My A4e - Deborah Waite

Hi,

my name’s Deborah Waite and I’m Mark Lovell’s Assistant – I have been for the past 9 years.

Throughout the nineties I worked in share registration for a high street bank. When it came to a time for change, I really wanted to do something different – and A4e looked very different.

I attended an interview with Mark, during which he spoke at me for the majority of the time – I couldn’t get a word in edgeways (no change there!).
I thought the company sounded great & he was an interesting fella, but as I hadn’t had chance to say much, I didn’t think much would come of my brief time there. However, a second interview followed, with a chance to meet a few more great staff and I was in – Head Office Administration Manager at Bessemer Road.

The first day was a bit of a blur, loads or new names and faces and a lot of information to take on board – as with any new job.
The second day (don’t worry I’m not going to go through the whole nine years day by day) involved a trip to an office – Doncaster, my home town!
On arrival I was greeted by some great, friendly welcoming people and invited to sit in on a training session. Being the new girl, I was listening intently to what the tutor was saying, but kept getting distracted by a middle aged man who was becoming increasingly agitated at the back of the classroom. Having been brought up in a small village, I’d led quite a protected life. From my protected little bubble, this behaviour just seemed rude to me – to be honest, this man was getting on my nerves. The tutor had to stop what he was doing because the man at the back was getting so excited. On being asked what the matter was, the man proudly announced that he had written his name – for the first time!!! He was in his 50s – I was amazed & quickly succumbed to tears.
There’d been a high level of education expected of me throughout my upbringing – in fact it was taken for granted – in my naivety I couldn’t believe someone could reach adulthood not being able to read.
At that moment I ‘got’ A4e – wow!
This man considered himself to be on the scrapheap when he’d been made redundant from his job sweeping floors – he hadn’t been able to help himself, as he couldn’t read or write. He’d been made to feel welcome and worthwhile by A4e and he’d learned how to write his name – the thought of his giddiness can still bring tears to my eyes.

This is what we do day after day – step by step overcoming the barriers people face to social inclusion. Mark and the rest of the senior team are a demanding bunch to work with, always striving for new & better ways to improve people’s lives around the world – and thanks to that man in Doncaster, I totally understand why!

Deborah Waite