Cleaner of the Year picks up award at conference

School cleaner, Samantha Bucknall, picked up the Cleaner of the Year award at the ABCD’s annual conference in Chester, and admitted she was ‘gob smacked’ to have won it.

Samantha, from Lichfield in Staffs, was presented with an engraved glass trophy by Managing Director of Denis Rawlins Ltd, James White, who was part of the judging panel.

The awards scheme was created jointly by the Association of Building Cleaning Direct Service Providers (ABCD) and Denis Rawlins, who also sponsor the award.

James White said it was inspiring to meet so many cleaners in the public sector who often went above and beyond their core duties. He said it was agonising to choose between the three finalists, who all attended the event, but added that Samantha’s story really stood out, as she had single handily kept her school’s cleaning service going during a severe staff shortage.