News

Now that our Blackburn team have all started and our newest store is doing brilliantly, it’s time to introduce you to the shop staff who’ll be greeting the good people of Blackburn and contributing towards the exciting developments in our growing retail network.

Steph Todd – Shop Manager

Our Blackburn Shop Manager Steph is mum to a whirlwind future footballer and ex punk band member! (She says that they were terrible but fairly famous in Eastern Europe!)

Steph has worked in retail management for over a decade in a whole host of different businesses, and she’s joined us as she’d recently been searching for a job to fulfil her need to help people. Luckily for her, she found Derian House!

Steph is mostly looking forward to starting a new challenge in charity retail, and plans on making as big of a splash in the fundraising pot as she can muster! She likes to think of herself as a fun boss and enjoys looking silly, so feel free to volunteer her for embarrassing things (we reckon a shift in the Danni mascot should suffice!).

 

Tony Smalley – Assistant Manager

Tony is the Assistant Manager in our Blackburn store, and after having worked at Morrison’s supermarket for 25 years, he wanted to push himself to go into a more personally rewarding career.

What strikes him the most about Derian is everyone’s passion and team ethos to do the best job possible, and he’s excited to bring that same commitment and retail experience to our Blackburn store.

Outside of work, Tony enjoys watching films and going on days out when possible. He also likes going to the theatre, and he’s seen some great shows in Manchester and the West End.

 

Karen Radford – Shop Assistant

The first of our two shop assistants, Karen has worked in retail for the majority of her life, racking up an impressive 23 years at Debenham’s before the Blackburn store she worked at was one of 130 to close its’ doors for the final time last summer.

She’s really excited about working as part of a smaller, close-nit team and raising as much money for Derian House as possible. ‘I’m looking forward to life after Debenham’s’, she went on to say.

 

Cath Prince – Shop Assistant

Cath has also worked in retail for a large part of her life, with 20 years working for a helpline that dealt with a range of issues including domestic violence, refuge accommodation, homelessness, substance abuse and mental health.

She’s always been aware of Derian House as her nephew used to use our services, and as soon as she saw the role advertised she felt a connection and really wanted it.

Cath is really looking forward to working in a front-facing role once again and meeting new people. She’s experienced in both team and lone working, so is passionate about getting stuck in and making a difference.

When she’s not at work, Cath loves photography and eventually wants to do a course in it, aswell as walking her dogs and spending time with family.