, until another job came up.”

"Forty-seven years later I’m still here.”

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Les has seen firsthand how Bucks has evolved as a county, with towns and villages growing bigger as the overall population has soared.

He added: “When I started out the roads were a lot quieter, there wasn’t so much traffic, it was very different.”

One of the major projects the soon-to-be retired Wing man participated in was laying many of the cobbles that currently cover the historic Market Square in Aylesbury in 1990.

One thing Les won’t miss, is the early starts, he said: “I won’t miss getting up at 6.30 in the morning or working out in the cold and the rain but I will miss my colleagues, the camaraderie in the mess room.”

Les says he and his wife, Hazel, don’t have any particular plans lined up, beyond spending more time together.

Councillor Steven Broadbent said: “I’d like to congratulate Les for reaching this magnificent milestone and also to thank him for the hard work and dedication he has given to his job in the past 47 years. He will clearly be missed by his work colleagues, but he deserves some time to relax and enjoy his retirement, so we wish him all the best.

“Les may be leaving the council in person, but his legacy will live on in the thousands of road maintenance jobs he has carried out in the nearly five decades he has worked here. Goodbye Les and thank you.”

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