Euan Hilton

Said the following about Doreen Southworth:

“Doreen is the unsung hero at Blackburn.

There is nothing that is too much trouble for Doreen when it comes to both her customers and colleagues. She will always put them first in whatever she is doing. This could be finding the best fare and easiest route to using all available solutions to get the best result for customers. At Blackburn, English is not the first language for many of the customers, yet Doreen finds a way to get them where they want to be, with the ticket they want at the price they want to pay (mostly). And she always does this with a smile.

Recently I have seen the caring nature of Doreen come out more and more. She had sold tickets to some ladies and their train was then cancelled. Rather than see them stranded she tried to work out an alternative route and also made sure they were kept informed of what was happening. She also made sure they were warm and comfortable and went as far as making them a cup of tea. They really did get the full Doreen treatment.

I joined the team at Blackburn just over 18 months ago and I have been welcomed into the team with open arms and Doreen has sought to include me in the social side of the station as well. She provided comfort during times of bereavement and support to other colleagues who were going through tricky times at home. The support has been selfless and is really appreciated.

She really is one of the best of my team and really deserves some recognition for the way she looks after everybody!“