Blackburn with Darwen Council’s longest-serving employee has retired today after almost 55 years of service.
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Val Ormerod left St Monica’s School for Girls in the summer of 1971 and, following in her dad Kenneth Clarke’s footsteps, walked into the Old Town Hall on King William Street and asked for a job. She was immediately hired in the Finance Department.
She was told then that a “job at the Council was a job for life” — and that is exactly how it turned out.
Val said that when she started, she had only a telephone on her desk and computers were so large they reached up to the ceiling and needed their own suite. She entered computer programs onto punch tapes to pay staff wages, and if she needed notes typing she would read them into the phone for the typing pool.
She quickly moved to the Town Clerk’s Department, based in Blackburn’s Tower Block, before becoming a Licensing Clerk and then a Land Charges Officer, the role she officially retired from today, Monday, April 27.
Part of the Planning Team, Val and her colleagues have been awarded a Gold Standard for exceptional land charges services, recognised as one of the best in the country.
Val, who lives in Cherry Tree, Blackburn, said she walked straight out of school at 16 and into the Town Hall. She said it was “much simpler in those days”, with no talk of college or university.
She also recalled the busy working life of the time, including a trolley service twice a day bringing drinks and snacks, people smoking at desks, lunch trips to the pub and the NALGO Club on Lord Street West.
Val said she still has her appointment letter, which shows wages of £837 per annum.
She said: “I knew I wanted to work for the Council, just like my dad did.
“I’ve always been incredibly lucky with the people I’ve worked with, and I’ve enjoyed the jobs I’ve done. I’ve always been happy to come to work.
“I won’t miss working as I have so much to fill my days, but I will miss the people.”
Val, who was told she could retire at 51 when she first joined, has reduced her hours in recent years and says she keeps busy with walking, gym classes, gardening, and time with her daughter, grandchildren and friends.
One of those friends, Tricia, started at the council on the same day as Val — September 13 1971 — and they still meet every week.
Blackburn with Darwen Council chief executive Denise Park said Val’s long service was a “remarkable achievement”.
She said: “What a remarkable achievement to have clocked up almost 55 years of long and dedicated service to the Council and to our borough and residents.
“Val is a much-loved and highly regarded member of our Planning Team, and her skills and experience have helped our Land Charges Service become one of the very best in the country.
“I know Val’s colleagues right across the Council will join me in wishing her a very happy and much-deserved retirement.
“Val, you will be missed – thank you for all you have done.”
Val is pictured centre with her friends from the Council’s Growth and Development Team.
