THE Loch Centre was transformed into a “florists and chocolate shop all rolled into one” when customers learned that well-known receptionist Janette Henderson was to retire after 40 years.
Janette started working at the venue in March 1986 and has “absolutely loved every minute” since.
She was brought up in Tranent and attended Ross High School, now living in Ormiston, with her family, including four beloved grandchildren, all living nearby.
She initially took the job because it suited her lifestyle as a mum to two.
At first she was employed as part of the team in the café but, after about three years, the manager asked if she would like to move to the reception and she said “the rest is history”.
The centre was especially busy during her early years, with Friday afternoon clubs, Saturday morning clubs and play schemes, and she also occasionally returned to the café or stepped in when needed at the Wiggles soft play centre or crèche.
Originally, her rota included split shifts, working in the afternoon and then returning in the evening, to facilitate classes taking place in the building.
Over four decades, she saw generations of families pass through the centre, with children who once attended activities later returning with children of their own.
Her close relationships with both colleagues and customers are the main reason that she stayed in the same job for so long and “didn’t ever consider leaving”.
She said: “It's just been the best 40 years.
“The friends that I've made, just listening to all their stories and all their laughs and sharing a few tears with them sometimes - it's just been the best job.”
Janette, 67, enjoyed her job so much that she did not plan to step away from it, but when she learned that the centre was closing for refurbishment, decided that now was the right time.
It shut to customers on Sunday at 4.30pm.
The work is expected to take a year, with colleagues redeployed across other Enjoy Leisure venues and customers encouraged to make use of the remaining six county facilities.
Since announcing her retirement, customers at the centre have brought in gifts and Janette’s contact book has grown significantly, with plans to spend her new free time meeting people for coffee.
She said: “I don't think there's ever been a day that I've thought to myself: 'I don't want to come to work.'
"I've always got up in the morning and really enjoyed coming to work.
“I have been so lucky. I've always been so happy here.”
Jen Swan, manager at the Loch Centre, paid tribute to Janette as a “role model receptionist” who was “so well loved in the community” – evidenced by the response when she first shared the news.
Jen said: “It was like a florists and a chocolate shop all rolled into one here when they found out Janette was leaving.
“Every member of the public brought in gifts, it felt like.”
Janette will also cherish spending more time with her family, including husband David, and the couple are looking forward to a two-week trip to Mexico at the end of the month.
She is also excited to spend more time in the garden and with her children, Steven and Elaine, as well as four grandchildren: Jessica, 18, Oliver, 14, Lewis, 13, and 11-year-old Brodie, who she watches playing football every Sunday morning.
While she is now getting ready to retire, she already has plans to return once the centre reopens to see friends and try out the new swimming pool.
She said: “I could never stay away. It's always been home for me.”
The current plan is to work on occasion as a relief receptionist, covering for her colleagues, but she added that she would have to "wait and see how retirement goes first".
Bill Axon, chief executive of Enjoy Leisure, paid tribute to Janette's commitment to work and described her as "the heart and soul of the Loch Centre".
He said: "It's been my personal pleasure working alongside Janette over the years and to say she'll be missed is an understatement.
"The impact she's had on colleagues, customers and the Loch Centre is a true testament to the kind, dedicated person that she is, and I hope that's something she's incredibly proud of.
"So, Janette, this isn't goodbye, it's just a see you soon.
"When the Loch Centre reopens, you'll be the very first person we invite back to celebrate with us."
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