Saying Goodbye after 50 years at Rose Calendars

Earlier in June we said farewell to someone who has been with our company for half a century!

This amazing achievement by John Battersby was marked with a simple thank you presentation, and minimal fuss, in line with John’s wishes. He didn’t want a party or ceremony to mark this momentous occasion, but we did persuade him to pose for a quick photograph with Michael Rose our MD before he left.

John started working at Rose Calendars aged 16 in 1967, when the company was based in Kendall Road, Colchester. Chairman Chris Rose remembers employing him back then. “John was a hard worker right from the beginning. He was seen as an odd choice as he had long hair and was rather untidy, but he took to the guillotine work exceptionally well and soon became well respected amongst his colleagues.”

John has continued to operate one of the guillotines in the factory since that time, moving with the firm in 1987 to the current premises at Severalls Industrial Estate. Here more than 1.5 million calendars are printed for customers every year. Each calendar uses unique photographs or images which are sourced from photo libraries and photographers creating the pictorial calendars which are produced completely in house. The essential guillotine operations ensure the printed sheets are cut to the correct size for the commercial calendars. The entire range is extensive, with a choice of subject matter, size and format for customers to choose from, with precise cutting and finishing being crucial in the process.

John will be missed by his friends and colleagues at Rose Calendars, and he takes with him a little slice of history. Many other staff here continue to carry on the tradition though, with a number of colleagues having a significantly long service history too. They can’t quite match John’s length of service, with the second longest serving member of staff having been here for 42 years, but there does seem to be something keeping our loyal staff here.

We thank John for all his years of service and wish him a happy and healthy retirement.