A driver from local bus operator, First Aberdeen, has won first prize in a national short story competition. Mike Boyle’s ‘Dougal Spector and the Daggis Supper’ left judges at the First UK Bus Lifelong Learning Awards highly impressed. The 52 year old from Aberdeen saw off competition from more than 800 bus drivers, mechanics, apprentices and other staff across First’s bus operations in the UK.
Mike, who has been a driver at First Aberdeen for almost seven years, wrote his short story about the adventures of a young double decker bus called Dougal. He said: “I’ve always enjoyed writing, and used ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ as the inspiration for my characters. To win the Short Story category is brilliant. Just to think that other people read my story and enjoyed it gives me extra motivation to keep writing.”
The competition was promoted throughout the UK in First’s Workplace Learning Centres, which have been established in partnership with Unite the Union. Staff can visit the Centres to learn new skills – how to use a computer, the internet and email - or improve numeracy and literacy skills. The Centres even offer courses in conversational Spanish, scuba diving and a whole host of other areas.
Director and General Manager of First Aberdeen, Duncan Cameron, said: “We want our people to recognise and embrace the benefits of learning as an investment in their future. We want to encourage our staff to try something different, learn a new skill, use our Learning Centres and unlock their potential.”
He continued: “Dougal Spector and the Daggis Supper’ is an enjoyable read, especially for children, and shows real imagination. We may have discovered the next Roald Dahl!”
First Aberdeen’s Learning Centre was originally established in 2003, and in July 2011 following an investment of £20k, a new state of the art Learning Centre was opened. A year later First Aberdeen won the much coveted ‘Transport Team / Partnership of the Year’ prize for its Learning Centre at the Scottish Transport Awards.
Within FirstGroup’s bus division approximately 85% of employees have access to Learning Centres. The company has more than 50 Learning Centres across the UK, mainly located in bus depots but with access available to relatives of staff and, in some cases, the public.