The Punk Rocker with the 45 Year Track Record at H&H Reeds
H&H Reeds are celebrating a 45-year work anniversary for one of the longest serving members of their printing team.
David Warwick, known affectionately throughout his career as ‘Pez’, started his journey at Reeds in 1978, hired by his father, Malcolm Warwick, who was the company’s co-owner and Production Director. Reeds has always been a family business for Pez, whose grandfather, Syd Thornton, was also an established figure at Reeds as Director and Works Manager at the time that Pez joined.
With his family connections to Reeds, there was a degree of inevitability about his choice of career, and his 45-year commitment to the company seem to indicate that, like his father and grandfather before him, he had printer’s ink in his blood.
“My Dad and Mam used to buy me the John Bull printing set boxes for Christmas, which were old printing sets for children. They were keen for me to join the family business and wanted to get me involved from a young age.”
Starting as a compositor, Pez Warwick has moved with the times in the business, first graduating to running his own presses, and then moving on to his current role as a platemaker for the state-of-the-art litho and digital presses that produce everything from brochures and leaflets to large format display materials at the Reeds printworks in Penrith.
"Of course printing has completely changed. When I started as a Compositor, type had to be set manually, and platemaking was originally a manual job too. Now we operate a machine that makes the plates for us. Reeds has changed and grown since I was the designated bait boy, going out to collect bait in the morning for the other workers. Machines and presses have kept up with the latest technologies, and Reeds has expanded to include new businesses such as signs, web, and digital, adapting to keep up with the changing times."
Pez is a true punk rocker and has been a musician for most of his life, performing in bands since 1977. He was the frontman of the band No Thrills, where he had the opportunity to tour big cities and festivals in places such as Germany, France, Holland, and London. He has since retired from the band and now enjoys fly fishing in his spare time.
H&H Reeds Managing Director, Andy Jackson says that Pez epitomises the dedication and commitment that has kept the company in the forefront of the North West printing industry for more than 140 years. “We wholeheartedly congratulate Pez on his 45th work anniversary. His experience and his contribution to the company have been invaluable, and we are hugely grateful for his dedication and hard work. He and his family have been part of the backbone of the company for half its lifetime, and those deep roots in the business and the region have played a vital part in our success.”
H&H Reeds are a company based in Cumbria that specialise in website design, branding & design, printing, signage, and digital marketing, they have over 140 years’ experience in the industry. They are a committed team with a wealth of knowledge who strive to create bespoke solutions that work for their clients.