Search

How long have you worked at Bettys & Taylors?

I’ve worked at Bettys and Taylors Group since May 2023 and I’m the van driver for the small Yorkshire Tea van. My job involves delivering the tea and coffee to all the Bettys Café Tea Rooms once a week and also to the some of our smaller Taylors customers who don’t have large deliveries, for example catering suppliers and small coffee/tea franchises.

I came into to this role because I was looking for a retirement job after a long career as an airline pilot which ended due to taking voluntary redundancy from during the pandemic. We still have our youngest child at school so living the ‘retirement dream’ has had to be delayed for a few years. This role gives me the flexibility to balance work and personal commitments.

Before becoming a pilot I was in the Army followed by a considerable time in the transport industry. I started as a driver and later became a Transport Manager running trucks throughout Europe and the old Eastern Bloc countries.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My typical day starts somewhere between 5:15 and 5:45am when I report to our Knaresborough site. Normally I’ve loaded the van the day before so my first job is to do my daily check of the vehicle. After this the most important job is ensuring I’ve got enough coffee and tea made for the journey as I wouldn’t want to drink anything else during the day! I go as far as Derbyshire in the South, Teeside to the North, Liverpool to the West and Hull to the East. It’s roughly an 80 mile radius from Harrogate and I can do up to five deliveries a day.

If I’m due to deliver to one of the Bettys branches, I usually coordinate my delivery with when the branch team is arriving. The coffee and tea has to be manhandled in which keeps me fit, especially running up to Christmas when volumes increase with seasonal demand! Other deliveries are normally fork-lifted off which makes it a lot easier.

I generally get back to Knaresborough late morning and then check my deliveries for the next day. The van is restricted by either volume or weight so I have to work out the order the loads will be delivered in and check the weight of the pallets. Sometimes that means doing a second run of deliveries. Once those checks are complete, I make sure I have all the necessary paperwork in the cab ready for the next morning, and then I finish up early afternoon.

What do you enjoy about your job?

My favourite thing about my role is meeting people. With ‘Yorkshire Tea’ on the side of the van it’s not surprising how many people who come to talk and ask for a photograph. The worst thing about the job is probably the traffic jams which appear to be more frequent these days. I would say the key skills for this job are having a conscientious approach to things, being patient and sociable.

What do you do in your spare time?

In my spare time I run, ride and tour on my motorbikes, enjoy classic cars, and I follow Sale Sharks Rugby Union side. I’ve also recently taken up a new interest, flying gliders! I missed my more airborne view of the world, so now I fly from Sutton Bank and the views  and freedom are incredible, plus flying without an engine is a new challenge.