“When I moved sites and was put to work with Jill, we instantly clicked! The Ant to my Dec, she’s like family to me!”
Karen Thurlow and Jill Fisher have worked together for five years in the Learning Centre Deli Bar at Blackburn Royal Teaching Hospital. Karen has been working for the Trust for 16 years and Jill for 14, but it’s their friendship that makes this double act as popular and warming as the food they serve!
Karen said:
"I remember meeting Jill on my first day at Blackburn. I’d been moved from Accrington Victoria Hospital where I’d worked for 11 years since finishing school, so I was really nervous about moving somewhere new – especially as I knew it was only me and Jill working together.
But she was lovely and when she asked me if I wanted a brew, I knew I liked her straight away!
Luckily, we had an instant connection. Jill kindly took me under her wing and looked after me until I found my feet.
She also made me laugh, a lot!
We work Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 2.30pm and our role is to prep ingredients, make sandwiches and serve customers.
We both love our job.
Obviously, it helps that me and Jill are such good friends, but our customers are lovely too. We see a lot of the same faces which is nice because we have a good relationship with them too.
I think having a good working relationship in work is essential. ELHT talks about being a family, and that’s certainly the case with Jill and I. She is always there for me and has helped me when I needed her, and vice versa.
We make a good team, and even miss each other when one takes annual leave. I doubt we’d cope if one of us was to leave - after all, there’s no Ant without Dec!
The Trust is a great place to work. Like any job it has its ups and downs, but thanks to Jill my days are full of fun and friendship, and that’s something I’ll always be thankful for."