In the year Elaine Sommers started work at Penyrheol Primary School, Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States, Abba were top of the charts and viewers across the world tuned in to the soap opera Dallas to discover who shot JR.
A lot has changed since 1980 but Senior Dinner Supervisor Mrs Sommers is still at Penyrheol and pupils and staff have just celebrated and thanked her for her amazing 40 years of service.
Every day Mrs Sommers, now aged 78, walks from her home in Grovesend to the school for her one hour lunchtime shift.
And all at the school are delighted she has no plans to retire just yet.
Headteacher Alison Williams said: “Her commitment and dedication to generations of children who have attended Penyrheol Primary School over the years is commendable and an example to us all.
“Indeed, many of the parents and some grandparents at the school today remember Mrs Sommers as their dinner supervisor.
“We are so pleased that Mrs Sommers still enjoys her job and continues to walk to school to work with the children every day.”
Cllr Jennifer Raynor, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Education Improvement, Learning and Skills, said: “I would like to add my thanks to Mrs Sommers for her amazing 40 years of service at Penyrheol Primary School.
“There are many dedicated non-teaching staff who contribute greatly to the safe and smooth running of our schools and I am grateful to them all.”
