Dedicated dinner lady turns 80

HAPPY BIRTHDAY . . . Florence Lowe, Broadfield Primary School dinner lady celebrates her 80th birthday with some of her happy customers

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A LONG-SERVING dinner lady said there is no room for retiring as she spent her 80th birthday at work yesterday.

Dedicated Florence Lowe arrived for work as usual to serve up cooked meals to hundreds of pupils at Broadfield Primary School.

She started working at the school in Goddard Street 19 years ago after a friend put her forward for the role.

Florence, from Copthorne Park, said: "I'm made this way. My mum was always this way.

"While my legs are going I will keep on going.

"I enjoy being with the children. The majority enjoy their dinner.

"I have always been sporty and active and enjoy playing games with them outdoors as well.

"While they are playing with dolls and other toys they are not fighting or arguing which can only be a good thing."

Florence worked at Park Cake Bakery in Oldham for 16 years before being made redundant.

She spent two months at home before starting at Broadfield on a casual basis, but stalwart Florence now heads up a team of five and is there every day without fail.

The midday supervisor said: "I could not ask for a better set of girls and there is another wonderful crowd of girls in the kitchen."

The workforce has trebled since Florence started at Broadfield.

The team of five dinner ladies lays the tables each lunchtime, fills hundreds of cups of water and encourages those children who are not eating to have their lunches.

Every day they prepare the hall for three sittings, the first catering for around 140 pupils, with a further three classes pouring in for each of the remaining sittings.

Business manager Catherine Charnock said: "The school would have fallen apart without her. Everyone knows her."

Children across all year groups have been busy creating birthday cards for Florence.

Once the school dinners were complete, the staff served Florence's lunch and held a staff dinner party.

Head teacher Patricia Stennett said: "She is really committed and has an excellent work ethic. She never likes to let anybody down so turns up to work every day regardless.

"It is an absolute privilege to have her here. Hers will be a very hard act to follow."