Village shop boss on why she still loves her job after 50 years behind the till

Amy Mackrill
·2-min read
Carolyn Rose Mobbs, the owner of Ludham Village Stores <i>(Image: The Publicity Works)</i>
Carolyn Rose Mobbs, the owner of Ludham Village Stores (Image: The Publicity Works)

A woman who has worked in the same village store for five decades says she "still loves it" as she talks about her collaboration with a local business.

Carolyn Rose Mobbs has worked at Ludham Bridge Stores on the Norfolk Broads for more than 50 years.

Born and raised in the village, the 67-year-old first started working there when she was a 14-year-old schoolgirl looking for a part-time job.

Mrs Mobbs with Steve Haines of Bittern Books (Image: The Publicity Works)

"I just love the store," Mrs Mobbs said, who runs the shop with her husband Andrew.

"If we have to give up, you know because I’m 67 and he’s 70, that would just break my heart.

"I love the company and interacting with people from so many different places.

READ MORE: 'An incredible journey': Coach company marks 100 years of service

"Even if my husband reckons I talk too much."

Mrs Mobbs bought the business eight years ago when the previous owner asked if she was interested in taking it over.

“I thought I better do it just in case the new owner put me out of a job."

Like many village stores, the shop has played a vital role in its community for generations.

Being situated in the heart of the Broads means it also caters heavily to tourists and sells a range of products including gifts, groceries and boat licences.

The shop also carries a selection of books supplied by local distributors Bittern Books which specialises in East Anglian books and maps.

Local crime fiction novels by David Blake are very popular as well as books on the history of Norfolk.

Mrs Mobbs added: “Bittern Books are very easy to work with.

“I’ll call Steve Haines, founder and owner of Bittern Books, and he’ll tell me about anything new and interesting he’s got, and then he’ll either deliver them himself or get them sent over as soon as possible.”

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • A therapist told me she could fix my life. Then she destroyed it

    Six years ago The Telegraph published a report into Anne Craig, a life coach accused of encouraging false memories of abuse and tearing families apart. Now, one of her former clients is ready to speak out and share her experience. Within the article are buttons to provide more context from the original investigation, or you can click here to read it in full.

  • Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner review – an old-fashioned maximalist rush of storytelling

    Inspired by the real-life abduction of a wealthy businessman, the second novel from the Fleishman Is in Trouble author is a lip-smacking tale of family, wealth and self-destruction told with relish

  • ‘They always got away with it’: new book reveals Kennedys’ shocking treatment of women

    Maureen Callahan’s eye-opening exposé looks back at the Kennedy men and the women they ‘destroyed’, digging into a long and grisly history

  • This giant £6.50 Cadbury chocolate bar is the pick-me-up you need this week

    Amazon has a giant 850g Cadbury chocolate bar on sale and it's bound to brighten your week.

  • 31 Children's Movies That In Retrospect Weren't So Appropriate For Children

    Some children's movies just barely earn that category due to some highly inappropriate content. There is an argument to be made that Who Framed Roger Rabbit was never even intended for children in the first place and only earned its PG rating because they were more common at the time, let alone the fact that many of the characters are animated.

  • Man becomes millionaire after teaming up with former Apprentice winner

    A former DJ from near High Wycombe has become a multi-millionaire after teaming up with a former Apprentice winner.

  • Solicitor transforms redundancy into thriving legal firm

    An employment law solicitor from Bicester has bounced back from a career setback by turning his redundancy package into a fast-growing business.

  • ‘I’m 50. Is this really all I amount to?’

    I am turning 50 this year and, almost overnight, I feel like I have lost my footing. I don’t understand the point. I don’t know what I want to do with the rest of my life. I am married, with children and I work part-time but I feel as if I am just coasting. I keep thinking, ‘Is this all I amount to?’ I think I want to do more but WHAT? I feel really lost and hopeless. Is this an identity crisis?

  • North Sea oil decline: ‘We can’t have a repeat of what happened to 80s miners’

    Unlikely alliance of unions and climate groups call for ‘clear and funded’ transition plan for communities reliant on dwindling industry

  • Top bankers ordered to rein in travel and entertainment expenses

    HSBC has warned its top bankers to rein in spending on entertainment and travel as it races to slash costs.

  • India human rights body says Reuters story on Foxconn hiring raises discrimination concerns

    India's human rights watchdog said on Monday it had asked government officials to examine reported discrimination by Foxconn, after a Reuters investigation found the major Apple supplier has been rejecting married women from iPhone assembly jobs in the country. In a statement, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it had issued notices to the secretary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's labour ministry and the chief secretary of the state government of Tamil Nadu, site of a major iPhone factory, calling for a detailed report within a week.

  • Jeremy Bowen: ‘Getting shot in reality isn’t like a movie’

    Best and worst is a regular interview in which a celebrity reflects on the highs and lows of their life

  • Everything you need to know about the Devil's Pulpit in Scotland

    From the meaning behind its name to the length of the walk, here is everything you need to know about the Devil's Pulpit in Stirlingshire, Scotland.

  • Spirit Aero to be broken up in $4.7 bln Boeing deal

    STORY: Boeing said Monday it will buy its supplier Spirit Aerosystems for $4.7 billion.The U.S. planemaker moved after a crisis caused by a mid-air blowout on a 737 MAX jet led to questions over quality.Boeing rival Airbus has also agreed to take on the supplier's loss-making Europe-focused activities, in return for hundreds of millions of dollars of compensation.Boeing spun off Spirit in 2005, and has long considered a buyback.The decision to go ahead now comes as the aerospace giant tries to resolve a crisis at one of the industry's key suppliers.January's blowout incident involved a door plug made by Spirit, and contributed to a major slowdown in output at Boeing.The planemaker announced the planned departure of CEO Dave Calhoun in the wake of the crisis.Now the deal is due to close around midway through next year, and is seen as an effort to address its safety problems and shore up its production line.Airbus is also a Spirit customer, and didn't want arch-rival Boeing building parts for its latest jets. It has now confirmed it will take over core activities at four of the supplier's plants to avoid that.Sources said the move was loosely coordinated between the three companies. Airbus said it would receive $559 million in compensation from Spirit, depending on the final outlines of the deal.

  • 'Ultrafast broadband' could be provided to more people in South Wiltshire

    Wessex Internet is opening a new base in Wiltshire.

  • There is no end in sight for China’s uneven economic recovery

    Factory activity among China’s private firms expanded at the fastest pace in three years, a private gauge showed Monday. But an official survey of bigger business showed activity shrinking.

  • Labour’s net zero hopes threatened by plunge in factory apprenticeships

    Labour’s plan for a net-zero economy powered by wind turbines and electric vehicles (EVs) risks being thwarted by a huge drop in factory apprenticeships, British manufacturers have warned.

  • German industry turns to solar in race to cut energy costs

    For months, Philip Matthias tried to convince his father to install solar panels on their company's roof in the eastern German state of Thuringia, aiming to cut electricity costs and carbon emissions at the metal products factory. Since the war in Ukraine and the sudden drop in Russia fossil fuel exports to Germany, Berlin has introduced laws to accelerate solar power expansion, part of its plan to cover 80% of the country's energy from renewables by 2030. Encouraged by a feed-in tariff providing a guaranteed price to renewable energy producers selling their power, as well as reduced solar panel costs, German companies are increasingly turning to solar to get around high energy costs.

  • Top 3 UK Stocks Estimated To Be Undervalued In July 2024

    Amidst the backdrop of heightened volatility and upcoming elections, the United Kingdom's financial markets, particularly the FTSE 100, are displaying cautious movements. In such a climate, identifying stocks that appear undervalued could present opportunities for investors seeking potential in a fluctuating market environment.

  • EU set to charge Meta over 'pay or consent', FT reports

    In preliminary findings to be issued this week, regulators will say that they are worried about Meta's "pay or consent" model, according to the report. Meta launched the no-ads subscription service for Facebook and Instagram in Europe last November, saying users who consent to be tracked get a free service which is funded by advertising revenues or pay not to have their data shared. According to the FT report, the regulators are expected to say that the choice presented by Meta risks giving users a false alternative, with the financial barrier forcing them to consent to their personal data being tracked for advertising purposes.