Sapwell's suite smell of success

A catering assistant at the Newport Pagnell motorway services on the M1 is to be rewarded for his long service by having a conference suite named after him.

MARTIN SAPWELL has clocked up 37 years at the Welcome Break in Buckinghamshire, making him the company's longest-serving employee in the UK. He was 17 when he started work at Newport Pagnell in 1964. He started cleaning tables at the Grill and Griddle, owned by Forte, which later became a Little Chef. Today he works as a catering assistant in the Granary restaurant.

Sapwell, 54, from Wolverton, Buckinghamshire, said it was an honour to have a suite named after him.

"It doesn't happen to many people," he said.

Sapwell, who saw the motorway being built in the 1950s, added: "I like the company up here. I hope to stay here until I retire."

The Sapwell Suite will be part of a hotel due to open next June on the M1 at London Gateway.