It has been an honour and a privilege working with and helping the people of Hebburn
A Boots pharmacist is set to retire after 52 years with the company.
Ann Urwin, from Hebburn, is set to bring her 52-year-long career with Boots to an end today (Saturday, December 20) as she makes the decision to retire.
The 68-year-old joined the company when she was living in Berwick as a 16-year-old, taking on a job as a Saturday girl.
Since then, she went on to study pharmacy and for around the last 20 years, has been a pharmacist at the Boots branch, in Hebburn.
Ann has told the Shields Gazette about her journey with the company over the last 50 years, which has seen her work with and help people all over the North East.
She said: “I lived on a farm and my mother thought that I should be out meeting people and learning how to deal with customers so that was why I started at Boots, in Berwick, when I was 16-years-old.
“I went to do pharmacy when I was 18 at Sunderland Polytechnic and then after that, I worked in various Boots across the North East.
“Then I came to Hebburn about 20 years ago, which was different for me as I was living and working in the same place for the first time.
“I was meeting patients as I was going to work, which usually ended up being a quick consultation on the way up the road.
“But it is a lovely community and they support us as much as we support them.”
Ann also revealed what she plans to do once she retires and reflected on the “privilege” it has been working within the Hebburn community.
She added: “Boots have been very good to me, I’ve been challenged, supported and had loads of opportunities to work with other healthcare professions - it has definitely developed me into who I am today.
“It has taken me a long time to decide whether to retire or not because I will miss all of the people I met along the way.
“I like gardening and I’m a member of Pelaw Bowls Club so I’ll be doing more of that and I’d like to travel.
“I’ve always wanted to go to Japan and I was going to go just before Covid so that is definitely on my list of things to do.
“But I’m sure if I’m walking along the street, people who I see in Boots will still talk to me.
“It has been an honour and a privilege working with and helping the people of Hebburn.”