00:00:03 My name's Maureen Gill, I'm Bar Supervisor at the Leeds Grand Theatre. I was actually a housewife, at home, before I applied for this job. I'd never been in a theatre in my life before I applied here, you know, I just thought it would be good for the children to grow up into.
00:00:26 I was amazed with the place when I come here. It's the atmosphere, you're meeting different people, you're meeting the actors, you meet the public. Some fantastic shows that give you the atmosphere, so when the public come in dressed up like the Rocky Horror Shows and things like that, I mean you're actually joining in with them because it's fun.
00:00:46 I went to a Catholic school, in Scotland. I actually left the school and I went into commercial college. I didn't like it, so I stuck it ten weeks, and then I went into Woolworths, and into their office on the bookkeeping side of it. I didn't like sitting at a desk, I hated desk work. Then my parents moved to Leeds from Scotland. I come down here with them, met my husband, got married, started having my children, and then I got this job. And I've been here ever since.
00:01:28 Well after I had my last child is when I did really come back out to work, and I haven't stopped, I've been in the same employment since I actually had my last daughter. So I haven't had to give up anything, and I've always had a good supporting husband. He'd come home at five thirty, and I would actually be coming here at six o'clock. That's how we used to have to work it. But I was the one that always went home and bathed them, and made their teas, and made sure they were ready for bed, before I come out to work.
00:02:02 My unwinding time was when I actually come out to work. Because then I was meeting different people, and I wasn't stuck at home. A lot of people would just go out and sit in the pub or something, once they'd be getting their unwinding time. I preferred that I'd done something with my extra time. And I earned a bit of extra cash to take them on holidays and give them a better home. That's why you do it, ain't it?
00:02:25 Always told my children - make up your own mind what you want to do. From my past, I was told what I had to do. I didn't want to bring my children up like that, I've always given them the freedom of their own mind, what they want to do. And if they didn't do well at school, that was down to them. If they did do well at school, that was a big encouragement for them.
00:02:47 As me children actually grew up, my eldest one did come to work here while she went on to college, to give her pocket money, and at 34 she's still working here as well. So she's - she enjoys theatre life, and she now brings her children.
00:03:03 Well I seem to be building me career up, and I am hoping to take Bar Manager position, and just keep doing that till I retire, because I'm quite happy doing what I've done. If I had a chance to do all this over again - I don't think I'd change anything, because I've really enjoyed my job.
00:03:20 I think I've done a good job in bringing me children up - managing to come to work every day, a lot of parents can't do that. There's a lot of people can't do that. I mean I've always had a supporting family on either side. You've got to work at it together, you've got to work as a team that was - that was my job, work as a team. That's the way I look at it. And this is what it is in the theatre as well, all team work. That's how you've got to work it.
00:03:49 ENDS
Maureen Gill
Maureen Gill
My name's Maureen Gill, I'm Bar Supervisor at the Leeds Grand Theatre. I was actually a housewife, at home, before I applied for this job. I'd never been in a theatre in my life before I applied here, you know, I just thought it would be good for the children to grow up into.
I was amazed with the place when I come here. It's the atmosphere, you're meeting different people, you're meeting the actors, you meet the public. Some fantastic shows that give you the atmosphere, so when the public come in dressed up like the Rocky Horror Shows and things like that, I mean you're actually joining in with them because it's fun.
I went to a Catholic school, in Scotland. I actually left the school and I went into commercial college. I didn't like it, so I stuck it ten weeks, and then I went into Woolworths, and into their office on the bookkeeping side of it. I didn't like sitting at a desk, I hated desk work. Then my parents moved to Leeds from Scotland. I come down here with them, met my husband, got married, started having my children, and then I got this job. And I've been here ever since.
Well after I had my last child is when I did really come back out to work, and I haven't stopped, I've been in the same employment since I actually had my last daughter. So I haven't had to give up anything, and I've always had a good supporting husband. He'd come home at five thirty, and I would actually be coming here at six o'clock. That's how we used to have to work it. But I was the one that always went home and bathed them, and made their teas, and made sure they were ready for bed, before I come out to work.
My unwinding time was when I actually come out to work. Because then I was meeting different people, and I wasn't stuck at home. A lot of people would just go out and sit in the pub or something, once they'd be getting their unwinding time. I preferred that I'd done something with my extra time. And I earned a bit of extra cash to take them on holidays and give them a better home. That's why you do it, ain't it?
Always told my children - make up your own mind what you want to do. From my past, I was told what I had to do. I didn't want to bring my children up like that, I've always given them the freedom of their own mind, what they want to do. And if they didn't do well at school, that was down to them. If they did do well at school, that was a big encouragement for them.
As me children actually grew up, my eldest one did come to work here while she went on to college, to give her pocket money, and at 34 she's still working here as well. So she's - she enjoys theatre life, and she now brings her children.
Well I seem to be building me career up, and I am hoping to take Bar Manager position, and just keep doing that till I retire, because I'm quite happy doing what I've done. If I had a chance to do all this over again - I don't think I'd change anything, because I've really enjoyed my job.
I think I've done a good job in bringing me children up - managing to come to work every day, a lot of parents can't do that. There's a lot of people can't do that. I mean I've always had a supporting family on either side. You've got to work at it together, you've got to work as a team that was - that was my job, work as a team. That's the way I look at it. And this is what it is in the theatre as well, all team work. That's how you've got to work it.
ENDS
Maureen understands the real meaning of team work. She sees it every day in the theatre where she works as bar supervisor, and she knows that if her family hadn't pulled together as a team her career opportunties would have been limited. Rightly proud of the family she has raised she also values all she has achieved above and beyond her role as mum and housewife. Her unwinding time is when she goes to work.
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