15. Laura Rawlins

Laura Rawlins, manager at our St Thomas Street shop in Weymouth, is our longest serving member of retail staff having started as a Deputy Manager in the same shop back in 2006. Laura applied for the job when she moved to Weymouth, having previously worked in an office environment which she gave up when she had children. Laura also had a love for retro clothing so it was a perfect fit. Over the years she spent time working in other Weldmar Hospicecare charity shops around Weymouth before returning to the shop in St Thomas Street where she started.

Laura really enjoys the variety in the job and that no two days are the same, having to adapt and change plans as required. Her favourite thing about her job is the people, she says “I’ve met a lot of lovely volunteers who I’ve worked with for a long time. It’s sad when some of them pass away, and when some of them leave as they just can’t do it anymore. I also have customers that have followed me to the different shops that I have worked in.”

Laura really enjoys working for a charity. She says “It’s nice working for a good cause, you’re not just feeding a fat cat basically, your job and what you do is making a difference to people.”