08
Jan
Harrogate hero works 16-hour shift to cover snowed-in colleagues
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A Starbeck man has received praise from local residents for working a 16-hour shift at the local Co-Op store to cover for colleagues who could not make it in due to the heavy snow.
George Churcher was called in the early hours of Sunday morning and asked to come in to work early due to a lack of staff.
He walked to the Starbeck Co-op to start at 6am, despite not being contracted in until 2pm.
Throughout the day, as the weather conditions worsened, many members of staff contacted the store to say they were unable to get to work.
George decided he would continue to work past his scheduled hours, staying until the shop closed at 10pm.
He told the Stray Ferret that it was a long day:
I had a feeling that I was going to have to stay longer so I just got on with it. I was exhausted both physically and mentally, but I didn’t want to let any of our customers down. I’m proud that I was able to keep the shop open.
Despite feeling tired at the end of his long shift, George has received lots of praise from the local community and says he feels “humbled”.
A social media post attracted hundreds of comments, with people describing him as a "hero" and "one of the best" in the shop.
One friend of George's said:
George is always stepping up when needed. He had a smile on his face all day and didn’t complain once. He’s so good with the customers and I felt that he needed some recognition for Sunday.
The management staff at the Co-op were also extremely impressed with George’s actions and have decided to give him and additional day off.
His line manager said:
Many of our staff drive to work and were unable to do so on Sunday. George kindly offered to open and close the store for us so that we could remain open for trading. He was brilliant with the customers all day. We are so grateful for him, and he is an absolute pleasure to work with.
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