Shop manager celebrates 40 years of employment at Monkton Elm

Steve Searle, described by his colleagues as “one of the key successes of Monkton Elm”, has been the loyalty and knowledge of its staff.

This year, Steve is celebrating 40 years of employment at Monkton Elm.

He started working at the garden centre in 1982, one of the original employees of the garden centre.

Steve Searle (Image: Contributed)

Steve arrived as part of a government youth training scheme on the meagre salary of £40 per week.

He said: “It was exciting working here at the time, there were always new plans, and we learnt so many new skills from horticulture to fork-lift driving, laying slabs and painting. Each day was different.”

And today, as store manager, he still loves the excitement of a varied and interesting job.

Here are some comments from the colleagues who celebrated Steve’s milestone.

Mike Link, MD of Monkton Elm, said: “Steve has had many different jobs in the garden centre over the years, from mowing the lawn and cleaning drain pipes to chief buyer, to store manager and everything else in between.

“He approaches every job with a smile and great enthusiasm, no job is too hard or too difficult.

“His ‘can-do’ attitude is an inspiration to many staff who have worked with him over the years.”

Angie Sinclair said: “Steve is a great manager to work for.”

Matt Vowles said: “He’s a great boss, he always phones me up and says ‘Matt, I’ve got a little job for you… He then laughs a little and I end up doing many different and interesting things.’”