Introducing this months featured team player - Dave Buckingham

Is Dave the fittest man on the Cawleys Extra Mile Team?

Most years Cawleys enters a team in the Extra Mile Challenge, and as a keen cyclist Dave is usually on that team.  Organised jointly by the Rotary Clubs of Bedford Park and Milton Keynes Grand Canal, the event has raised £1.2 million for good causes since it was set up thirteen years ago.

Cawleys sponsors the team and helps raise money because it values the qualities such events nurture in participants – energy, determination and teamwork for example – which are all great business qualities.

We also like to play our part in our local community, and Cawleys team this year will raise money for our charity of the year, Keech Hospice, plus CHUMS. You can read more about why CHUMS and this, our tenth anniversary challenge is especially important to Cawleys in our community pages

But let’s return to the big question, is Dave the fittest man on the team?  Dave trains regularly and does a 30 mile ride most weekends.  This is Dave’s seventh time in the Extra Mile Challenge so he knows what to expect and what preparation is needed:

“To get my general fitness up I’ve been training for the MK Half Marathon on May 1st. It’s been a challenge as it uses different muscles from cycling, but I’ve got some sports massages booked in to sort out any injuries I pick up along the way.”

“Then on April 22nd I’ll be doing the Road Sportive 60 mile ride organised by Evans Cycles in Milton Keynes which is really good fun and a great test for my fitness.”

Dave will be riding an Italian Wilier carbon fibre road bike, and like all the team will be dressed appropriately for the race in Cawleys branded lycra.

Dave has been worked at Cawleys for 27 years and is currently key account manager with clients including Bloomberg in London, Johnson Matthey in Royston and Cambridge Leisure who’ve just been nominated for an award for their waste management with Cawleys.

“It’s amazing to think how the industry has changed since I started working here.  When I first joined we used a big work diary to book jobs; writing in collection times by hand each day, and then allocating drivers to pick up and deliver the waste.

“It’s the pace of change, and the fact that Cawleys is so innovative in its field that has kept me here and interested all these years. Oh and the great people of course!

“There are so many different roles in waste management which go on behind the scenes to make sure Cawleys can offer state of the art recycling and systems for our clients; people often don’t realise what a complex logistics and service industry waste management is, and that means I’ve been able to do a range of different jobs over the years too.

“We’ve just installed a new IT system so all our vehicles have weigh-loaders which really helps to focus efficiency and reduce waste, it’s a brilliant system.

“The Extra Mile Challenge is really fun to take part in, you make friends with other people and it’s good business networking too.  It’s a really nice surprise when someone calls in and says “I need a waste collection service, and I remember you from the bike ride in France”…

"It’s nice to reconnect with people who do the Challenge every year and it’s great to meet new faces too.  And yes I do try to keep fit."