• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Tesco Employee Won't Speak To Customers For Three Months

Home> News

Updated 09:42 11 Feb 2022 GMTPublished 09:41 11 Feb 2022 GMT

Tesco Employee Won't Speak To Customers For Three Months

Lee won't even speak to his colleagues while he's working

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

A Tesco employee has vowed to not speak to any customer for three months.

Lee Clark describes himself as fairly 'noisy and chatty' usually, but he has taken a vow of silence and won't even speak to his colleagues at the Southchurch Road branch of Tesco in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

But it's not because he's fallen out with anyone.

The 40-year-old it taking part in a sponsored silence in a bid to raise some money for Cancer Research, British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK.

Advert

The dad-of-five started the fundraiser last month and is set to finish on 10 April.

Until then, Lee will only be able to communicate to customers and colleagues by using flashcards and pens and paper, and will walk around with a board around his neck explaining what he is doing.

Speaking about fundraiser, Lee said it's actually quite tiring.

Essex Live/BPM Media

"It could be quite draining because you try not to slip up and try to focus," he said.

Advert

"It can be a horrible experience but, again, I'm lucky I can put myself in that position to help someone else and I'll happily do that every single time.

“That's what gets me through, it is usually every time because the sponsor silence is a very lonely place. I feel very lonely, it is quite isolated in a sense."

But this isn't the first time Lee has taken on the challenge as it's the 15th year he has taken the vow of silence for charity.

The first time round, he raised £800 for the Lennox Lewis Cancer Fund.

"It was phenomenal because I've never done anything like that in my life before, so it really got me," he said.

Advert

"It gave me the bug for fundraising as well. I just saw the response as well as the love and support it brought.

"People were coming in to see me just to donate in the bucket, not necessarily buying anything though, just getting involved and it meant a lot to me personally that I brought the community together for this fundraiser. It was a brilliant experience.

"I saw the difference it makes to people and that's what I never experienced before. You’re helping someone and they're helping you, there is no better feeling than that.

"I love giving, I give what I can or where I can, supporting and helping. It’s like Christmas, you get more enjoyment out of gifting presents rather than receiving them and I get that by doing a fundraiser."

Essex Live/BPM Media

Advert

Lee has been increasing the amount of time he spends in silence, extending it by a day each year.

And since 2007, he has organised or participated in 108 charity events - raising an incredible £178,000 for 32 different charities.

He said: "It’s just an amazing community we live in. Regular customers, my colleagues and the support that I get from everyone is phenomenal.

"It’s my 15th one, so it's quite an achievement in that sense and no one gets bored of it. They love me being quiet."

"If I’m not talking to them, they are like ‘you’re the quiet one again?’

Advert

"There are some that think I’m being rude and they see the sign and realise that I'm not."

And when he's done with this challenge, he's hoping to carry on with the fundraising, and plans to complete the London Marathon and climb Mount Kilimanjaro this year.

Featured Image Credit: Essex Live/BPM Media

Topics: Tesco, UK News, Charity

Dominic Smithers
Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

X

@SmithersDom

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

10 hours ago
11 hours ago
  • Instagram/oceaniclounge
    10 hours ago

    Footage shows terrifying moment yacht is sunk by a pod of orcas

    The killer whales could be seen ramming the sailboat in Portugal multiple times

    News
  • YouTube/drsethi
    11 hours ago

    Doctor explains reality of what happens if you eat common superfood found in every supermarket

    That's going straight in my basket

    News
  • Noam Galai/Getty Images for Hearst Magazines
    11 hours ago

    Chrissy Teigen explained 'almost torturous' experience she had taking Ozempic

    It's the first time the model has spoken out about using Ozempic

    News
  • X/@NarodniArchivCZ
    11 hours ago

    Mysterious time capsule envelope set to be unsealed tomorrow could contain major world predictions

    An envelope which has been passed around for decades and contains a world leader's last words will finally be opened

    News
  • Fuming shoppers vow to boycott Tesco over meal deal price rise
  • Paris Fury made honest admission about why husband Tyson didn't speak to her for three months before Usyk fight
  • Martin Lewis’ MSE issues 21 day warning to anyone with a Tesco Clubcard
  • Ex-soldier Daniel Khalife jailed for 14 years and three months for spying and prison escape