Chris has been with the Council for 30 years. He is responsible for the internal and external decoration of all council flats and houses, as well as corporate buildings.

"In this job you need to do a lot of organising yourself. I'll normally come into the depot, pick up the jobs and prioritise them, making sure any appointments come first. A normal day starts at 8.20 and finishes around 4.30, plus I sometimes do overtime on a Saturday. The work can cover anything from repairing a rain-damaged ceiling to painting a shed - and I can sometimes find myself on the gable end of a roof. You get to meet lots of different people and I love being out and about.

"Two years ago our work was changing, so they decided it was time for some multiskilling. Everyone in the team was encouraged to take up a different trade - for example, one of my mates did plumbing. I was going to be a carpenter, but I ended up doing roofing and scaffolding for 18 months.

"Working here suits me far better than being self-employed like a lot of painters and decorators, because I like having a regular income. There's a good pension scheme and I've worked my way up to 28 days' holiday!"

next