Mother’s Day is definitely a family affair at Asda on the Isle of Wight as no less than 17 mums work side-by-side with their children.
Among the family pairings is Kat Clark who works with her daughter, Sarah Thompson. Sarah works as a general merchandising section leader and says it’s a treat whenever she’s able to say hello to Kat at the store, particularly as it’s been the only way they’ve been able to see each other in person during the lockdown.
She said:
“My partner George and I bought our first home together in December. And since then we only see each other at work. “We work on different departments, so unless I need to go to the checkouts I don’t get to see her, so it’s been quite hard.
“We’re having to make do with smiles and two-metre distanced air hugs and we try to catch up as much as we can whenever we’re in at the same time, though I’m desperate for a proper mummy hug.
“Mother’s Day is going to be strange – though unlike last year when it was the start of the lockdown at least now we’re starting to think about life after restrictions ease.
“Mum’s always smiling behind her mask and it means the world being able to see her. She’s always so positive. I can always count on my mum to lift my spirits, and just knowing she’s here at work really helps.
“I like to have a wander passed her till and will give Mum a wave and she’ll tell whoever she’s with, ‘That’s my youngest daughter and I’m so proud of her.’ I thought when I moved here that it would be embarrassing working together but really it just makes me so proud.”
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27-year-old Sarah says she has a lot to thank Asda for, as it’s where she met her partner George Allen, who works in the store’s warehouse. She moved to the store from London 3 years ago, and Kat’s been there since the store first opened.
Sarah says Kat is an inspiration for her as she tries to give her children – 9-year-old Tyler and 4-year-old Amelia – the best possible start in life. She said:
“Mum’s taught me that every moment counts and not to sweat the small stuff. I have the best memories with Mum and it’s made me reflect on my own life. We were always doing things and sharing experiences – and that’s what I want to give Tyler and Amelia too.”
Asda Isle of Wight community champion Clare Jones says:
“It’s lovely to see how much joy it gives Kat and Sarah to work together. Kat’s a very bubbly person anyway but you can see the smiles they give each other when they’re outside or the look in their eye when they’re inside. It’s wonderful to see how much it means to them to be together.
“We’ve always said it’s like a family here, and because we’re an island lots of children don’t tend to move too far away, which means that for lots of us it’s an actual family too!”
The other 16 Mums and their children:
- Tammy Hall and her daughter Jaimie, who are both home shoppers and joined the store during the pandemic
- Training coordinator Karen Tizzard, and son Adrian who is a porter and counters colleague
- Admin manager Samantha Jennings and her son Stephen Brookes, who joined us as a driver last summer
- Amber Boon and her son Richard Norman, who both joined the store in 2020 and work in home shopping
- Trudie Pheasant and her son Luke Warde, who work nights at the store
- Jackie Reynolds, checkout colleague and her son Sean Williams, who’s section leader in home shopping and has been at the store since 2019
- Counters colleague Sarah Foss and her daughter Chelsea Mealing
- Denise Cooke, chilled department works with her her daughter Claire, who’s a home shopper
- Mother and son duo – counters section leader Tina Clift and her son Danny, who is a home shopping driver
- Home Shopping Driver Karen Hall, whose son Dan works for us as service crew in the home shopping hub
- Lorna Cotton, works on the George department with her son Liam Denness is a home shopping driver
- Home shopping section leader Nix Dominey and her son Jack, who has works as a service crew colleague in home shopping
- Sammie Mumford, George and general merchandising manager works alongside her son Keean Harris who works on ambient produce
- Bakery colleague Stef Cassford with her daughter Charlie
- Front end colleague Kaysa Snape works alongside her son Shaun, who works with chilled produce
- Home shopping section leader Sarah with her mum Carolyn, who works at the petrol station
The level of ambition is astonishing.
Get real mate. Not everyone has the luxury of following their dreams.
Unsung heroes of the pandemic. Thank you all staff. You’ve kept me alive! It’s that real for me!
Lorna cotton who used to be the ice rink manager?
Talk about keep it in the family , sod that I go to work to get away from them