Meet the Team – Chris Wilson
In the twelve years since securing his role at Actes, formerly the West Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Trust (WMNT), site facilities worker Chris Wilson has proved to be able to turn his hand to anything from plumbing to decorating and joinery to landscaping, and now he is passing on this expertise to the organisation’s newest member of staff.
Having initially been employed by WMNT as one of the caretakers responsible for the physical transformation of the West Middlesbrough area, Chris was integrated into Actes’ facilities team in 2014 with a responsibility for the maintenance of its two business and community centres, the Acklam Green Centre and Resource Centre, as well as the organisation’s housing stock.
Chris’s role currently revolves around the Resource Centre and Actes’ 10 houses, working as part of team of four alongside Actes’ assistant facilities manager, receptionist/ administrator and assistant caretaker, to ensure the facility and properties remain in prime condition for customers and tenants.
Over the past four years, the former fabricator/ welder from Redcar has proved to be a valuable asset to Actes’ team of site facilities operatives, taking on a range of tasks which on a day-to-day basis include everything from setting up rooms for meeting and events to maintaining the centres gardens, grounds and sports pitches and doing decorating, repair and maintenance work at the centres and residential properties. Chris is called upon to undertake a variety of jobs on behalf of Actes, and notable projects include building the organisation’s Trending shop unit at Riverside Park, the base for the charity’s new-concept clothing bank and building a self-contained meeting space at Actes’ head office.
Chris comments: “My role with Actes has involved using the skills I gained in my employment as a welder and fabricator and applying them in a different way. It’s nice to do something different and it’s the variety that I enjoy most about the role, that and working with a great team and getting to know the regular customers who come into the centre. It’s a really friendly and sociable environment to work in.”
Chris has recently completed a project at one of the houses to overhaul one of the property’s gardens, including creating a decked patio area, alongside Louis Marshall an assistant caretaker funded through the Talent Match project. The project has provided an opportunity for Chris to mentor Louis who is hoping to pursue a career in joinery. Chris has provided on-the-job training and support to at least six young people during his time with Actes.
Chris says: “Louis is very hardworking and enthusiastic member of staff and it’s a pleasure to be able to pass on the skills I’ve learnt during the course of my career to help someone who is starting out in theirs. He is a quick learner and very capable, as he showed during the recent project to create a patio and decking. I’ll continue to coach him and ensure he has the chance to learn as much as possible from the rest of his time at Actes. I’ve no doubt he’ll go on to have a fantastic career.”