CHRIS SHINING AT PALLADIUM ELECTRIC AFTER 20-YEAR CAREER

Kitchen manager Chris Gunningham is pictured (centre) with general manager Rob Gibson and area manager Emma Simpson receiving a 20-year continuous-service certificate and celebratory cake.

Chris started with the company in 2002, at V-Shed (Bristol). He was studying for three NVQ qualifications at college, in silver service and bakery, when he took on the part-time kitchen associate job at the pub.

Chris recalled: “I was at college full time and working as many hours as possible at V-Shed, progressing to kitchen shift leader there, before leaving the company.

“Two years later, I successfully reapplied for a job at The Reeds Arms (Burnham-on-Sea) and worked my way up to kitchen manager, as well as shift manager front of house.”

A kitchen-manager role at The Maidenhead Inn (Basingstoke) followed, before another spell front of house at The Claude du Vall (Camberley).

In the summer of 2011, Chris moved to the newly opened The Hatchet Inn (Newbury) as shift manager and kitchen support, before becoming a pub manager at The Gig House (Wokingham) (no longer a Wetherspoon pub).

In 2015, Chris reverted to being a part-time kitchen shift leader at The William Morris (Cowley), along with a driving job, before returning to Bristol in 2017 for family commitments.

He reported: “I spent three months at The W. G. Grace (Bristol) as a kitchen shift leader, before being promoted in 2017 to kitchen manager at Thorn’s Farm (Yate), where I met my partner Rhiannon Buttrey, who was pub manager there.”

In September 2018, the couple moved to the newly opened Palladium Electric (Midsomer Norton), where Chris is currently kitchen manager and his fiancée Rhiannon is pub manager.

Chris said: “Working for Wetherspoon provides good job security and, as long as you do what is asked of you, career progression is always possible, with opportunities available.

“We have great staff retention at Palladium Electric – and I love the team I have here in the kitchen.