VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE FOR ESSEX FENCER

“I teamed up with Stuart Miles from SRM Fencing for the Tornado-sponsored Fence for Frazer event that took place at the Llandyfaelog Show in Wales,” explained Peter. “While it was great to grab the top spot, it was a lot more satisfying to know we’d helped raise funds for a brave young lad battling cancer and the children’s cancer charity LATCH.”

Peter, who started his business with his wife Rachael after leaving university in 2007, has participated in numerous events over the past couple of years alongside Stuart, achieving notable placings including 3rd at the NSA and 2nd places at both the APF British Open Fencing 2022 and the Irish Fencing Championship earlier this year.

“I recall going to watch the competition at the NSA a few years back and thinking, ‘it wasn’t for me.’ But the feeling started to grip me that ‘I wonder how I’d do in comparison,’ so I responded to an online request from Stuart, and the rest is history, as they say!”

Like most contractors, Peter’s business journey has had its ups and downs, particularly regarding recruitment. “We started out with Rachael and me on the tools for the first eight years until we started our family, which now includes our two children. After that, we tried the tricky journey of employing guys.”

Recently, he’s been happy to work alone, with occasional help ‘on the tools’ from Rachael and others. “We were employing two guys plus me at the peak in 2018, but it soon became an issue with reliability and costs, so it makes more sense these days to get the job done myself. Investing in a Solotrak has made working alone much more efficient, and I have to take my hat off to Simon and Gail for their incredible support and for building a machine to suit me. It has made fencing much easier for me over the last four and a half years.”

“Should I live to work or work to live? I’m happy with my lot. While we always panic in this game about whether the work might dry up, it never does. It just keeps coming, and I stay busy…but ‘nice’ busy.”

Fresh off the back of his first-ever competition win, it’s fair to say Peter Redgwell of Essex-based PDR Contracting was ‘over the moon’ when Fencing News caught up with him recently.

“I started being a bit braver when it came to pricing up jobs after I went from three of us down to just me, and there was more work than time to do it. I was working on tight margins and really needed a bit more reward for the many hours I put in. That approach has paid dividends, and combined with being more efficient, I earn as much now as I did with the three of us.”

“I’ve lost a few customers with that approach, but they are generally the ones I’m happy to see go by the wayside. The ones that really value your work keep me going, and we are lucky to have a great list of regular clients.”

“I love the variety of what I do and the progress you get to see at the end of every day and every job. I much prefer one- to two-week jobs where I’m in control of my own time, get to experience a change of scenery regularly, face a range of challenges, and meet different customers.”

“I’ve recently been doing a lot of equine and deer fencing, as well as dog training fields. Whether it’s stock, agricultural, or post and rail, variety is very much the spice of life for me,” added Peter, who spent a lot of time fencing during his student years.

“I also team up with a fellow local contractor, Bell Fencing, on occasions. It shows what’s possible when you work together. When he asked me to team up on a large £380k contract for a new Beaver enclosure, we won the AFI Agricultural & Equine Contractor of the Year Award last year. Teamwork really does help make the dream work!”

When his old boss packed in self-employment, Peter saw an opportunity to buy him out, and his business was born! In his early days, he also farmed 70 head of cattle while living on the farm in a static caravan, but bit by bit, fencing became his primary focus.

“I think I always wanted to be my own boss and be in control of my own destiny. There’s only so far you can go as an employed farm worker or contractor.”

Operating with a customized Solotrak post knocker, 6-tonne excavator with Steelwrist tiltrotator, Unimog, and a SoloNet, Peter has all the tools he could need for whatever a job throws at him.

Whether he’s taking part in competitions around the British Isles or working out in the fields of Essex and beyond, you get the feeling that Peter is the sort of character who will never give less than 100%. You can’t ask for much more than that!

For more information, visit: www.pdrcontracting.co.uk
Contact: 07866 461539