From the top lollipop person to the most dedicated convenience store managers, we celebrate the winners of the year’s most unusual accolades
Michael Leech, from Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, has been named the UK bus driver of the year
I became a bus driver quite by chance, after spotting an advert in the paper in 1999. I liked the idea of driving for a living, but not the solitude. Driving a bus seemed perfect: you have a certain level of autonomy, without a boss breathing down your neck.
You have to have the right kind of personality to excel at bus driving. You need to be a very good driver, but you need to be able to command order at the same time.
I like that I can influence how my day goes; I’m in charge of the atmosphere on my bus. Some drivers are very strict, but I think that makes for a miserable day, so I try to spread a bit of happiness. If I see someone running for the bus as I’m about to pull away, I’ll always stop and wait – even though sometimes they run straight past me.
