Donations to EACH shops soar during Dress Claire campaign
Bereaved parent Claire Wright from Cambridgeshire is the face of a new campaign which has seen donations soar. Picture: EACH. - Credit: Archant
A bold campaign at EACH charity shops has seen an extra £30,000 worth of items donated compared to this time last year.
The Dress Claire campaign has seen East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH) shops receive around 13,400 bags in two weeks - representing a 30 per cent spike from 2018.
Dress Claire saw lifesize cardboard cutouts of Claire Wright, from Sutton, partially hidden behind a board and greeting customers in all of EACH's 37 shops.
Claire's family received support from EACH when, in April 2012, her 16-month-old son, Jacob, sadly died from mitochondrial disease.
The charity, in Claire's words, "is a place where we can remember our beautiful boy, Jacob, with a tear and a smile.
"You never think you'll be the one who needs EACH's support, but when you do it's something priceless," the 45-year-old said.
Dress Claire began just days after the seventh anniversary of Jacob's death.
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Ian Nicolson, EACH Head of Retail and Trading, said: "We really can't thank Claire enough for her willingness and enthusiasm to get involved.
"With nine shops having opened last year and two already in 2019, it now means we need more than 6,000 bags of donations a week to keep our entire portfolio of 37 fully stocked.
"We need to be able to bring in money to provide vital care and support for children, young people and family members.
"Please may I urge everyone to continue being so generous, whether by donating items - we estimate one bag is worth around £10 on average - volunteering or simply shopping with us."
Dress Claire built on a previous EACH donation drive, Dress Daisy, which asked people to help dress a naked dummy in shop windows.
That saw a 16 per cent spike in donations.
For the more recent campaign, Claire went to City College Norwich, where she enjoyed having her hair and makeup done by student Sophie Briggs, and photos taken by second-year photography students.
As well as women's and men's clothes, bric-a-brac, books, toys, jewellery and other such items, EACH also needs donations of good-quality furniture and can collect it free of charge if people are unable to transport it .
Call 01842 821620 for more information or visit www.each.org.uk
