20-YEAR VETERAN SAM LOVING HER TIME AT OPERA HOUSE

Pictured marking a milestone at Opera House (Tunbridge Wells) is deputy manager Sam Stone (front) with (left to right) general manager Tim Hine, area manager Anthony Jobe and pub manager Greg Wilkins.

When she first joined the company in 2005, as a part-time bar associate at The Plaza, in her home town of Rugeley, Sam was an 18-year-old hospitality student.

She joined the full-time staff at the Staffordshire pub when she left college, progressing to shift manager level within four years.

In 2009, Sam made the move south to Kent, when she joined the team at The Humphrey Bean (Tonbridge).

Sam recalled: “Tim Hine, my pub manager at Rugeley, was moving to Tonbridge and asked me whether I wanted to go with him.

“It was a big move for me, but the best move ever.”

Two years later, Tim, with Sam as his deputy manager, was on the move again, to Tunbridge Wells and the iconic Opera House pub.

Sam said: “I have been very lucky during my 20-year career – I have worked with only four or five pub managers.

“That consistency has been a great help.”

Sam added: “Before I had my two children, I did think about having my own pub, but it is a huge commitment and, alongside my job, I really appreciate the time I have now with my family.

“My working hours have always been convenient around the family, which is something so important to me, as they grow up so quickly and it is easy to miss so much.”

Speaking about Opera House, the pub she has worked at since 2011, Sam said: “It’s like walking into my nan’s front room, so familiar and like a second home.

“I love my pub so much – and I like the variety which the job provides.

“It is never stagnant. There is always something new to keep work life interesting.”