Frank Dickinson from FED Locksmiths spoke to South Leeds Life about his work and the community.
My name is Frank Dickinson, I have lived all my life in Leeds and have spent many years in Beeston and the surrounding areas.
I lived and worked in Holbeck and Beeston as a young man, started a family in Beeston and was lucky enough to have good neighbours who made the Beeston I remember, but sadly not the Beeston of today.
In the main I enjoyed my time in Beeston and made a lot of friends and that is why I chose to run my small business within the area.
I work as a general locksmith nowadays. I had been on a course in 2000 and did nothing with it, spent time with a master locksmith in 2010 in Leeds and decided it was time to put in to practice what I had been taught. I think working in the service industry can be very rewarding. No two days are the same, people who need your services are in trouble and although it’s a business, it is very rewarding. It gives me chance to put something back by going that extra mile and giving a little more than the client can afford. That really has very little impact on the business and is what it is all about sometimes. We all need to put a bit back instead of just taking all the time, the rewards are worth it, a smile says a lot.
I have worked within the security industry for over 35 years employing some 200 people at any one time. This is my last guise within the industry before I retire. I have had the privilege to have worked for many blue chip companies to Jack Smith in the corner shop. I have been lucky to have received many testimonials along the way for the services provided.
It’s easy just do what you say you are going to do and deliver the goods, it’s not rocket science!
There are a lot of good things happening within South Leeds, I had the opportunity some time ago to meet young Ed Carlisle who has lived in the community many years now and found out he was active within the area doing a lot of voluntary community work with other local people for the good of the community.
I would like to see some of the values of the old South Leeds return. Being neighbourly is a must as this bonds neighbour to neighbour, street to street and makes a community. This has been lost over the years and many people do not even know who lives next door, this has to change, being a good neighbour cost nothing.
People who are lucky enough to have people like Ed within their community are off to a great start because they bring households together via voluntary work within the community that gets lots of different people together to do things to help the community in many ways and the spirit returns to the community.
I suppose I believe in community spirit as this has got to be the foundation for building for the good of all, you have to applaud all the agencies involved in supporting our community for the good of all.
I wish South Leeds well in it’s fight to make the area a better place for all, Ed you are a breath of fresh air!
