Local Face: Terri McGilp
Teri McGilp was born in Northallerton in 1987. The daughter of an RAF serviceman, she was posted with the family to Cypress at just four months old. They lived there for three years, continuing to move from town to town and country to country, being educated in Albrighton, Belgium, the illustrious St Andrews Madras College, and finally sitting her Highers (Scottish equivalent of A Level) at Lossiemouth High School in Scotland.
After being posted to RAF Halton in 2004, her father moved the family to Tedder Road and Terri enrolled in Aylesbury College to study AVCE Art, Design and Graphics. It was during this time, aged 16, that she took a part time job as a baker in the local Budgens store.
At 16 she helped raise money for breast cancer awareness by doing a 16 mile run across 4 beaches, starting at Findhorn, through Berghead, Hopeman, and finishing in Lossiemouth. She was the first woman to complete the run and came third overall.
Terri then applied for a university place at Swansea Institute to do a BA Hons. in Graphic Design. Both her application and interview were successful, but she decided that she wanted to pursue a career in retail.
Terri met Dary Sweeney, the owner of Budgens, Wendover, early in 2006 and over the years she worked her way to assistant manager of his principal store. She took a job at Wendover’s sister branch in Abbots Langley, where she really honed her managerial skills, before being offered the fantastic opportunity of returning to the Wendover store in 2010, as a fully-fledged Manager.
Although her family moved from Buckinghamshire because her father was posted again, Terri decided to stay, not only because of her career, but also because she loved the area so much and she could continue her new hobby of power kite flying up on the Chilterns.
Terri is a keen surfer, jetting off to the coast whenever possible and an eager music fan, playing several styles of guitar and attending as many live music events as possible supporting local bands and local venues.
Alongside providing an exceptional local shopping service, at Budgens, they try to reach out and support the community through programmes such as sponsoring Wendover Juniors Football, local raffles and seasonal events like the Santa Dash, and, personally, offering to go the extra mile for the village’s elderly residents.
Since Terri became the manager, Sweeney’s Budgens has overhauled the fresh produce offering more British vegetables and a greater variety of premium quality seasonal vegetables as well as an integrated range of meats sourced locally by Newits of Thame.
Being featured in Wendover News, Terri feels the need to mention that she would not be where she is without the support of her dedicated team who are always busy working behind the scenes and without the continued patronage of each and every resident of Wendover who comes through the front door each day.