We wave goodbye to Linda after nearly 40 years’ service
This month we wave a very fond farewell to our longest-serving member of staff, Linda Pearce.
Linda joined us 38 years ago when Anthony Wood, one of our founding partners hired her.
Linda actually typed up the first company letter on the floor of the offices when the firm opened, before the desks have been moved in and there were just four properties on the books.
Later, the company was sold to Hall, Wateridge and Owen and became part of a company with 12 offices throughout Shropshire.
Linda stayed with the company when it was sold to General Accident and joked that they shouldn’t order too much more headed paper incase there was another change of direction!
Which there was, when Anthony Wood and Gareth Samuel, joined forces and Samuel Wood was born in 1994, just as Linda was going off on maternity with her son.
When she returned from her maternity leave, Linda was offered a job in the Craven Arms office as it opened and has remained there ever since as a secretary and sales negotiator.
Linda is now going on to ventures new and is hoping to spend more time with the family and catch up on the long list of jobs she hasn’t had the time for and spend time travelling.
Linda said she would treasure her time working for the company.
“I must admit, the girls I’ve worked with have been like family,” she said. “We’ve always helped each other out and it has been a very close-knit team. I will miss everyone terribly as working for Samuel Wood has been such a big part of my life and I have been here for so long.
“I am now selling houses to the children of parents I sold houses to in the past. Things have come full circle and it’s so nice to see the families coming back. Things are a bit different now than when I first started out. I remember when the interest rates shot up to 15% in 1992 and when banks were offering mortgages of 105 per cent. And now everything we have been through with Covid and the housing market – it’s unpredictable and you couldn’t have written it,” she added.
Andrew Cadwallader, Samuel Wood director in south Shropshire said: “I want to thank Linda for nearly four decades of service to the company. She has been a pleasure to work with and she has certainly seen many changes throughout her time with us. I have loved hearing her stories and she will be greatly missed by all of us.”
Russell Griffin, director for central and north Shropshire said: “Linda is so knowledgeable about the sector and the local area and she has bought many, many years of happiness to homeowners and renters in the Craven Arms area.
“She has been helping our new Craven Arms Senior Branch Manager Andy Price settle in and has always been a fantastic colleague to work with. Like Andrew, I want to thank Linda for her exemplary service and wish her all the very best for the future.”
You can contact Andy on 01588 672728 or andy@samuelwood.co.uk