Woolworths staff recreate picture from store’s opening (From The Northern Echo)

Woolworths staff recreate picture from store’s opening

8:52am Wednesday 31st December 2008 in Regional By David Roberts , Chief Reporter (Darlington)

STAFF at a branch of Woolworths have said goodbye to their colleagues by recreating an old photograph.

Staff at the Darlington store marked its closure with a group photograph which mimicked one taken at the shop’s opening nearly 85 years ago.

Despite the sadness of the past few weeks, the store’s staff say they will take with them some happy memories and hope to meet up in the future.

Sharon Stacey, a former sales assistant at the store, said: “The photograph was put up in the canteen a few days ago.

“I think before that it was in the manager’s office.

“We just thought it seemed appropriate to take a picture on the day of the store’s closing like the one that was taken on the opening.

“It was a lot of fun going up on to the roof.

“We tried to find the spot where the original was taken by the landmarks off the photograph and we tried to study it very closely.

“It was a very nostalgic thing to do.”

The photograph taken of the store’s opening harks back to a very different age.

More than 100 staff members were arranged in a pyramid formation.

In the background can be seen the chimneys and factories of industrial Darlington.

Yesterday, about 30 members of staff went back onto the roof to have a photograph taken at the same spot.

While the staff numbers have diminished and the factories have also gone, staff say they will keep hold of some cherished memories of their time at Woolworths.

Ms Stacey, who has worked at the store for 18 years, added: “It’s been quite trying for us over the past few weeks, there’s been quite a lot of tears of sadness.

“But I think we’re all sort of at that stage where we’ve come to terms with it.

“We’re all planning to have a reunion next year.

“We’re all quite a good team and we’ve all got on pretty well.

“We’ve all swapped numbers and we’ll be staying in contact with each other.”