Mandi Smith

Southdowns Housekeeper

Amanda Jane Smith, or Mandi to her friends, not only keeps the Southdowns Motorhome Centre clean and tidy and the motorhome interiors sparkling but puts a smile on all our faces by providing great food at lunchtime. When does she find the time to do anything else we wonder?

Q How did you find yourself working for Southdowns?
A I am a chef by training and used to run a coffee shop in Cosham but unfortunately there was too much competition from bigger businesses and corporate coffee outlets and so I started to look for something else. As I live about five minutes from Southdowns, it was an obvious place to apply for a job.

Q What does your job involve?
A As Southdowns’ Housekeeper, I’m responsible for keeping all the offices, the kitchen, showroom and staff and customer toilets clean and tidy. I did the job on a part-time basis initially but when my coffee shop business folded, I became full-time. Now I clean the building in the mornings and concentrate on the motorhomes in the afternoons. I am mostly involved in getting vehicles up to a standard where they can be offered for sale but when it’s really busy I also clean the motorhomes that are already on the forecourt. Customers are put off straight away if vehicles don’t look their best.

Q What is the best thing about working for the company
A It’s really the people that make Southdowns a good place to work. There is also a lot of variety with no two days the same. I like the fact that I often get given jobs to do that fall outside my usual work, such as picking up tax discs or collecting and delivering material for the motorhome interiors. We all work together to get the job done and that makes you feel part of a team.

Q If you could take a motorhome anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A I don’t really have a personal interest in motorhomes but if I was given one to take anywhere I liked, it would have to be somewhere very remote and quiet.

Mandi lives in Anchorage Park with Southdowns Workshop Manager Andy Bottle and has just become a grandma for the first time to baby Keira – aah!