Britannia Leatherbarrows of Bournemouth celebrated several important milestones in 2021. For David and Diane Trenchard it represented their 40th anniversary as owners of the business, and also marked 25 years of continuous service for four staff members.

Richard Fisher started with the company as a school leaver and worked his way up through the roles of porter, driver, and operations manager to his current position as general manager. Now that David has stepped back from the day-to-day running of the firm, Richard – working closely with Director Darren Vale – is at the helm.

Lewis Mills also began his career with Leatherbarrows when he was at school, working for the company during his holidays, and soon graduated to full time employment. He is now a specialist in office moving and heads up the commercial side of the business.

Operations Manager Paul Messer was in his teens when he began work in the removals industry and has since gone from strength to strength.

Andrew Murrill joined the company directly after finishing his education and has been a porter/packer for many years. He has received extensive training in manual handling, export packing and customer relations, and can usually be found travelling through Europe helping customers relocate.

To mark their quarter century of service, all four staff members were given an extra week’s holiday each year plus a unique custom-made model of a Bedford O-type van in company livery. A celebratory lunch was provided for the whole team as well.

Leatherbarrows operates in West Hampshire, Dorset and South Wiltshire, but also specialises in removals to and from the Channel Islands, Spain, Portugal, and France.

Photo: Paul Messer, Lewis Mills and Richard Fisher with their awards.