End of an era as Lawford's Sandman Skip Hire closes after 38 years

Determination seems to be the key along with great ideas even if that means starting with few economic resources and no team behind you.

Pure motivation and a £300 loan from his father was what launched Andy Mapes on the path of creating a successful business.

Andy, 58, used the money to buy his first lorry which then helped him and his wife Amanda, 61, to build Sandman Skip Hire - a Lawford-based service covering north-east Essex and south Suffolk.

The couple have served the community for the past 38 years and have earned the trust of both individual and commercial clients throughout the years.

Family business - David, Diana, Barry and Andy

But now Amanda and Andy have decided to step down from Sandman Skip Hire to focus on their other new venture running A&A Self Storage.

Looking back at almost 40 years of hard work, Amanda said: “Andy worked on Mistley Quay driving the cranes and people started asking him if he could deliver sand for them.

“He had a £300 loan from his father to buy his first little truck and just went on from there.

“Then people started asking for skips and the business increased.

“When he started it was just him and his mum who used to answer the phone and take the bookings.”

Andy's parents, Diana and Barry Mapes, were well-known in the community as they used to run the little village shop in Mistley.

Family business - Andy, 58, and Amanda, 61

Amanda met her husband in the 1990s and since then she has always made sure the company runs smoothly.

“I drove a lorry once and got it stuck in mud so they had to rescue me,” she laughs.

“I do the paper work and keep everything up to date.

“We do have two boys - David and Charlie - and they have both worked for the company and helped us out.”

Amanda says they employed five workers and had five lorries at the peak of their business.

However, they, like many businesses suffered during the pandemic and it meant they had to scale back their operation.

Now after almost four decades, the business is set to close its doors to customers at the end of March.

When asked about the key values which underpinned Sandman Skip Hire throughout the years, Amanda was clear. She said: “Giving a personal service and treating everybody like an individual and not just a number.

“Many of our customers have been with us since we started.

“We are now doing services for their grandchildren because they have their own properties.

“And they know if they ring up, they will speak to Andy or me.

“80 per cent or our customers are individuals and about 20 per cent are commercial.

“A lot of them are one-man builders.”

Andy and Amanda are now looking forward to the next chapter of their lives which includes operating around 20 20feet containers which are up for rent.

Pa(w)ls - Andy and Dizzy the yard dog

Despite being extremely emotional, the couple feels now is the right time to close the doors on Sandman Skip Hire and spend more time enjoying trips away in their motorhome.

Amanda said: “We have done this for so long and it is almost like other people have gone and changed jobs and we have done the same thing.

“Andy is feeling sad because it is the end of an era, the business is like his baby.

“There is so much pride when reading people’s comments.

“We would both like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers, old and new, for their loyalty and continued support throughout.

“Sandman Skip Hire wouldn’t have lasted so long without it’s wonderful customer base.”

For A&A Self Storage, call 01206395207.