It’s not easy when you’re in your bubble but your mum has to go to work – and it inspired one young Cantabrian to put pen to paper and write a heartfelt letter to the boss.
Eight-year-old Sophia, whose mother Emma Hodgson is a dispatcher at South Comms, took advantage of a home-school writing exercise to put her thoughts in a letter to centre manager Inspector Kieren Kortegast (KK), ‘the Police boss’.
To the Police boss, she wrote.
Thankyou for working in lockdown and all the other Police.
Your working makes me feel happy because then I know that everyone is safe.
I feel sad when mum has to work, but I know she has to work.
I also thank all the essential workers for working.
When I grow up I wanna be an essential worker to.
I wanna be a Police woman and ride a horse and chase bad guys.
I hope everyone behaves so they get time off work.
from Sophia.
Emma, who has worked at South Comms for 11 years, works part time but appreciates that her 5pm-1am shifts can be hard on family life.
“She gave the letter to me once she had done it and asked me to give it to my boss,” says Emma.
“I thought it was really cute. I took it to work and left it on the boss’s desk.”
KK found the letter and at first did not realise that it was from a staff family member.
“I thought it was lovely,” he says. “We get letters occasionally from members of the public saying ‘thank you’ but this means more than a letter from a random person.
“It shows that she thinks about the job her mum does - and I think the fact that she wants to join Police shows this organisation in a good light.
“These are quite scary times for a lot of people, especially for children who see their parents still having to go to work when other people don’t.”
Emma is clearly setting a good example as her 15-year-old son Luca is also considering a Police career.
Sophia says she wants to join Police so she can catch bad guys. Meanwhile, she says, she’s proud of her mum and the essential work she does.