There were balloons, banners and bunting aplenty at a charity shop in Poringland as staff and volunteers celebrate its first birthday.
As well as being able to browse for a bargain, customers of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) are being treated to cakes. A guess the name of a giant teddy bear competition is running and any children dropping by can pick up a free book.
The shop is on the doorstep of the nook, EACH’s new hospice that has been under construction since November 2017
Maria Hall, Shop Manager, said: “It’s been a great first year becoming part of the community here and I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who’s donated items and volunteered here over the 12 months. Excitingly, the nook is now close to opening and we hope people in the area continue shopping here to support our service caring for children and young people with life-threatening conditions, and supporting their families.”
The shop, in Overtons Way, is open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday. Chartered surveyor Ben Du Brow cut the ribbon last year. He was one of three vendors of the land EACH bought to build the nook – and he very generously donated all his share back.
EACH shops are always in need of donations of the following clean and good-quality items to sell: clothing, bric-a-brac, modern paperbacks, toys, jewellery, DVDs/CDs, household linens, retro and vintage clothes, and small electrical items.
EACH also needs donations of good-quality furniture and can collect it free of charge if you are unable to transport it yourself. You can contact the charity’s Retail Distribution Centre on 01842 821620 for more information.
Anyone interested in more information on volunteering at the Poringland shop can drop by for a chat, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01603 984498.
A Mundesley family have described how care from East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) “feels like a big hug when you really need it most”, as the organisation launches a fundraising campaign to provide two ‘star’ nurses.
EACH is asking supporters to do 100 star jumps a day over five days and raise at least £50, as part of Star Makers. The charity hopes its campaign will raise £64,000 in total, enough to provide two of the nurses whose help is so greatly valued by families like the Palmers.
Ellie, six, lives with sister Eva, nine, mum Laura and her mum, Ellie’s grandmother, Heather. Laura is full-time carer to her girls, who are both home-educated, and Heather helps with care, too.
Ellie has Down’s syndrome, Ollier’s disease (a very rare bone disease that occurs in one in every 100,000 people), autism and complex lung and airway issues. She is dependent on a non-invasive ventilator to help her breathing.
Norwich City footballer Tom Trybull and his wife Anna have donated £5,000 to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), plus a bag of clothes as the charity gears up to reopen five of its shops.
The money comes from sales of children’s book The Story of Tommy T. Tommy T is a pigeon trying to make his name in football. The story is written by Anna, based on the exploits of her husband and encourages young people to follow their dreams.
It will go towards EACH’s fundraising appeal set up at the start of lockdown to address a forecasted income gap of £1.8m over 12 weeks, caused by the cancellation and postponement of fundraising events, and the closure of the charity’s 43 shops.
Following the government announcement that non-essential shops can reopen from Monday (15 June), EACH has decided to open five of its outlets in Norfolk, in a phased reopening plan the good cause hopes will eventually restore the pre-lockdown success of its high street portfolio.
Harper Knight, aged two, from Thetford, Norfolk has been dressing up each Clap for Carers Thursday at 8pm as one of the nation’s key workers for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).
Mum, Anna Knight, 34, Owner and Operator of Little City Norfolk, had been in the process of launching the mobile role play franchise for children before lockdown.
Anna was still receiving new deliveries regularly full of costumes and props for children during the first few weeks of lockdown, which greatly excited Harper in a time where she was exceptionally upset to not see her grandparents or playmates.
One Thursday evening Harper decided to wear a police officer outfit during the time of Clap for Carers applause. Anna took photos of her and posted them to her social media accounts.
The local community then started to get involved, with some commenting that it made their week and they were looking forward to seeing what Harper would wear next.
After the overwhelming positive response and continued engagement Harper’s outfits attracted, Anna decided to do something beneficial with the attention and set up a fundraiser on JustGiving for EACH here.
Harper’s outfits have since included a firefighter, a nurse, Captain Tom Moore, a post officer and a supermarket worker.
Jessica Bingham, seven years old, a pupil at Poringland Primary School, has run her first marathon throughout the month of May for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).
During May Jess decided she would run one mile each day for 26 days. She decided to take on the challenge for EACH after discovering the impact the COVID-19 outbreak was having on its income. With the charity’s 43 shops across the region closed, a select few of which are set to reopen on 15 June, and fundraising events postponed or cancelled, EACH has lost a significant amount of income.
Jess already had some knowledge of the good cause, as a pupil of Poringland Primary. The school supported EACH through the Nook schools project to help raise funds for The Nook, a new purpose-built children’s hospice in the heart of Norfolk that opened last year.
Jess described on her JustGiving page herethat The Nook “is a wonderful part of the local community”. She said: “I just want to help other children and families a little bit if I can and this will help me to keep running.”
East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) is benefiting from not having to pay rent on several of its shops in Norfolk over the next few months, thanks to the generosity of supportive landlords.
EACH has 43 shops across the region, but had to close them in March in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. That, combined with supporters’ fundraising activities and their own events having to be cancelled, prompted the charity to appeal for financial support across a wide range of service providers that included landlords.
Among the landlords to have provided a boost are Stephen and Carol Sell, from Gissing, two of three co-owners of the property occupied by EACH in Norwich Road, Long Stratton. They, as well as the third co-owner, have given their tenant a six-month rent-free period.
Stephen said: “EACH is a charity that provides such a wonderful service to the children of East Anglia, so at such a difficult time we’re pleased to help them in a small way to continue their good work.”