A parts technician from farm machinery dealer Ben Burgess & Co has won a top accolade.

Michael King, from the firm’s Newmarket depot, was named John Deere’s Best Parts Technician in the country.

He was presented with his award during a graduation ceremony in Mannheim, Germany.

Mr King, who began work at the age of 15, and spent a year in the workshop at Ben Burgess, learning about various systems within the agricultural, horticultural and construction machinery industry, has worked in the company’s parts department for the past four years.

“After a year, an opportunity to become a parts apprentice came up and after a few months of head scratching I decided to go for it and try something new,” he said.

“I was certainly no flying A* student and certainly not a student that shone in school with great interests, talent or ambition.

“I spent most my time performing gymnastics stunts and avoiding teachers.

“However, someone once said to me, nothing is impossible. In order to achieve you must go out there, work hard and believe in yourself. From this, I realised that perhaps if you keep things simple and believe in yourself, you are half way there.”

He described the accolade as “an honour”.

“I have never won anything in my life, so this is truly appreciated and feels amazing,” he said.