The Voice Issue 6, Autumn 2011 | Page 36

COUNTRYWIDE NEWS - COUNTRYWIDE NEWS - COUNTRYW It’s been a busy few months here at Countrywide. We’ve welcomed back a Happy Birthday to us! When Countrywide Supplies got started back in 2001 things were quite different… “We started life in a small terraced house which had been previously occupied by a Chiropodist.” “Our first office employee was my wife Ann who worked in the afternoons, but by the end of the first year we had expanded sufficiently to take on another two parttimers and Ann could go back to looking after the children. We now have 23 operational staff.” Wedding Belle So, what about that wedding! Yes, our good friend Kerry in the Warehouse tied the knot at St Paul’s Church in Carlton, Nottingham. It was a big, posh do and Kerry was delighted with how it all went. We were there to wish her well, and it was a glittering occasion. Kerry tol d us it was just how she imagined it would be, “I wouldn’t have changed a thing!” People News We’ve also had another little celebration to welcome Katy back to Countrywide. Katy had a spell working at Boots, but has just returned to her old Customer Services role, “I was missing the girls” she admits. And she’s delighted to be back in the team, doing a job she loves. Katy’s return fills the space left by Simon, who’s gone on a nice, long holiday to Australia. 36 THE VOICE | Autumn 2011 “Highlights along the way have been when we moved to the new larger premises in 2005 and the new larger offices in 2010.” “The development of the colour product catalogue, online ordering and The Voice magazine are other notable milestones.” “We were the first to provide an home delivery service for head and neck patients. Until then patients had to make do with a very slow and poor service from local pharmacies who were unable to either hold the stock, or offer the expertise. Now nurses and patients can order anything they need and be sure that it will be delivered correctly and speedily – in 98% of cases the very next working day.” “Looking to the future – we will continue to evolve the service to make our customers’ lives easier. Who knows what that will bring, but then who’d have thought that ordering by text would be popular ten years ago?” Peter Stockley, Director