A MAN whose work brings him into contact with people when they are at their most vulnerable has been awarded the title of Andover Employee of the Year 2000.

Steve Maddocks, who is branch manager of Halcrows Funeral Directors in Bridge Street, was selected from the four finalists who had all been interviewed by the judging panel at their place of work.

In second place was Mark Bladen, manager of Woolworths, with Sylvia Headland of Naafi and Gerald Cook, of Purbeck DIY as runners-up.

Dedication, expertise and outstanding achievement were qualities being recognised and rewarded at the glittering presentation ceremony held at the prestigious Fifehead manor Hotel, Middle Wallop, on Friday night, with Test Valley mayor and mayoress Cllr Tony and Mrs Janet Hope, and Andover MP Sir George Young as guests of honour.

The competition, in its second year, has been hailed as the ideal way of showing appreciation for service beyond the call of duty and has been welcomed by the town's employers.

Andover has virtually zero unemployment and with bosses seeking to recruit quality staff it was timely that top calibre employees were shown they were appreciated.

Prior to the presentations by the mayor, Sir George Young praised the initiative.

"Backed by local sponsors, the scheme recognises employees in Andover whose contributions are exceptional, and is designed to encourage local employers to reward hard-working staff.

"The labour market in Andover is very tight and employers need to do more to retain and motivate their staff, " he said.

"This scheme is about gradually changing attitudes. This competition will put more of a premium on recognising high calibre employees," he added.

The mayor, councillor Tony Hope, said he would love to be involved in the competition again.

Before the winner was announced, committee member Tim Kynnersley, gave a brief synopsis of each of the finalists.

Now Steve Maddocks and his wife Jill, who also works with him, can look forward to a £2,000 holiday and £750 of Ducal furniture as part of their prize.

Each of the finalists received a carved oak plaque, produced at Ducal by the training department which is under the control of last year's winner Laurence O'Brien.

The winner's company received a training course valued at £1,800 from Dale Carnegie training to be used for any employyee they chose.

This was collected by Tim Coad, area manager of 19 funeral homes for SCI funerals, of which Halcrows and Dunnings in Andover are a part.

Second prize was a weekend for two at the Fifehead Manor Hotel.

The Employee of the Year competition was initiated by Janice Beaven, of Travail Employment Group, And-over.It is supported by other businesses including the Andover Advertiser, Dale Carnegie Training, Fifehead Manor Hotel, Ducal, Parker Bullen, HSBC, Personal Tra-vel Advisors and ntl, with the aim of giving something back to the community by rewarding outstanding employees.