Retirement on the farm beckons for Hexham customer favourite Liz
Cranstons Hexham shop said farewell to long-standing team member Liz Nixon last week who is retiring after serving the Hexham community for over 50 years.
Pictured: Liz receiving well wishes from Cranstons Chairman Philip Cranston and Peter Evans.
Liz started working for Thomson and Huddleston when she as 16 at their shop on Fore Street then moved premises with them to front street in the mid-80’s. When Cranstons acquired the shop in 1999 on Ken and Brenda Huddleston’s retirement Liz became part of the Cranstons team. Alongside serving customers and preparing produce Liz helped with the wholesale side of the business, completing all the paperwork and making sure everything ran smoothly. Over the decades Liz has been a huge part of the close-knit team and is dearly loved by her colleagues.
Liz reflected: “I love working with people and serving people week in week out, people really associate me with the shop and stop and ask me questions about Cranstons in the street. It has been a real pleasure to work with people like Nick and Peter and watch them progress. I remember when Nick, our manager started as a Saturday boy.’
When asked what she will miss most Liz says: “I will particularly miss my colleagues but I will be in to see them all regularly and to shop. It will be nice to have some more time on my hands although my small holding keeps me busy. I am lambing extra sheep this year and love following the point to point with a horse in training. Alongside that I have 6 dogs and rear turkeys at Christmas, so it might not be your typical retirement!’
And when asked what she won’t miss Liz said ‘’It will be nice to not have to make the Christmas Baguettes this next Christmas! They are a great product but the novelty of making them wears off when you are serving the hoardes! That and the stairs, I must have climbed those staircases up to the office on the third-floor thousands of times over the years’
Shop manager Nick Collins added: “The whole team will really miss Liz and her charm. She has been a wonderful colleague throughout the years and a great friend to us all. We look forward to welcoming her on the other side of the counter as a customer and to hearing about her retirement. I have no doubt she will be kept busy lambing sheep, growing turkeys and enjoying all her dogs and horses, she is such a hard worker I just hope she remembers to put her feet up now and then!’
Cranstons Chairman Philip Cranston expressed his thanks for the huge contribution she has made to the shop. He said: “When we first acquired the shop Liz was off with a broken back having fallen off a point-to-point horse. Thankfully she made a full recovery. She has been one of a kind and contributed so much over the years with her incredible work ethic and sense of fun. On behalf of everyone at Cranstons I would like to thank her for her dedication throughout the years and to wish her a very happy retirement’’
Happy retirement Liz, from all of the team!
