Maintenance man finds dream job at Dudley Zoo (From Stourbridge News)

Maintenance man finds dream job at Dudley Zoo

5:00pm Saturday 5th January 2013 in News

A SANDWELL man’s New Year has started well after swapping art for animals and landing his dream job at Dudley Zoo.

Maintenance man Mike Grace began volunteering at the zoo after being made redundant from Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery after 22 years' service.

And the 48 year-old animal lover impressed zoo managers who have offered him a full time position in the site’s busy maintenance department.

Mike said: “It was a shock to be made redundant after all that time, but I jumped at the chance to do some voluntary work at the zoo.

“I have always been passionate about animal welfare, and feel at ease around animals. I am just so delighted to have landed a full time job at DZG, it's the most fantastic news.”

Curator Matt Lewis said: “During Mike’s stint as a volunteer he was very reliable and we offered him a seasonal position doing outreach work and also assisting education staff in the Discovery Centre.

“Mike is extremely conscientious and he really enjoys his work; he has done so well during his time with us that we offered him full-time permanent employment as a painter and maintenance worker and look forward to working with him.”