Every little helps
Chantelle Churchill, 28, from North Newbald, discovered Tesco was special to her family...
Yawning as we pulled out of our driveway, I was not looking forward to the weekly shop. It had been a long week at work – I’m a care assistant. I couldn’t wait to be home with my husband, Ben, 31, and my two little ones, Bobby, four, Indie, six.
Ben works on the Covid research team, so we’re always equally exhausted.
We’ve always struggled to find the time to do a food shop.
‘We going to Tesco, Mum?’ Bobby shouted from the back seats.
‘Mmmhmm,’ I replied, focusing on the road.
A few minutes later, Bobby called out to me again.
‘This isn’t the way to Tesco,’ he sighed, sounding disappointed.
‘Sorry love, it’s Aldi today,’ I said back to him.
Then, Bobby kicked off at me from the back of the car.
‘I want to go to the best shop,’ he cried. ‘I want Tesco!’
I was shocked by his strong, reaction, but I managed to calm him down. Returning home from a difficult grocery shop, I sat Bobby down and had a chat with him.
He told me how much he loved Tesco and hated Aldi – I tried my hardest to understand.
Once Ben was home from work, I told him what had happened.
‘Bobby seems to have been really enjoying the family Tesco trips,’ I admitted.
‘It must be a bit of normality and family time for him in all this chaos,’ Ben suggested.
It made sense, there hadn’t been anything exciting outside of the house for Bobby to look forward to.
All the play areas in the parks had been shut, and we couldn’t take him on any other adventures.
Tesco had become his weekly day out to somewhere new, and full of distracting things.
Bobby’s fourth birthday was in November last year, and Ben came up with a brilliant idea for a present.
‘Let’s get him a Tesco work T-shirt!’ he suggested.
Searching high and low, we didn’t get anywhere.
He resorted to posting on a local Facebook group for help. Just days later, the manager of our local Tesco store, in Market Weighton, East Riding, replied.
‘She says she wants to do something special for Bobby,’ Ben told me, delighted.
Over the coming days, Ben and the store manager made a plan for Bobby’s birthday.
On 15 November we celebrated Bobby’s birthday and he received his presents and cake – and we went for a skateboard ride.
A week later, Ben and I went to pick Bobby up from his nursery during lunchtime.
He was happy and completely clueless about the amazing surprise he was about to walk into. ‘You better put this on,’ I told him as I gave him his own little Tesco T-shirt. ‘You’re going to work!’
He opened his mouth and his eyes widened with disbelief.
‘I’m going to work… really?’ he quizzed.
He immediately pulled the T-shirt on and was bobbing about with excitement.
We then attached his very own personalised Tesco badge to his top.
Arriving at the store a worker at the front of the shop started waving.
‘He’s here!’ she called to all the workers, as they gave him a welcoming, grand entrance.
We were taken to a delivery van, which the store had to get from another location for Bobby.
Helping him scramble up into the driver’s seat, he sat proudly and beeped the horn.
Then, we were escorted to the tills where he got to try scanning some items all by himself!
He was even gifted his very own toy truck to take home to play with and cherish.
‘I’m working there when I’m older,’ he announced.
Now, he doesn’t let any item of food in his lunchbox that isn’t from Tesco.
Happiness during these strange and tough times comes in equally strange ways.
Doing our weekly shopping is now an exciting thing to do as a family each week.
Every little bit of joy helps.
Ben came up with a brilliant idea