Stepnell Helps Local Plasterers Continue 250 Year Family Tradition
Stepnell is helping three generations of a family from Weymouth continue a tradition of 250 years by employing them as plasterers.
After following in the footsteps of his father, Steve Hanger saw his own son, John, enter a career in plastering and join him working for Stepnell. Now, the 64-year-old from Westham is acting as a mentor to step-grandson Tom Bibby, who recently joined the company as an apprentice, as he too trains as a plasterer.
“We’ve looked into our history and there has been a plasterer in our family for two-and-a-half centuries,” explains Steve, who has been with Stepnell since 1994. “I started working with my father, who was a master plasterer and taught the trade to lots of different people in the local area, at the age of 13. I then passed on what he’d taught me to John and now Tom has decided to pursue a plastering career too. I don’t think there are many families that have such a long tradition of working in one particular trade, so it’s nice that he’s ensuring it will continue for at least another generation.”
John, 43, who also lives in Weymouth, began working with Steve at weekends while he was still at school. After a spell in the RAF, he returned to plastering and has worked in the trade for more than 20 years.
“Plastering is tough because of the physical demands it places on your body, but it’s also very rewarding as it’s really satisfying to see a finished building that you’ve worked on being used by someone,” says John. “Since Tom has joined Stepnell, we haven’t had chance to all work together on a project but it would be nice if it happened at some point.”
Seventeen-year-old Tom, who lives in Bovington, currently spends two days per week on site with Stepnell, and three at Bournemouth and Poole College, where he is working towards an NVQ Level 1 qualification in Plastering.
“I’ve really enjoyed the work I’ve done so far – I’ve already had the opportunity to work on lots of different sites so I’ve constantly been learning new skills,” he explains. “I’m also fortunate that I’m working alongside someone as experienced as my Grandad. I know that everything he is teaching me now will benefit me for the rest of my career.”
“If you look at Steve, John and Tom’s family history, it’s quite remarkable to think that 250 years since the first of their ancestors became a plasterer, the three of them are still doing the same job today,” says Derek Middleton, Stepnell director. “Steve and John are both highly-skilled and valued members of our team and we’re delighted that Tom has chosen to follow them.
“As a family-owned business which has been operating for more than a century, we’re very pleased to be helping him take the first steps in his career and preserve his family heritage.”