Local man retires from NHS after 39 years of service

A Pontefract man who works as a facilities manager at Fieldhead in Wakefield is retiring on October 20th after 39 years of service to the NHS.

Geoff Dickens, 65, lives in Hemsworth and was one of the first employees at Fieldhead when it first opened back in 1972. Fieldhead provides specialist mental health and learning disability services for local people and is run by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

In his early working life for the NHS Geoff worked as an overnight security guard, first at Pinderfields Hospital, then at Fieldhead.

A typical working day at Fieldhead for Geoff would involve looking after the Trust’s electrician’s, plumbers and fitters and ensuring the smooth running of maintenance jobs across the organisation.

Geoff said, "Fieldhead has been a huge part of my life over the years and I will be sad to leave it all behind me. One of my fondest memories is of the Fieldhead football team I started up back in 1973 which I remained heavily involved with until 1999. I was the secretary, treasurer, kit washer – you name it, I did it! The team is still running now which makes me really proud. I am looking forward to moving on though, and enjoying my retirement. I plan to spend my time doing sports quizzes, working on my stamp collection and getting involved with charity work. I also can’t wait to spend more time with my grandchildren."

Estates and facilities manager Jerry Murphy added, "We all wish Geoff a happy retirement and thank him for his valuable contribution to the facilities team. He has become part of the furniture here at the Trust and we will all be very sorry to see him go."