A Sefton Council officer has been lauded for her caring and positive attitude to her job as she celebrates fifty years working for the Local Authority.

Gillian Glover, 68, says she has no plans to hang up her lanyard after marking half a century working with children and families in Sefton Council’s social care service.

“I still bump into people in the street who I helped and supported when they were young children,” says Gill.

“They stop and thank me each and every time.

“I started working for Sefton Council when it was first created in 1974 at 18 years old and I am still going strong with a good few more years to come!

“Throughout my career I have seen so many changes but the needs of our children and young people remain the same and I am extremely proud of the work that we do to help them in life.”

Talbot Street

Gill started her career at Talbot Street in Southport when the centre was a day nursery and has continued to work in the same building to this day.

She added: “I no longer work a full week as I wanted to spend more time with my wonderful grandchildren and family, but every Tuesday morning I get up and am excited to start work.

“I feel very lucky to be able to say that I genuinely enjoy my role, although it’s taken on many forms over the years, and I still get that same excitement and feeling of reward that comes with knowing you’ve tried to make a positive difference to a family’s life.”

Gill was joined by her manager Paula Bradshaw at Southport Town Hall this week where she met with Sefton Chief Executive Phil Porter, who presented Gill with a bouquet of flowers to say ‘thank you’ for her service.

Phil said: “All I can say is wow! Gill is certainly an inspiration and an incredibly hard working, dedicated officer who has given so many years of her life to helping those who really need it.

“I know there will be countless families who owe a huge debt of thanks to Gill, and I know Sefton Council has been and continues to be a better place to work because of officers like her.

“This year we celebrate 50 years of Sefton, a borough that is rich with kind hearted and caring people who make a real difference to their communities and it is only right that we start by saying thank you to Gill.

“I look forward to hearing even more stories from the people that make Sefton a fantastic place to live, work and enjoy over the coming year.”