Fire Station veterans hosed with Champagne

Two members of staff at The Fire Station (Whitley Bay) celebrated 20 years’ service with the company, each receiving a bottle of Champagne.

Wetherspoon’s area manager, John Hudson (far left), and pub manager Stephen Bell (far right) are pictured with kitchen manager Carl Richardson (second left) and shift manager Keith Boulton, marking the occasion.

Carl joined Wetherspoon as a part-time bar associate at The Quayside (Newcastle) and was happy to work as many hours as possible when first starting out.

He recalled: “I became full time at the pub when I graduated from uni, working my way up to shift-leader level in almost five years at the pub.”

Carl moved to The Mile Castle (Newcastle), newly opened at the end of 2009, and then onto The Red Lion (Bedlington), also newly opened a year later, having progressed to shift manager.

Carl said: “I spent two years at The Fire Station and a second spell at The Red Lion, all front-of-house roles, before returning to The Fire Station in November 2015 as kitchen manager.

“The position came up and I fancied a different challenge. So, after 10 years front of house, I have spent the past 10 years in the kitchen.

“I enjoy my job, the people and my current role – and especially like training the team members and seeing them progress.”

Originally from Northampton, Keith started as a bar associate at The Zachariah Pearson (Hull) (no longer a Wetherspoon pub), having previously worked in retail.

Keith said: “I had been working at Woolworths for less than a year when my contract ended and it wasn’t renewed. A job came up at The Zachariah Pearson – I lived just down the road, so decided to apply and, thankfully, was successful.

” He spent two years at the pub in Hull, progressing to team leader level, and was cross-trained to also work in the kitchen, which he did for a year.

Keith explained: “My girlfriend got a job at King’s College London, in Denmark Hill, so I transferred to The Fox on the Hill (Camberwell), where I spent six years doing front-of-house work and progressed to shift manager, before another transfer.

” Keith spent a further five years at The Moon Under Water (Balham) and two years at The London & Rye (Catford) (each no longer a Wetherspoon pub), before a two-year stint at The Holland Tringham (Streatham).

He added: “My partner got another new job, this time in the northeast, so we moved again, and I joined the team at The Fire Station in 2022.

” Keith, 42, concluded: “I am very happy in my job and enjoy working with like-minded colleagues. I also enjoy being busy. There is always stuff going on, and two days are never the same.”