Maureen loves spending Christmas with her family – at home and at Asda Stanley
It's a real family Christmas at our Stanley store for our much-loved colleague Maureen Taylor … who’s been there since it opened 42 years ago and now works alongside three of her grandchildren!
She didn’t even know that the three – Jack Hall (inset in the picture above) and twins Calvin and Matthew Taylor – had applied for jobs until they started. “It was a lovely surprise,” she said.
Maureen and her husband Ken have three children, 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
She said: "We'll all be getting together for Christmas and it will be lovely to see everybody. We're quite a big family so Christmas can be quite expensive! But it's worth it.”
Maureen, who's 73 and works on the deli, said: "I'll keep working until I feel I can't – I don't see any reason to stop. It's a lovely atmosphere here – so friendly. You get to know people very well and we even swap Christmas cards with some customers."
Jack said: "I've been here for five years and it's great working with my nan, and Calvin and Matthew too. We get on and there's a great atmosphere in the store.
"We'll all be getting together over Christmas – we've always been a close family."
Irene Stacey, who's 62, also joined the store when it opened in 1976.
She said: "The best thing about working here is the colleagues. Everybody looks out for each other – we're a very friendly bunch!
"You also get to recognise regular customers, particularly older customers who like a bit of a chat. Everyone really appreciates them and looks after them.
"I first started out on the furniture department when we had one of those and I've worked all over since, a bit of everything really!"
The store's community champion Marsha Spence said: "It's just amazing to have Maureen and Irene here. They're so well-respected because everyone knows they've been here since the start."