Our Star of the Month for March is Len Rogers, who is a delivery driver at the Exeter office of food supplier Apetito. He was nominated by the group's Devon contract manager, Alison Marsden, for helping to save the life of an elderly woman while on duty. Rogers spoke to Kerstin Kühn about winning the award.
Caterer Why did you nominate Len?
Alison Marsden Len has always been dedicated to his job, but recently he demonstrated that he is really looking to go that extra mile to help his customers in Devon. He was delivering a meal to a woman's house and when he arrived at her home, he noticed that she was not herself and was complaining of feeling unwell.
Len tried to phone her daughter, but when he received no reply phoned the Apetito office and asked for a doctor to be called out to the woman's home. Once there, the doctor rushed her to hospital where, that same afternoon, she underwent major heart bypass surgery. It was Len's quick thinking, resourcefulness and initiative that helped to save the woman's life.
Caterer How does it feel to have won Star of the Month?
Len Rogers I feel very proud and honoured and really happy to have won this award. It's great to be appreciated and recognised for making an effort and helping people. As a delivery driver you don't get a lot of time to really talk to people, and most of the time you just go in, drop off the food and leave again. So it's great to be recognised for making an effort to get to know my customers a bit more.
Caterer What do you enjoy most about your job?
LR Talking to the customers and getting to know them is the most rewarding part of the job for me. But it's also the worst, as you can get quite attached to them, and when something happens to them and they have to go to hospital or worse it can be really upsetting.
Caterer What happened the day you saved the woman's life?
LR I arrived and noticed that the lady wasn't her normal chirpy self, and when I asked her what was wrong she said that she had fallen over earlier in the day and wasn't feeling well. I tried to call her daughter but couldn't get through to her.
She said that she was fine and that I needn't worry and should just go, but I felt that I needed to help her. I called the office to get a doctor to come round, but only found out the next day that she had been sent to hospital and undergone surgery. My colleague told me that I saved her life, and I felt really honoured to have been able to help her.
Caterer What are you going to do with the prize money?
LR If my wife has anything to do with it, I probably won't get to decide. I think a holiday would be nice - somewhere sunny.
● To nominate someone for this award visit
www.caterersearch.com/starofthemonth