02.01.11
New Year honour for tube lines night safety manager
Neil Pepper awarded MBE for services to the community and London Underground
One of Tube Lines’ most respected and well-liked employees has been recognised by the Queen in the New Year Honours. Neil Pepper, a night safety manager on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines of the London Underground was awarded an MBE for his work on the Tube and his services to the community.
Neil has worked in the rail industry since the 1980s and on the London Underground for over 15 years. By visiting worksites across the capital to check people are working safely and by educating workers on ways to improve safety, he has helped reduce the number of accidents and injuries which take place. People working on Tube Lines’ sites are now four times less likely to have an accident than when the company took over its three lines, thanks in part to Neil’s contribution.
As well as boosting safety, Neil is as an ambassador for the Tube, taking visitors onto the network to show what Tube Lines does every night. During these visits, he ensures visitors feel safe and comfortable with the Underground environment. This has earned him the respect of the people he has guided, including colleagues, Tube Lines apprentices and external VIPs.
Despite working night shifts for 18 years, Neil has made time to undertake a range of voluntary and charitable activities. He is involved with pets as therapy, taking his dog to visit hospitals and care homes to help patients through their healing processes. He travels to Africa twice a year to distribute toys and school equipment to local communities. He builds bird nesting boxes around his local area in Milton Keynes and fundraises for the protection of animals. He is also an enthusiast in Arctic culture and gives lectures to youth and adult organisations on this, including his own personal experiences of dog sledding and polar survival.
Terry Morgan, chief executive of Tube Lines, said:
“Neil is a positive example to us all and thoroughly deserves this recognition. He has helped foster a culture of safety in Tube Lines and treats everyone respectfully. The amount of good works he fits into his spare time is impressive and I offer him my sincerest congratulations.”
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