Jo follows in her parents' footsteps by attending the King's coronation
Asda community champion Jo Scott from our Pwllheli store in north Wales will be following in the footsteps of her parents when she attends the coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey.
Jo, who was awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year's Honours 16 months ago, has been invited to attend the ceremony alongside other community figures – joining members of the Royal Family and VIPs from around the world.
Seventy years ago Jo's late parents Ivy and Joseph were among the huge crowd of well-wishers outside the abbey at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
She said: "It's such a lovely privilege to be invited to the ceremony at Westminster Abbey and I'm very excited and so proud to be there.
"In 1953 my mother and father were outside Westminster Abbey watching the late Queen's coronation, so there's a real symmetry to think that 70 years on little old me will be inside the abbey watching the King's coronation. It makes me quite emotional to think about it.
"They would have been so proud of me attending the service and I just wish they were still here. I will be taking a picture of them, as well as of my grandchildren Harrison and Ivy so they're all with me one way or another."
Jo's parents met and fell in love in London at the height of the blitz during World War Two and were happily married for 56 years.
She said: "I have always been taught from a very young age the importance of helping other people and volunteering my time, so looking back I think what I do today stems from their attitude."
Jo says she feels privileged to be chosen to attend the ceremony, and thinks it's an opportunity she wouldn't have had if she didn't work for Asda.
She said: "It's an amazing and lovely feeling and I am so grateful to Asda for giving me this job as a community champion, which I absolutely adore. I am so proud of the work we do in our local community and can't believe it's given me this opportunity.
"I still haven't got an outfit, so in a way I wish I could go in my Asda uniform, but I think it may be my old faithful which I wore to Buckingham Palace for a garden party and to Caernarfon Castle for my investiture."
Asda Pwllheli store manager Dan Roberts says everyone at the store thinks the world of Jo – and that the Cabinet Office couldn't have picked a better person to receive the invitation.
He said: "We're all just incredibly proud of Jo in store. She's like the queen of our shop as she's front and centre of everything and an absolute joy to work with. She's brilliant and has a heart of gold and really does deserve to be there. I can't think of anyone more deserving.
"She doesn't realise how much of an impact she's making – she does it out of the kindness of her heart, and it's just who she is."
Jo has met the King twice when he was the Prince of Wales – the first time was with the Prince's Trust in 2013 and at Buckingham Palace last year for a garden party.
She says she's looking forward to seeing some of the famous faces at the ceremony, and is particularly keen to talk to other community figures who've been invited – including Geoff Norris from our Wisbech store and our Aberdare store's community champion Julie Cook.
Jo said: "I would be happy to speak to anyone, but I'm assuming I'll be sitting alongside other people who have helped in the community. It's great that there will be people like me there. Everybody has a story to tell and everyone is special, so it will be a delight."