A carpenter and joiner has been crowned London’s best trade apprentice, winning £2,000 to spend on tools and materials.
Joshua McAleavey-Dunne won Leyland’s inaugural Apprentice of the Year competition after a London-wide search.
The 19-year-old from Lewisham was surprised by Leyland CEO Martin Hastings while hard at work at Appleton and Rowlinson Ltd.
He was presented with a gold-plated trophy, as well as £2,000 to spend at any of Leyland’s 35 specialist decorating and DIY stores across the capital.
Joshua, who started as an apprentice with Appleton and Rowlinson Ltd three years ago, was selected by Leyland judges after business owners were invited to nominate their top-performing apprentices, explaining what made them worthy of the prize.
Joshua, who has been studying at London South East Colleges’ Bromley campus alongside his job, said: “I was in the workshop just cleaning some shelves ready to polish to be sent out. The next thing I knew there were camera crews and Leyland representatives walking through the door telling me I had won the competition.
“It’s a fantastic honour to be Leyland’s first ever Apprentice of the Year. I was given an opportunity by Appleton and Rowlinson Ltd and have just been trying to take it all in and learn as much as I can. I certainly never expected an award like this.
“It’s a tremendous start to my career. I’m really looking forward to visiting my local Leyland and choosing some new tools and materials.”
Based in Penge, Appleton and Rowlinson has specialised in the manufacture of bespoke furniture and joinery for over 50 years. The business delivers an extensive range of work covering every area of the home from kitchens, bedrooms, extensions, windows, staircases and bookcases.
Joshua was nominated by business owner Terry Rising, who said his young employee had overcome personal challenges to become a valued member of the team.
“Joshua is the ideal recipient of this brilliant new award,” added Terry. “Right from day one he has worked hard, has been diligent and has demonstrated excellent time keeping.
“He gives his all to every job and focusses on the minor details that make businesses like ours thrive.”
Martin Hastings, CEO of Leyland, said the decorating specialist was keen to celebrate trade apprentices at a time when there is a real and worrying shortage of tradespeople coming through.
He said: “We launched Apprentice of the Year for the first time to acknowledge the talent emerging in the industry.
“We received some fantastic nominations but it was obvious to us that Joshua was the stand-out winner due to his commitment and desire to go the extra mile for customers.
“With stores right across London, we are committed to playing a role in local communities and this is another example of that.”
Leyland stocks a comprehensive range of thousands of products across all departments, including paint and decorating essentials, building materials, electrical fittings, tools and plumbing equipment.
Some of the biggest and best-known DIY brands are available at Leyland including Dulux, Johnstone’s, Leyland Trade, Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, Paint & Paper Library, Tesa, CT1, Bosch, Purdy, Stanley, Ronseal and DEWALT.
