A corporate volunteer enjoyed a day on the road while supporting the retail team at East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).
Luke Davenport is a Director at Cheffins, the Cambridge-based auctioneers and professional services business.
His firm gives employees a volunteer day and he chose to spend it with EACH, starting at the charity’s busy Retail Distribution Centre (RDC), in Thetford.
He went out with the team to collect and deliver furniture, including tables, sofas and wardrobes, before ending up at EACH’s shop in Plumstead Road, Norwich.
The 31-year-old old then finished back at RDC, helping getting organised for the following day.
“EACH is a fantastic charity – one my family has supported for many years – and it was a real pleasure to contribute in some way,” he said.
“I had great fun and it’s definitely something I’d encourage others to do, either through a work volunteer day, like me, or as a regular volunteer.
“It’s something other firms should be helping with and encouraging their staff to do on a more regular basis. I’d certainly be keen to do it again.”
Through his work, dad-of-one Luke is one of EACH’s long-standing retail property agents, offering advice for new shop acquisitions in the Cambridge area. His day was organised in conjunction with the charity’s Head of Retail Central Operations, Sarah Throssell.
It was not without one unwanted hitch, when the team experienced a tyre blowout on the A140.
“It was a bit of a curveball but, by a stroke of good fortune, the van came to rest outside a tyre repair centre,” said Luke, who lives in the Suffolk village of Kenton.
“The chap very kindly fixed it on the spot, without charging us, so we only lost about an hour.
“Overall, it was a great opportunity and has certainly helped my understanding of the pressures faced by the retail units, in terms of how to handle, sort and promote donations when space is limited.
“The team were very friendly and I felt I fitted in straight away.
“It’s a slick, well-organised operation and I was surprised how quickly the new furniture sold. Customers were looking out for our van and snapped things up as soon as we arrived, before we’d even had time to place items in the shop!”
EACH is always on the lookout for new volunteers to get involved with its daily van runs. For more information, email Warehouse Operations and Supply Chain Manager Stephen Ball via Stephen.Ball@each.org.uk or call 01842 821620.
Steve would also be keen to hear from anyone who might like to take on a different role at RDC. This could involve working in the warehouse, sorting through donations of bric-a-brac, clothing and toys.
