Sadly, as you probably already know, we had to make the decision to close our Fed charity shop on Cheetham Hill – The Charity Box – last month due to a change in landlord and a huge hike in rental charges. It really is the end of an era.
We bid a fond farewell to Michaela Nesbit inviting her to The Fed offices. We surprised her with a presentation to thank her for 17 years’ devoted service behind-the-scenes helping to prepare clothing for sale in the shop. She was thrilled. Her face said it all.
Amongst the photos you can see her with a tearful, Karen Morse, who has managed the shop for almost 21years, and our Chief Executive, Mark Cunningham, who made the presentation.
We wish Michaela all the very best in finding new employment.
New Beginnings
Karen Morse last week made a sideways move across the organisation to join the activity team at Heathlands Village. Under the helm of manager, Nick Burgess, this wonderful team are responsible for providing a programme of activities, entertainment and stimulation for everyone living in our care village.
Not everyone can or wants to come to the centre so Nick’s team also runs satellite activity programmes in the various households which make up our village.
Karen isn’t a total stranger to working at Heathlands as when the shop was shut during Covid she helped out running the village shop and got to know a lot of residents. Sadly, she says that the deterioration in cognitive function of some residents she has met anew has “been a shock to the system” – especially one lady who frequently came into the charity shop to donate goods and who she met again at Heathlands during Covid: “She’s non-verbal now but she held my face and stroked it and I’m sure she recognised me.”
Even having worked for The Fed for over two decades Karen hadn’t fully appreciated how dementia can change people and how much care they may come to need with everything. But on the bright side she added, “I can’t believe how lucky I am – I lost my job but I’ve got a new job and hopefully I’ll bring something else to this department. In the charity shop I saw a lot of hardship and helped a lot of local people who were down on their luck and now, whoever’s in here, if I can give them a bit of love and care and attention then that will go a long way, won’t it?”