Retail managers from across the region gathered to celebrate a record-breaking 12 months for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). The event was held at Culford School, near Bury St Edmunds, and attended by staff from Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions and relies heavily on profits generated from its 44 shops. It also has a fast-growing ecommerce operation. Retail income for the last financial year was just over £6.5 million, with like-for-like sales up 17.4% compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019/20. EACH Director of Retail Ian Nicolson said: “We came together to celebrate and say thank you for the incredible hard work and dedication of our shop staff. “The team have dealt with such adversity in a year of constant change and we recognised their amazing efforts by handing out awards, including eBay, Amazon and Gift Aid Shop of the Year. “We also wanted to recognise and celebrate those who have done amazing work in their community and supporting their volunteer teams. “It was a great day and lovely for managers to meet up with colleagues and counterparts from different shops and counties.” Among those to speak during the team-building day was EACH Chief Executive Phil Gormley. EACH relies on voluntary donations for the majority of its income and this year alone, in terms of shop income, needs to raise £6.5 million. Ian added: “We also want to say thanks to all the donors who continue to support us with their amazing donations of clothes and hard goods. “They really are making the difference to the lives of children and families. “We’re hitting great numbers to start the year but now the celebrations are over and we step into the new financial year, so it’s a case of here we go again. We’re excited by the challenge ahead.”
