A woman who found the perfect prescription for success when she started work in the pharmacy department at Boots 30 years ago has just become manager of the chemist chain’s branch in Wrexham.
Boots at Eagles Meadow in Wrexham introduce their new manager. Pictured: New Manager Dawn at the store in Eagles Meadow in Wrexham with two of the dispensers Karen Rees and Sue Clarke
Dawn Wynne, who joined straight from school at the age of 16 and this year notches up three decades with the company, gradually rose through the ranks to take on a supervisory role.
And while she’s now in charge of Boots in the Eagles Meadow Shopping Centre she says she still likes to help out in the store’s busy pharmacy section “just to keep my hand in”.
Dawn, 45, is originally from Connah’s Quay in Flintshire where she still lives with her family.
After leaving Mold Alun School at the age of 16 she joined Boots as a Youth Training Scheme entrant.
She said: “I started at the store in Shotton and stayed there for 24 years because I enjoyed it so much.
“After briefly getting the feel for the business in other departments, like make-up and babies, I joined the pharmacy side and did my full training. It was a lot to learn but I qualified as a dispenser registered technician, which I’m proud to say I still am.
“Even though I’m manager at Eagles Meadow I still like to help out on the pharmacy counter whenever they get busy. I just love it and as things change so rapidly I like to keep up with all the latest developments.”
Dawn, who has been married to husband Darren for over 25 years and has two sons, Jamie, 23, and 20-year-old Ben, stayed at Boots in Shotton for 23 years during which time she qualified for higher management.
She eventually became manager at Shotton and four years ago moved to take charge at Boots’ Mold store.
For a few weeks she ran both that branch and the one at Eagles Meadow before taking over permanently at Wrexham.
“At Eagles Meadow there’s a staff of 28 full and part-timers. They’re a lovely team and have been so welcoming,” she said.
“I also really like being part of the shopping centre which has such a good variety of stores and restaurants and a good footfall. The customers are very nice, too.”
Dawn added: “This store has a fantastic record of getting involved in raising money for the Macmillan charity and I intend to continue with that.
“The whole team here are recognised as dementia friendly and I’m personally an official Dementia Champion, so I want to do more in that direction, perhaps working with the other businesses in Eagles Meadow.
“Dementia is thankfully taking on a much higher profile these days and I know from working in it for so long that the pharmacy department is often the first port of call for someone who has it.
“For instance, when a person comes in and asks for a prescription you know they’ve already had alarm bells can start ringing. Naturally, we want people to be safe so in a case like that you’d be able to point them in the right direction to get help.”
Away from work, Dawn says she has little time for hobbies, although she reveals that her husband and two sons are all football mad.
She said: “They’re all very keen Liverpool FC fans and Darren used to play for Chester in the late 1980s under the manager Harry McNally. Both the boys also played at academy level and are now heavily involved in coaching football.
“I sometimes go along and watch games with them and we might even end up going to watch Wrexham AFC some time – you never know.”
Eagles Meadow manager Kevin Critchley said: “I’d like to congratulate Dawn on being appointed manager and for celebrating such an impressive milestone working with Boots.”
