Workaholic Malcolm clocks up 50 years at Banbury company

Malcolm is a regular at the wheel of Cleenol’s fork lift trucks.

Workaholic Malcolm Cross has clocked up 50 years at a Banbury company.

Despite being aged 78, evergreen Malcolm still works three days a week in an advisory role at Cleenol on the Beaumont Business Park.

And he has no plans to hang up his overalls - even after a hard day’s work he can be found caring for a neighbour’s walled garden or looking after the village green near his home in nearby Hornton.

Malcolm proudly receives the details of the Saga holiday from Sam Greaves

Malcolm’s marathon stint at Cleenol started in 1971 when you could buy a pint of milk for five pence or a pint of beer for 16 pence. 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.

In recognition of his steadfast loyalty, Cleenol’s MD and fourth generation owner Sam Greaves recently rewarded Malcolm with a memorable gift – a dream trip to be taken with wife Linda to the Balearics Islands with Saga Holidays.

Malcolm married Linda 52 years ago and became stepfather to her sons Mark and Julian who have also worked at Cleenol in a variety of roles for 30 years and 40 years respectively. The couple also have a daughter, Jo, and six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

The evergreen worker has acquired so much experience over the years that even now, as almost an octogenarian, he is playing a vital role organising staff, planning, checking goods inwards, helping with production and driving a fork lift truck, among 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”.

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!”.