An 82-year-old woman in the UK who worked at Clarks for nearly seven decades has been let go from the shop after being given a few days’ notice. According to Metro, Jill Cornick began working at the store in Blandford, Dorset, in 1956, when she was just 14 years old. She then continued to work at the same shop every day for the next 68 years. However this week, her decades of service came to an end after Clarks announced it was shutting the shop down with immediate effect. 

“I dedicated my whole life to Clarks,” Ms Carnick said. She revealed that has lived in Blandford for her entire life and has worked at the local shop, which she used to live above since she was 14 years old. “I’ve lived there, worked there and brought my baby up there. My son would be in a playpen in the shop and I carried on working. I loved it,” the 82-year-old said, as per the BBC. 

The Clarks store in Dorset town closed on Monday, which brought Ms Cornick’s seven decades of service to an end. “We were all told last Thursday that we were closing on the Monday. It gave us all a bit of a shock,” she said, as per Metro. 

“I started in 1956 and have been in the same shop since. I felt well in myself and I was hoping I was going to do another few years before I retired. It is a real shame. Monday was overwhelming, I had so many people bringing in flowers and chocolates. I’ve helped so many customers over the years and some people were nearly in tears,” she added. 

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Further, the 82-year-old said that she feels like she has helped four generations in the same family to size their shoes. She said she has many “good memories” and added “I think I might retire now.”. “I loved the job, it was my life. I lived there above the shop for years and brought my son up there. I will miss it but I don’t want to start again now,” she said. 

Ms Carnick added that she has always had a good relationship with the customers and has been “overwhelmed” by the messages of support that she has received from them. Her favourite part of the job was helping children to get their new shoes for school, but she admits, “I have many, many highlights from over the years but my fondest memories are of the really good staff that I have worked with”. “I would have carried on working there if I could,” she added. 

A Clarks spokesperson, said: “We sincerely thank all members of the Blandford Forum store team for their contributions and commitment to providing outstanding customer service – specifically Jill, whose remarkable and unprecedented 68 years of service and dedication to our customers is hugely valued by all at Clarks”. 

“We wish Jill all the very best,” the spokesperson added.