Ken Tingley

On a sunny day in December 2014, John Giddins and Chris Davison visited Ken Tingley at his company’s transport depot in Northampton.
The day was a constant exchange of memories – almost non-stop – ranging from trainspotting, Shrewsbury, careers – through to sport. Ken was a founder member of H1A in 1957 with form teacher Mr. Higgins.
At Ken’s transport centre we received an insight into how an international logistics concern is managed. Ken was able to pinpoint his vehicles on a large interactive map and even announce how long one had been stuck in a trafic jam on the North Circular.
We were whisked off for an excellent pub lunch whilst Ken’s wife and grown-up children continued the day to day business of import / export and precision distribution of products – all brand-names we recognised.
During the relative calm of the pub restaurant Ken shared with us some of the tales along the way. Including how his family left Bicton for Northampton and how later the young Ken was offered the use of a lorry that had stood idle for some time in a field opposite their house. A new, flourishing business was born. The rest, as they say, is history.
Ken’s company sponsors Northampton Town Football Club and through his love of the sport, Ken reckons he has visited pretty well every League football ground in the country during the time he has been driving HGVs.