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Malcolm’s 50 years of service – and counting
24/06/2022
At the age of 78 he has no plans to retire yet
A Hornton man has clocked up 50 years working for the same Banbury company and at the age of 78 has no plans to retire yet! Malcolm Cross started his marathon stint at Cleenol in 1971. He still works there three days a week in an advisory role
In recognition of his steadfast loyalty, Cleenol’s MD and fourth generation owner Sam Greaves rewarded Malcolm with a memorable gift – a dream trip to be taken with wife Linda to the Balearic Islands with Saga Holidays.
After a hard day’s work keen gardener Malcolm can often be found caring for a neighbour’s walled garden or looking after the Hornton village green.
Describing his strict daily routine, Malcolm said: “I rise around 6.30 am every day and have a cup of tea, but no breakfast. From Monday to Wednesday I’m at Cleenol’s site by 7am. I take a sandwich with me for a 10.30am break but then have nothing to eat until my evening meal.
“I get home from Cleenol around 4pm when Linda gives me a ticking off for staying out too long. We settle down for dinner at 5.30pm and after that I will go outside and undertake various gardening tasks before returning home by 9pm to watch some football or horse racing on TV or even some Irish Country music. I’m in bed by 10.30pm”.
Malcolm started work at the family run business in 1971. He started out as a driver before working his way up to warehouse manager and then works manager – a role he held for 40 years.
Today he still plays a vital role organising staff, planning, checking goods inwards, helping with production and driving a fork lift truck, amongst other duties.
Malcolm, who says he has “no retirement plans whatsoever”, has a few words of advice for others who want to work past retirement age: “Stay engaged, keep active and look for things you enjoy at work. Having an active mind and bags of energy is also really important”.
He added: “Staying so long at Cleenol is one of my biggest achievements in life. I love the dynamic of the business and its family ethos. I have now seen the fourth generation take on the ownership – quite a surreal turn of events considering my wife used to change the current MD’s nappies at one time”.
Sam Greaves, Owner and MD of Cleenol, said: “Malcolm is that rarity in the modern workplace – someone who has stayed with the same employer for more than half a century. He is still going strong and playing an important part in our success. He richly deserves our gift of a luxury holiday and, at the same time, we expect to see him as part of the Cleenol workforce for some time yet!”.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam