A COOK and her partner who  were forced to close down their catering van are still “struggling to adjust” to their new lives and may “never work again”.

Jacqui and Linda Clark had been a constant presence at Larkhill Army camp for 27 years.

But French food giant Sodexo, which has a contract with the Army, issued a month’s notice to the pair in August.

The Clarks had previously been given permission to remain on the camp, but when Sodexo brought their own van onto the base they were given notice to quit.

Their final day at Larkhill was on September 2, with the pair admitting defeat despite a petition being set up by past and current soldiers.

Jacqui said that the blow of the notice and resulting closure was a “kick in the teeth”

and her arthritis was proving an obstacle to job hunting.

She added: “It was a big shock to the system, and was very unfair.

“I suffer from quite bad arthritis, and I just do not feel like I am ready to go back to work at the moment, if ever again.”

Word of the Clarks’ plight eventually reached a BBC Radio 4 producer, who dedicated an entire episode of The Untold to explaining their story.

During the show it was revealed that when contacted, Claire Perry MP had said that she had been working with Jacqui, Linda and the garrison commander to see what could be done.

But “nobody had been in contact about anything”, according to Jacqui.

She said that “there had been an automatic reply” when they first messaged the MP, “but nothing else”.

Messages of support have flooded through in the wake of the show, with many people expressing dismay at the ruthlessness shown by Sodexo, who failed to respond to Radio 4’s enquiries.

Jacqui said that Linda was also unsure about going back to work, as the dramatic events of last summer had “taken a lot out of them”.

“She is just beginning to realise that we have got to let go of the past, but it is very hard.

“We never asked for any money or help, and there’s no going back now. But we are surviving, and feel semi-retired.”

To listen to the Clarks’ story in more detail visit bbc.co.uk/ programmes/b086nzfy.