Jobcentre Plus

Mary Morley (66), recently bid farewell to colleagues at Jobcentre Plus in Hallgarth Street, after a career spanning more than 33 years and helping hundreds of people into employment.

Mary, from Langley Park, originally joined the civil service in 1958 when she began working in the Tax Office in Gateshead followed by the Land Registry in Durham. She joined Durham Jobcentre 22 years ago where she held a variety of roles including as a receptionist, in the finance team and on the New Deal programme - providing jobs advice and support to people on benefits.

Mary enjoyed her work with the public so much she was determined not to let her age be a barrier. She campaigned to work beyond civil service retirement age of 60, and took her retirement to coincide with the first anniversary of laws to protect workers from age discrimination.

Reflecting on her career, Mary said: “There have been a lot of changes since I first joined the civil service, for example my first pay packet was £28 per month! I thought deeply about retiring as each year has passed since 60 and my family are pleased I’ll now be able to spend more time with them. However as long as health is with you then working is wonderful - I particularly enjoyed the company and mixing with people young and old.”

Karen Houghton, Mary’s manager at Durham Jobcentre said: “We are grateful for Mary’s commitment and really value the experience she has been able to share with us. She will be sorely missed by friends and colleagues and we wish her a long and happy retirement."

Mary was presented with a number of gifts from her colleagues and to mark the occasion she will shortly be taking a well-earned holiday to Cyprus.