Southwater heating engineer in line for top trade title

Ian Dickson, 32, from Southwater, could now be in line for the prestige title of Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2020 - and a £20,000 trade bundle.

Ian, who runs Dickson’s Heating Engineers, was singled out from 2,500 entrants for his ‘sheer passion for the trade, determination to succeed and demonstrating how he goes above and beyond the call of duty for customers.’

He said: “If I were to get through to the final, I would be over the moon and it would demonstrate that my hard work has paid off.

“After founding my company nine years ago I have had so many special moments. I treat every customer with respect and will go above and beyond to leave them with a smile on their face.

“As heating engineers are considered key workers, I’ve had to adapt to how I serve my customers during the current pandemic, particularly as I have a large proportion of elderly customers who are very high risk.

“I have been strictly adhering to government guidelines but also going further for customers who are particularly nervous.

“It has been a challenging year and I’m honoured to get through to the next stage of the competition.”

The virtual semi-finals take place from this month and 10 tradespeople will then be selected to take part in a virtual final where experts will interview the finalists and select this year’s winner.

The winner will take home a trade bundle worth £20,000 which includes tools, a training budget and technology to help take their business to the next level.

Screwfix spokesperson Danielle Sweet said: “From over 2,500 entries, our semi-finalists have done incredibly well to get this far.

“Our annual competition is in its 11th year and each year the standard of entries is exceptional.”