EACH urges community to donate as new Felixstowe shop sees decline in contributions

East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) recently relocated to a new, larger premises in the Suffolk coastal town of Felixstowe and is appealing to the community for donations of items they no longer need.

The charity shop, now situated at the former NatWest Bank site on the corner of Hamilton Road and York Road, opened its doors in June after moving from a smaller location just across the road. Despite the shop thriving with a steady stream of customers, there has been a noticeable decline in donations.

Store manager Haze Selby-Dee suggested that the drop in contributions might be due to a lack of awareness about the shop’s new location. “It’s something we’ve certainly noticed since moving here,” she explained. “It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why, but it may simply be that people aren’t aware of where we are now. Some may see our old premises and assume we’ve closed.”

Selby-Dee emphasised that the shop is very much open and thriving in its new location, with the support of a growing team of volunteers. However, she stressed the urgent need for more donations, not just in quantity but in quality as well.

The shop has been relying on additional support from its retail distribution centre in Thetford to keep up with demand, which Selby-Dee acknowledged as “not ideal.” She expressed hope that increased awareness would encourage more locals to donate, noting that items can be dropped off at the shop or, for convenience, at the back entrance by pressing the doorbell.

The new EACH store was officially opened by Bethan Reid, whose daughter Gabriella receives care at the charity’s Treehouse centre in Ipswich. The move to the former NatWest Bank premises was driven by the need for a “bigger, better, and brighter” space after outgrowing the previous location. The NatWest branch closed in September 2017, citing a significant decrease in transactions as the reason for its closure.

EACH continues to provide vital care and support to life-threatened children and their families across the region, and the community’s donations are crucial to sustaining its mission.

Photo credit:  EACH