It is not often that a Charity celebrates a birthday and a retirement in the same month. We could not find a more fitting occasion to wish our long standing Chairperson ‘bon voyage’ than our thirtieth birthday.

Mike Tomlin has guided Frade for almost three decades and under his leadership we have moved mountains literally from operating from Councillor Julia Cherrett’s garage to small premises in Green Lane, Stockton to the opening of our fifth store in Guisborough.

Reverend Gillian Bobbitt from the Stockton United Reformed Church also played a huge role in the very formative days of the charity.

Mike and Jane Tomlin have been an amazing partnership guiding the Association and then Charity, so it was only fitting that we held a party [social distancing in place] at our Middlesbrough store.

Our Shedders wanted to show their appreciation and presented a wonderful hand-made bird feeing table for their garden.

CEO Michael Bertram also presented Jane Tomlin with a small vase of flowers and a small gift from the Board of Directors of an engraved pen for our beloved Chairperson.

Mike Tomlin then took us all down memory lane of the earliest days of Frade’s formative days and paid thanks to the staff, volunteers and his fellow Board Directors for their service over many years.

In recognition of the sterling efforts of past and present Directors, Mike Tomlin announced the launch of our ‘Founders Fund’ which is now in place to help those in our community who maybe do not qualify for any government or other community support. This new fund will be administered by our Store Managers with final oversight by the Board of Directors.