Celebrating a Remarkable Milestone: 20 Years Service

A we clean First – 20 Years of Service

Twenty years is a long time in any context, but in the modern working world, where industries transform rapidly and careers often change direction, two decades of continuous dedication is truly exceptional.

To put it into perspective, when Lenroy Ramsey first walked through the doors of Salts Healthcare on 21st November 2005, the world looked very different.

Tony Blair was Prime Minister. YouTube was in its infancy and the iPhone was still two years away. Liverpool hadn’t won a Champions League for two decades (sorry, Liverpool fans!), “Crazy Frog” was topping the charts and England had just pulled off their unlikely Ashes victory through an inspired Andrew Flintoff.

However, quietly and without fanfare, a 36-year-old man from Birmingham began a journey that would become a defining chapter of his life and a lasting part of ours.

Today, at 56, Lenroy stands proudly as the first we clean operative to reach 20 years of service. And not just any 20 years: two decades supporting one of our longest-standing clients, Salts Healthcare, at their Richard Street site. A place he has come to know inside out, and a team he has truly become part of.

 

A Partnership Built on Respect, Heritage, and Shared Values

To appreciate the significance of Lenroy’s milestone, you must understand Salts Healthcare itself.

Founded over 300 years ago, Salts is widely recognised as the oldest family-run business in the UK, a remarkable organisation whose ethos of care, consistency, integrity, and compassion has endured across centuries.

Their values mirror our own. Both organisations place enormous emphasis on people, relationships, and doing things the right way. Our partnership has always felt natural, aligned, and rooted in mutual respect and individuals like Lenroy have helped embody that alignment every single day.

As he puts it:

“A massive part of my longevity with we clean is Salts themselves — a fantastic client and just lovely people. I am fortunate alongside Robb and Sean to have built a great rapport.”

For 20 years, that bond has remained strong.

The Early Years: 2005 and the Start of Something Special

When Lenroy joined we clean in November 2005, the site he walked into looked very different to the modern, forward-thinking Salts complex recognised today.

“The building has changed dramatically over the years.”

“It’s really transformed, particularly in recent times, into the incredibly modern workplace it is now. It’s a pleasure to deliver cleaning here because it’s such a nice environment.”

At the time our Salts cleaning team consisted of a close-knit group of eight operatives, and even then, Lenroy stood out for his consistency, reliability, and unwavering work ethic.

As our relationship with Salts deepened, so too did the people within it. One key figure was Matt Gauder, who worked in the Buying Department for Salts and was our direct client contact for many years, offering invaluable support. Matt has of course remained a familiar face through his charity Fighting Back for Jack which we support and he has gone on to become a long-standing friend and ally to our organisation.

But for Lenroy, the person who shaped him most during those early years was someone many across we clean remember with immense affection.

The Dee Richards Legacy

Few individuals have left as profound and lasting a legacy at we clean as the late Dee Richards. For Lenroy, she was so much more than a manager, she was a mentor, a guide, and, in his words, “a big sister.”

“We all miss Dee… I miss her dearly. She was a huge presence and a great manager who really helped shape me. The memory of her still lives on here for us each day.”

Working closely under her guidance, he developed not only as an operative but as a person. Many of the qualities we admire in him today all reflect Dee’s influence:

• Steadiness
• Pride in his work
• Loyalty
• Kindness
• A calm, professional attitude

He believes wholeheartedly that she would be proud to see how both the business and his career have evolved over the last two decades.

“I know Dee would be incredibly proud to see how the business has evolved, and of my own personal career over these last 20 years.”

Her legacy lives on through people like Lenroy.

Two Decades of Daily Consistency

One of the most remarkable aspects of Lenroy’s service is its pure, unwavering consistency.

For twenty years, he has attended Salts Healthcare five days a week, completing a two-hour shift Monday to Friday, a routine he has upheld with incredible reliability, no matter what life has thrown his way.

Throughout the years, some relationships have remained constants. Chief among them is his direct manager, Sean Wright, who Lenroy describes simply as:

“An absolute diamond… he has always looked after me and fully supported me.”

The respect goes both ways. Sean speaks highly of Lenroy’s calmness, reliability, and his ability to get the job done without fuss or direction, qualities that have made him such an asset to both Salts Healthcare and we clean.

Lenroy also expressed his sincere appreciation for the company as a whole:

“we clean means a lot to me. I have given 20 years of my life to this company because I believed in it.”

And in words that say everything:

“The only cleaning company I’ve ever worked for, because they just get it.”

Trust like that is hard-earned — and deeply valued.

A Message from We Clean Director, Paul Concannon

To mark this significant achievement, we clean Director Paul Concannon shared these words:

“Lenroy’s commitment is nothing short of exceptional. To maintain the same level of dedication, pride, and reliability for two decades is rare in any industry and absolutely invaluable in ours. He embodies the spirit of we clean, and his service at Salts Healthcare is a testament to the strength of our partnership. We are incredibly proud of him.”

Our First 20-Year Operative — and a Lasting Legacy

Becoming the first we clean operative to reach 20 years of continuous service is a milestone that deserves true celebration. It reflects loyalty, humility, professionalism, and a remarkable sense of purpose.

Here’s to Lenroy Ramsey — a legacy that will live long in We Clean history.