SWAN BOSS KIM GLIDES SERENELY INTO 30TH YEAR

Pub manager Kim Newstead marks 30 years with the company this year, having first joined Wetherspoon in March 1996 as a shift manager at The Moon on the Hill (Sutton).

Kim (pictured front, second left) has been pub manager at The Swan (Weymouth) for more than 25 years, taking over the south coast pub in October 2000.The Swan first opened as a Wetherspoon pub in July 1999.

Kim recalled: “My son Tom was six weeks old when we first arrived.

“He is now 25 and a shift manager at The Swan.

“He started as a 16-year-old floor associate and worked his way up.”

Kim’s other son, James, who is studying performing arts at LMA Stratford, also works part time for the company at The Mossy Well (Muswell Hill). Daughter Lucy, not yet 16, is also a student.

 Kim worked as a shift manager at Hamilton Hall (Liverpool Street, London), before taking on her first pub The Coronation Hall (Surbiton) as manager, in the area where she was brought up.

She also managed The Kings Tun (Kingston upon Thames) before moving to Weymouth.

Kim said: “Weymouth is the hidden gem of Dorset. In winter, it really has a village element to it; in summer, it’s busy, great fun, with lots going on.

“The Swan is a big part of the community. We are involved with the local church, local school and community events. The team spirit and camaraderie are so fantastic.

“I love the busy, hands-on aspect of my job and the fact that every day is different.”

Among Kim’s long-serving staff at The Swan are shift managers Kevin Fox (17 years), Rob Kelly (12 years) and Neil Robinson (11 years), kitchen manager Patrick Ward (17 years), shift leaders Nigel Broughton (25 years) and Emma Crawford (16 years), kitchen shift leader Simon Parsonage (12 years), team leader Karen Jury (17 years), kitchen associate Jason Crawford (16 years) and bar associate Jamie Stone (11 years).