Column: God bless Sir Ken and thank you

I was shocked to read about the passing of my boss and former life chairman Sir Kenneth Morrison CBE, on February 1, after a short illness, aged 85.

I love working at Morrisons, it’s like a big corner shop.

On Monday, Tuesday and Friday my role is to de-card and face up shelf items on the grocery department.

On Thursday I interact with customers in the car park, while collecting trolleys for use in store.

We have a community champion, and last year, as a store, we raised more than £12,000 for our chosen charity, Sue Ryder hospice care.

Our employee representative is currently trying to raise money for a defribillator to be used in store or in the car park, should the need arise, using various fundraising initiatives.

We have close links with our local community, including schools, foodbanks, businesses and charities. Sir Ken would be proud of our achievements.

I recall him visiting our store some years ago.

After shop-talk with our management, he would not leave without having his lunch of fish and chips cooked in our customer café. He queued up, chatted to people and paid for his meal.

Our store manager, Matt Haigh and our senior team are working hard to make our store the best in the region.

My colleagues and I serve our customers to the best of our ability in a friendly, professional and courteous manner.

Ken was born in Bradford in 1931 and attended Bradford Grammar School in 1943.

After working as a general delivery boy from the family market stall and their thriving grocery business, Ken opened the first self-service supermarket in Bradford in 1958. The rest is history.

A devoted family man Ken leaves a wife, three children and grandchildren.

Human nature being what it is, challenges are constantly a fact of life in the workplace, but with Sir Ken’s vision all those years ago, from market trader /corner shop owner, to a multi-million pound business chairman, we can be thankful to him for our continued employment on Market Street.

God bless Sir Ken, and I would like to thank you from one steely, determined Yorkshire man to another for turning a dream into reality.