Meet Mark Jaggers, a true driving force! With a passion for problem-solving and a belief that variety is the spice of life, Mark’s Lead Technician role was shaped around his enthusiasm for our Allied Mobility Drive From vehicles. Mark’s story is one of resilience, curiosity, courage and a deep commitment to making a difference, both within Allied and beyond.
*TRIGGER WARNING – article includes discussion of mental health and suicide.*
What do you do day in, day out for Allied?
My current role was really engineered around my capabilities and my interest in the business. It was a role that was created when Drive From vehicles were launched.
When I first came into the company, I made it quite clear that I wanted to be heavily involved in Drive From vehicles, something that was very technical because I’m not one to sit still and be stagnant. I want to be involved in effectively the most technical vehicle that we do. The role has morphed from working on just Drive Froms to doing all international work and being technical advisor for the RAC technical advisor in house. So, it’s such a multifunctional role.
I also go out to the technicians, help train them, teach them the software. I’m a bit like a ‘right hand man’ for Derek Alexander who looks after aftersales.
But it’s all so varied and still morphing. I would say every month, something else new comes along I get involved in, but I love the way it’s not just stagnant. Most days are different for me.
And how long have you been with Allied now?
Just over four years now.
And where were you before you came here?
I was actually doing a little bit for myself, and I’d worked for the AA for 10 years before that. I was on AA patrol up in North Wales with a specialty doing lockouts and as a motorbike technician. People would get keys locked in their cars or keys lost. I used to do method of entries, like lock pickings for them. I’d done a lock picking course in the forces previously anyway.
I ended up at Allied because I left the AA. I was living in North Wales and myself and partner, we just had a grandson and he was in the Midlands.
We just said, “Okay, well let’s relocate down to the Midlands. I’ll sort a job out when I get down there.” And I got called by an agency about this job and said I was interested.
And you said that you enjoy that it is never the same day twice, and it’s all very different. Aside from that, what is it that you enjoy most about your job?
I think it’s that I like a challenge. I mean something where I have to really think.
I like to keep getting pushed, to really keep the grey matter working. I want to keep everything working as much as I can and try and take in as much information and learn as much as I can. The role that I have here keeps me very, very active.
I’m a very busy man. The phone generally, doesn’t stop or it’s constant emails or it’s meetings. It’s nonstop.
I also find ways of getting solutions to potential issues or issues that we already have. I mean, that’s what I love about it, it’s just so varied.
What are some of the more difficult challenges that you face in the role and how do you overcome them?
I’d say the most difficult challenge you can have is weather. Weather’s a big factor that we have. Some of the conditions you’re working in, and it might involve rolling around on my back, could be snow, ice and rain and not the ideal conditions. And you’re trying to deal with customers in that weather.
Can you tell us a bit about your passion for positive mental health?
I think everybody in life goes through some traumas and dramas no matter what it is, it can lead to a traumatic stress disorder. But for me, I had a very difficult upbringing.
In my 20’s within a space of probably two years I lost four friends all in separate car accidents, and my nan who raised me. It was a big kick for me. 
At the same time, I was just coming to the end of my apprenticeship, and the company went into receivership. So, I’d lost my friends, my nan, my job and for me, life felt like it had hit rock bottom and I wanted some kind of security in life.
So that was the point I went in the forces, I went into the Marines, which brought its own challenges. You don’t have time to think, but you have so much time to think.
I did 16 years in the forces and when I came out I went through a breakdown of a relationship. It was nothing, but in my head, it was the tipping point of everything, just like bottle of pop, shaking it, shaking, it, shaking it, and opened that lid, and it all just spurted out.
But the only way I felt I could control what was going through my head was to stop my head working, was to try and take my own life.
It was the trigger for me to know I needed to do something about this. At the time my GP was actually a reserve medic for the Marines. I knew him personally. My GP gave me quite a bit of guidance on how to deal with my mental health and some tools that I could use.
I’d addressed it, I’d dealt with it. It enabled me to move on from it. And I’m comfortable with it no matter what.
And that got me to a point where I thought, I’d like to help other people because that was a dark place.
How have you found the move to a family business at Allied in terms of the culture that surrounds that?
I love working for this company because I’m not a number. I’m a person and I’m a family member, and I actually do feel like I’m part of a family. I’m part of a unity, part of a bond that it’s not just, “this is my one role”. If I can help you do your role, you can help me.
Everyone looks after everybody in here and it’s really a family unity to make you feel a belonging and not just a role. I feel valued. I feel like I’m listened to. My opinion counts.
The whole nature of the business is about giving a product to the people that are less able. But that ethos goes throughout. The community support as well is amazing.
Do you have a special Allied memory?
I don’t have one specific moment. I’d probably say my journey at Allied. I got employed here as a standard technician doing the mobile service of wheelchair accessible vehicles. But obviously, like I said, I’d made it clear that I wanted to move on and progress.
It’s nice to feel that my opinions and views are listened to. The fact that I’ve been listened to and I’m being invited to go up on an even bigger journey, should we say.
How do you like to unwind when you’re not at work?
Ultimately, relaxing would be carp fishing. I love doing my carp fishing.
We’ll rent a whole lake and I love being in nature. I’m very much an outdoor person. I’m not bothered at all by the weather. That’s why I don’t mind rolling around on snow.
I just love being outdoors. Under the stars, we’ve got some land in Portugal, which we set up for off grid living.
I love racing motocross, not competitively anymore. I used to when I was younger,
but I’ve still got my bike. I do love to race, but my body doesn’t take it very well anymore.
And football, I do part-time because I’m not always around. I run a local football team. I do the fitness coaching for them and I’m a managerand player at 52 still.
Tell us something others might not know about you…
I used to race sailing boats at a national level, I don’t think people would know that.
Do you currently have any sort of goal that you’re working towards, either personally or professionally?
I think both. If Gerry (Facenna) opens a place in Portugal, we can relocate to Portugal!
If you hadn’t ended up in your current profession, where do you think you might be right now?
Continuing doing what I started doing when I left the AA, just doing work for myself.
What would you say to someone considering applying for a job at Allied?
I highly recommend everybody work for them, for the simple fact of the ethos, and what the company stands for.
You have the potential to move forward if it’s something that you want to do. If you want to progress within it, there’s always many different departments, there’s so many ways of learning here.
I couldn’t recommend working here enough to anybody!
If you’d like to find out more about, check out @MarkJaggers73 on Instagram.
If you’d like to join Mark and our Allied Autocare Mobile Service Technician team, check out this current vacancy link.
