Thursday 13 July 2023

A SINGLE MUM of four who took the risk of quitting her full-time job in the NHS to run her own greetings card shop in Beverley and then had to cope with closing down three times during the Pandemic, has proved hard work really does pay off by scooping a prestigious national award.

Donna Stocks (pictured) runs the Beverley Card Company in Dyer Lane and won the country’s best greeting card retailer newcomer award at this year’s Retas, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London and organised by Progressive Greetings magazine. The category was open to any business opening a new store since 2020.

Donna took over the Special Days card and gift shop in 2021, leaving her job as a medical secretary; then two years on, and after enforced closures because of lockdown, moved into much bigger neighbouring premises in February of this year. 

Donna said: “I didn’t in my wildest dreams expect to win a trophy on my first visit to the Retas, being part of such a prestigious event was enough,” and continued: “This makes all my efforts worthwhile, I love what I do and l’m passionate about my business. It’s not been an easy ride with Covid hitting three times in my first year but I took the plunge and expanded and I’ve never looked back.”

A NUMBER of MPs from both main parties across East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire are campaigning to keep ticket offices at railway stations, describing the proposals as “unfair on travellers.” Offices at risk of closure include those at Hull Paragon and Beverley.

MPs taking up the issue include Labour’s Dame Diana Johnson and Karl Turner in Hull and in Northern Lincolnshire, Conservatives Martin Vickers, who represents Cleethorpes, and Scunthorpe MP Holly Mumby Croft.