In 1968, Victor Wilkinson, a time-served painter and decorator with a growing reputation for quality work, decided to leave his employers and start his own business. With a loan from his brother to buy tools and equipment, he started building his business, with his wife Edith doing the paperwork and looking after their young son Sean.
Things were tough, and with no telephone, calls had to be taken by a family friend and then passed on to Victor and Edith each evening. Victor worked hard, building his reputation for quality and professional service, values which are held highly even today, and in some cases we are providing a service to the third generation of the same family that Victor first worked for in 1968.
There have been many changes since 1968 – within the first few years, the loan from Victor’s brother had been paid back, and a telephone was installed so that people could call directly. Victor often worked seven days a week – nowadays, we usually work 5 days a week, but can work outside these hours if needed by the customer.
With the entry of Sean to the business, the name was changed to V. Wilkinson & Son, and growth continued, whilst keeping the core values of quality and service firmly in mind.