Freezing winters bring a ray of sunshine for one of Britain’s only women gritter drivers.
Letty Fenlon gained her HGV license for her job transporting racehorses and competing in showjumping.
But she realised that gritter driving could be a way to use her existing skills to earn more money.
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And despite the unpredictability of the work, late nights and early starts the 28-year-old said it was the best job in the world.
“I love my job as a gritter driver, although it’s not without its challenges,” Letty of Ripon, North Yorks, told, What’s The Jam.
“As soon as the temperature falls below five degrees, we’re essentially on call at the time, which as we know, can be at any time of the year in this country.
“We can be on the roads at any time of day or night too.
“I was once called out at 2am on Boxing Day.
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“When snow is forecast and we’re preparing, we can do up to five runs a shift to keep the roads moving.”
She knows she’s not the typical profile of a gritter driver.
But she loves being part of a team and the camaraderie and support of her, mainly male, colleagues.
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She added: “The shift work can be tough to manage, especially as we all have day jobs too.
“The added complication for many of the guys at the yard is that they all have families, so the flexibility of our job can be a blessing and a curse.
“We all have such a great relationship though and because my situation is a bit different and I don’t have children at home we all help each other out and cover each other’s shifts when we can.
“I often work right through the Christmas period to help the guys out, then they cover for me over New Year, or if I get called away suddenly with the horses.
“It works really well and it’s no issue to me that there’s no one else like me at the yard.
“Gritter driving is such a satisfying job, and I know that what I do makes a difference to the communities along my route, which includes one of the main roads into Leeds Bradford Airport.
“I also love that the job allows me to continue with my other passion, transporting racehorses and competing in showjumping.”
It comes as gritter manufacturer, Econ launched the first ever Gritter Driver of the Year competition.
To mark the start of the winter season the firm carried out some research to reveal the nation’s most crucial winter professions.
It found over a quarter of Brits believe that there are no crucial winter jobs, with less than 1 in 10 recognising the importance of gritter drivers.
Jonathan Lupton, managing director at Econ commented: “This winter, our customers up and down the UK will be gritting, clearing and de-icing, knowing that every Econ vehicle will stand up to the task at hand.
“But none of that would be possible without the dedication and skill of hundreds of highly trained gritter drivers.
“Getting up in the middle of the night and going to work in all weathers and over the festive period, it’s only fitting that these hardworking individuals get the recognition that they deserve.
“We’re looking forward to crowning Econ’s first ever Gritter Driver of the Year.”
To find out more,visit http://www.econ.uk.com/grit-and-glory-awards
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