Dave Roberts is a retired railway worker having spent 51 years in the industry. He started work in Crewe Works in 1956 and came to Derby in 1967 when his work moved here. He started in Derby at Nelson Street Offices and then moved to the Railway Technical Centre in 1969 where he then worked until 1995. Following redundancy he worked as a contractor for several different firms throughout the Midlands. He is an active trade unionist and was President of Derby TUC and was also the President of the Midlands Co-operative and was a Director of that company for over 30 years until retiring under age rule. In these roles Dave gathered many qualifications in engineering and Quality & Safety Management and has undertaken extensive training as a director and as a City Councillor. Dave has previous experience at Derby Homes when he was Deputy Leader of Derby City Council.