Working at Carillon Court in Loughborough is definitely a family affair for Lorraine Green who has just notched up 20 happy years at the shopping centre.<\/p>\n
Lorraine, 51, began there in 1992 as secretary to its first manager, Derrick Green, who just happened to be her father-in-law.<\/p>\n
And the family tradition continues as strongly as ever because Lorraine\u2019s 21-year-old daughter Laura is a sales assistant in the shoe department of the New Look store in Carillon Court.<\/p>\n
Lorraine, who has lived in\u00a0 since she was six-months-old, recalled that her own association with the busy centre goes back even further than two decades \u2013 in fact, all the way to the time when she worked as a part-time Saturday assistant for Long Bros greengrocers.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI worked there on Saturdays for a couple of years and that was at the time Carillon Court was known as the Charnwood Centre.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometime later, its name was changed to what it is now, after it underwent a major refurbishment, and soon afterwards I started work there part-time as secretary to Derrick Green, who is the father of my husband Vincent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2007 I was appointed deputy manager and now help to run the centre with the current manager, Baljit Kooner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are just the two of us in the office so we have quite a busy time but I absolutely love the job \u2013 I must do really because I wouldn\u2019t have been here so long otherwise!<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still keeping it in the family because Laura has been with New Look now for a couple of years and she loves it here, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lorraine added: \u201cApart from the great team I work with, one of the main reasons I enjoy the job so much is that there\u2019s always something happening, and it\u2019s different every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe recent flooding in other parts of the country reminds me of when there was a flood alert here at Carillon Court earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember it vividly. It was June 28 and the rainwater was coming up into the centre from the manholes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was like a river and we had to put the sandbags out, although they didn\u2019t do much good as the water just went over them.<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually, the water started to subside which we were all very thankful for.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuckily, it didn\u2019t do too much damage and only slightly affected a couple of the shops. But in all that our first concern, as always, was for the safety of the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lorraine went on: \u201cThat was probably one of the worst times here but there are many good times, such as the one coming up just before Christmas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s when we really have a great time here at the centre with all the children\u2019s choirs coming in and Santa\u2019s grotto being set up.<\/p>\n
\u201cHearing the children sing their carols usually brings a tear to my eye – it\u2019s such a rewarding time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a very interesting job at Carillon Court over the past 20 years and I am looking forward to staying here for many more years yet.\u201d<\/p>\n