Club Secretary Chris Parkes has been recognised by the EFL for his 32 years of service to the club.
Parkes has been employed by the club since 1988 and was due to be presented with the EFL Long Service Award at the EFL Awards ceremony at the end of the 2019/20 season which was ultimately cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, Charlton owner Thomas Sandgaard surprised Parkes with the award during a small presentation ceremony in front of colleagues at The Valley on Wednesday afternoon.
“It was very unexpected, but I’m honoured to be recognised,” said Parkes, who is a lifelong supporter of the Addicks.
“We have such a great bunch of people who work for and support this football club and I would never have got through all these years without the dedication of everybody else behind the scenes - I’ve made so many good friends here over the last 32 years.
“There’s something special about this football club – long may it continue.”
Sandgaard added: “Chris has been here at Charlton since 1988 in a variety of different positions. He really is the glue that keeps everything together.
“It’s been a very challenging year for Charlton and for Chris and we’re very grateful for all his hard work. He deals brilliantly with a lot of stuff that comes from the EFL and all the paperwork when we trade players. I want to thank him for his dedication and hard work for the club.”