Shop Manager is so passionate about EACH she visits other stores while on holiday

Most people like a break from the norm when they take a week off work but not Haze Selby-Dee. The 43-year-old is the proud Shop Manager of the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices store on Hamilton Road in Felixstowe.

It is a role she has dutifully carried out for six years and, such is her passion and enthusiasm for the charity, she decided to visit three more EACH shops during a recent holiday to North Norfolk. In the space of two days, Haze called in and met colleagues at the shops on Station Road, Sheringham, Tucker Street, Cromer, and Station Road, Holt.

Haze explains why EACH is so important to her

“EACH is such a special charity and I’m fiercely proud and passionate about it. It’s more than a job and it’s had a real impact on me, from the first moment I saw the role advertised.  I love working in the shop but also taking part in fundraising activities, including walking challenges when I was on furlough leave. I hated being off work and missed my job and our loyal customers, so decided to do what I could to try and bring in extra funds. As well as being proud of EACH, I’m also really proud to be part of our wonderful Retail team. We’re such a strong group and we’re achieving outstanding results together. To bounce back as we have, after so many months of closure, has been tremendous.”

As an added twist, Haze travelled by bus, train and even steam train – not to mention plenty of walking – to ensure she reached her destinations.

“There’s always an element of curiosity when I visit other EACH shops,” she said.

“In a way, it’s wonderfully familiar because our branding is so strong but every shop is unique and special in its own way.  It’s a great opportunity to pick up ideas and see how others do things differently. I don’t own a car so enjoyed finding different ways to travel. It added a bit of a novelty factor and it was also a very nostalgic trip for me, as I had so many childhood camping trips to beautiful North Norfolk.”

EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex.

It has developed a thriving retail sector – an essential funding stream to keep care services running – and has hospices at The Nook, in Framingham Earl, just outside Norwich, The Treehouse, in Ipswich, and Milton, near Cambridge.

Haze and her team are always on the lookout for more volunteers.

To find out more about opportunities at the Felixstowe shop, email [email protected] or [email protected] or head here.