Who am I?
My name is John Wedley and I run Specialist Handyman Services based in Cranbrook, near Exeter, East Devon. Please read all of the info below ... it contains a little bit about me, my standards and then important things about my Insurance, my DBS check and some info about White Ribbon, a charity looking to engage men & boys to stop violence against women and girls.
This is a small snapshot of my background
When I left school in 1985 I started as an Apprentice Electrical/Electronic Engineer and the first year was a grounding in all types of engineering that included electrical, electronics, turning, milling, fitting, welding, hydraulics, pneumatics, computer control as well as CAD and design systems. This was a very solid grounding in how to do a lot of jobs and instilled a logical approach to problem solving for me.
I have worked in various fields, including Customer Service, Logistics, Planning and Problem Solving. I also previously ran my own businesses for over 17 years until COVID forced me to stop.
Since then I’ve been a 7.5t lorry driver and Installer/Technician. I've benefitted from professional training by John Lewis & Partners first as an Installer of White Goods, Televisions and Assembler of John Lewis Furniture and Beds. John Lewis & Partners then trained me further and promoted me to Technician for the more complex technical jobs such as Integrated Appliance installation, TV Wall Mounting, Hardwiring Appliances and Lighting Installations. This used a lot of the skills I have always had and made me think about being Self Employed again.
Customer Service
I like to communicate well and keep customers well informed at all times.
I will turn up when I say I will. Once you are in my diary then only illness or bad weather will stop me turning up.
If there are going to be issues or delays doing work for you I will be in touch and tell you, I won't just leave you not knowing what is going on.
In the rare instance that there are issues with my work I will of course endeavour to put things right.
My Standards
I like to work to high standards. I use quality tools, parts and materials in my work. The old adage runs true ... If a job is worth doing then it is worth doing right!
Insurance & Liability
Whilst I take all precautions I can in customer’s premises unfortunately accidents may happen and things may go wrong. For example, whilst I have never hit a pipe whilst drilling in a wall I am aware that this could happen.
For that reason my business is covered by a comprehensive insurance and public liability policy, details of which can be viewed by any customer that requests it.
DBS
As further peace of mind for my customers I have had a Disclosure and Barring Service check completed through GOV.UK
The DBS check looks for any criminal records and it is normally a requirement for anyone working with Children or Vulnerable Adults to have a clear DBS check.
My DBS certificate showing my clear record is available to view for any customer that requests it.
White Ribbon are the UK's leading charity looking to engage men & boys to stop violence against women and girls. If you click on the White Ribbon logo just above it will take you to the main page of their website.
I would personally like every man to visit this White Ribbon page on ALLYSHIP as it contains some really good information for us all to start understanding the issues and how we can be part of the solutions.
Women can become Champions for White Ribbon and Men can become Ambassadors for White Ribbon in the workplace, like my friend Rob, who works for Great Western Railway. He told me about White Ribbon and I in turn am promoting it here.
Any man can become an ally by making and living by the White Ribbon Promise to never use, excuse or remain silent about men’s violence against women.
We know that most men want violence and abuse to stop but don’t always feel confident to speak up, or know how to challenge someone when they are acting in a sexist, harassing or violent way. It’s important that we listen to and believe women when they say they feel unsafe.
If we all support White Ribbon and encourage men to become allies then we will be making steps towards our communities being safer places for our mothers, wives and daughters.