Darrell H. Mansfield
Darrell Henry Mansfield was born in Cheshire England in August of 1962. Born into the family business of farming Darrell spent most of his childhood working on the farm beside his dad. Upon leaving school Darrell started an engineering apprenticeship with a large quarrying and haulage company “Tilcon” while still finding the time to attend Willmorton College where he gained his Motor Vehicle Technician Engineering certificate. During his apprenticeship Darrell continued furthering his education attending a number of additional courses and obtaining his HGV Mechanics and National Craft certificates.
Throughout his schooling Darrell’s real interest and joy remain vehicle rescue and recovery and he left Tilcon to start his own business, a small village garage that provided service for cars, commercial and agricultural vehicles. It was here that he built his first light and heavy recovery vehicles and began to earn contracts with local police and motor clubs to develop the towing portion of his business. After a few years Darrell grew the business and moved to the town of Buxton in Derbyshire England. As his business continued to grow Darrell became more involved in vehicle recovery and was elected onto the National Council for the Institute of Vehicle Recovery where he helped to develop all aspects of training programs and taught classes throughout the country as well as occasionally in the States overseas. He became actively involved in the Association of Vehicle Recovery Operators (AVRO) serving on the standards and safety committee and was recognized with a fellowship from the IVR for his dedication to the industry. In addition Darrell was awarded the highest accolade the UK Towing industry has to offer a lifetime achievement award presented at the European Tow Show.
Darrell has been actively involved in fundraising for many organizations including the local Air Ambulances and Police Forces throughout the years. What started in a small garage evolved and became “The Mansfield Group” which today is the largest independent rescue and recovery operator in the UK. Operating from 11 sites, employing over 300 people with a fleet of 200 vehicles the Mansfield Group houses its own training academy which serves both its employees as well as all of their alliance partners. Darrell works alongside his wife Joanne and his three sons and niece who are all actively involved in the business on a daily basis.