Imagine a career which has seen you take Lulu shopping for socks, microwave a bowl of soup for Ainsley Harriott, or have to go hunting for Ruby Wax in the lingerie department of your store.

More recently, that varied working life involved playing a pivotal fundraising role in helping secure a new cancer advice centre for Norwich.

As she comes to the end of a long – and hugely-enjoyable – career in marketing, communications and fundraising, I am asking Carole Slaughter to recall some of the most rewarding and quirkier highlights of her working life.

Carole is currently head of fundraising, marketing and communications at the Big C cancer support charity, but prior to that she worked for Norwich department store Jarrold for 16 years, leading its marketing and events activities.

It was here that she came across the many celebrities and renowned authors who have in some cases become friends.

Moving to Big C

Carole acknowledges that she has always been one for taking opportunities, and that was the case with the move to Big C in 2019, as well as a feeling that the time was right.

“Jarrolds was a really busy job and I had done it for a long time,” she explained. “It was simply that there was this opportunity to come to Big C and I thought if I don’t do this now, then I won’t do it because I am going to run out of time.

“I felt I had given Jarrold a lot of years so I thought I would give this last bit of my career to helping Big C, which was a charity I had worked with at Jarrold.

“I knew the charity well, I knew some of the people here and I had raised money for them at Jarrold several times, so it just seemed to be a place I’d like to come to - and I was right about that.”

While Carole acknowledges she didn’t have a specific fundraising background when she joined Big C, her previous collaborations with charities and events organised during her time at Jarrold proved invaluable.

Initially appointed head of fundraising, that role evolved as the coronavirus pandemic struck, with the decision to amalgamate the Big C fundraising, marketing and communications together as one team.

“That means I have gone back to my marketing roots, and added fundraising,” she said.

New support centre

Big C, established in 1970s, has four key strands to its work: offering support through its cancer support and information centres and online and telephone-based support to help local cancer patients and their families and friends to improve their quality of life, physical health, and mental wellbeing; help fund world-class research into cancer with more than £12.5m invested into studies at Norwich Research Park; fund medical equipment, facilities and resources in the region’s main NHS hospitals; and provide education programmes for the public and healthcare professionals.

During Carole's tenure, the key capital project has been raising finances to build a new Big C cancer support centre on Dereham Road in Norwich in the former Blockbuster premises.

“We initially needed to raise £500,000, but since the pandemic we have raised that target to the full cost of the building, which is £750,000,” she said.

“That has been our main project and my main role has been to fundraise for that, which has been interesting in a time of pandemic. We were not able to do any of the traditional fundraising events, the shops were all closed and we weren’t able to go out and about like we would normally do, so we had to switch the focus.”

While supporters still did as much of their traditional fundraising work as they could, Big C began applying to a variety of organisations, trusts and foundations for finance and that has proved successful.

“I’m pleased to say we have just reached £700,000 of our target,” said Carole. “Work started on the centre in July and we are aiming to open it in March 2022.”

Support challenges

While fundraising in a pandemic was a major challenge for Big C, it also meant the charity could not open any of its support centres in locations which include Norwich, Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn and Cromer, plus shops and support hubs in other towns, as face-to-face contact stopped with the continued spread of COVID-19.

That saw the switch to telephone and online support for patients and families, which has proved to be very successful.

“We managed to do an awful lot of that, but it was a huge challenge for the support and information team and also a communication challenge as well to make sure people kept contacting us,” she added.

“Big C is all about the people, we have terrific people working for Big C but I also get to meet thousands of people every year. I enjoy the environment that I work in and I found the challenge of raising the money for the Big C support centre to be something that I have really enjoyed and I am absolutely thrilled that we are almost there.”

Future plans

Having turned 66 in October, Carole officially retires from the charity at the end of December.

“It seemed the natural thing to do, providing I can actually do it,” she said. “I am not someone who is used to sitting still and not having things to do, so I will have to look to channel my energies into a new direction.”

So, what her those future plans?

“First of all, I am going to keep helping Big C. I am a committee member of a group called Lilac, which raises money for Big C, so will carry on with that.”

Elsewhere, she is stepping down as chair of Hethersett Bowls Club and becoming club captain, which will see her be more involved in the day-to-day running of the club.

With husband John, there are also plans to go on holidays to visit friends on the south coast and also head up to Durham, taking their Norfolk Terrier Monty along with them, and Carole has plans to travel to New York in November.

Events and shows

The carefully considered move to Big C came after a high-profile role as marketing and events manager with independent retailer Jarrold.

“Before that I worked for a company that sold computer accounting software which was based in Norwich and Borehamwood, so I used to spend a lot of time on the M11,” said Carole.

“But I enjoyed working for Jarrold because it is a great place to work and I particularly enjoyed the events we put on.”

These ranged from small events through to book launches, beauty evenings and fashion shows, and to larger events at the Royal Norfolk Show and Fakenham Races Ladies Day.

It was a role that brought her into contact with thousands of people, but as she interjects: “Many people would be surprised to know that I was really shy as a child and very quiet.”

One aspect she particularly enjoyed were the renowned Jarrold book launches, which saw her host literally hundreds of well-known national and international authors, including many Norfolk-based writers.

These visiting authors included Stephen Fry, David Attenborough, CJ Sansom and Elly Griffiths, as well as Phyllida Scrivens, Simon Scarrow, DJ Taylor, Rachel Hore and Sarah Perry.

“Elly Griffiths is an author who I know well and we have become quite good friends. I have launched all of her books and am currently reading The Zig Zag Girl,” commented Carole.

“I liked meeting people like Mary Berry and Brian Blessed - I had a great conversation with him when he came to Jarrold - and Stephen Fry is always a favourite, and I have met him quite a few times.”

And it appears that there was often something quirky in these visits: besides supplying soup and socks to Ainsley and Lulu, she has steamed Steve Coogan’s shirt, and shopped with Ruby Wax for pyjamas and mascara with Nigella Lawson.

She also reflects on how many of these well-known authors and celebrities would enjoy wandering through the store, often unnoticed and unhindered by everyday shoppers to browse in the various departments, and recalls ‘losing’ Ruby Wax, until she was spotted looking for lingerie.

Career highlights

Asked if there has been a highlight to her career, Carole paused and then suggested that rather than a single role or memory, it is the sheer enjoyment she has had in the various roles across her working life.

“I have always been really lucky, I have had several different jobs,” she said. “I started in banking in Barclays Bank in Norwich and did marketing at the computer company and Jarrold and now big C and I have enjoyed every single job that I have had. I have worked with some fantastic people and I have met so many people.

“What has been most challenging with marketing is that you have to juggle many balls and wear many hats; in my experience keeping all those balls in the air is the most challenging aspect.”

She has also enjoyed mentoring younger people, seeing them flourish and go on to have further success in their careers.

“I have always believed that you have to take opportunities, I have always done that, and Big C was such an opportunity.”

Love of Norfolk

Born in Hellesdon, Carole has always been Norfolk based, with a deep love and passion for the county.

“When I did work out of the city with the computer company and travelling all over the country, it was always lovely to come back to Norfolk. I used to love hitting the A11 and getting back to Norfolk. I would not want to live anywhere else.

“I like the vibrancy of Norwich and the fact that there is just so much happening in Norwich in so many different spheres.

“I think Norwich is a fantastic place and I also love the north Norfolk coast. I quite like the idea to holiday in Norfolk or Suffolk. I will very happily go on holiday in Cromer, stand on the beach, and go up to Holkham or Wells. Why do you need not go anywhere else?

“Even though it is only a few miles down the road you just relax and it is better than going into an airport and queuing up for hours. Cromer is one of my favourite places.”

Getting things done

Carole and husband John have two daughters, Bethany and Jenna, and now live in Hethersett after living in Norwich for 30 years.

In addition to playing outdoor bowls in Hethersett, and indoor bowls at the Norfolk Bowling Club on Unthank Road, Carole has been part of the Norwich Business Women’s Network since 2007 and is a past chair, and enjoys walks with the dog, swimming and reading.

“I might have to find some new hobbies, but I do like to work, my husband would agree with that. I am really looking forward to retiring but it is going to be a bit of adjustment because I am the sort of person who likes to get up every morning and come to work.

“With all the events at Jarrold, we used to work all day and do an event in the evening. That is how you did things, how you got things done,” said Carole. “I am a one for getting things done, that should be on my tombstone…’she gets things done.’”

Big C Cancer Charity: Visit big-c.co.uk or call 0800 092 7640

I'm reading: The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths, I really like Elly’s books as they have such a strong Norfolk interest in them. I’ve also just read The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri.

I'm watching: Strictly Come Dancing and The Great British Bake Off. I’ve also been watching Salvage Hunters and I like antique programmes - Antiques Road Trip and things like The Repair Shop.

I'm listening to: The Lockdown Sessions by Elton John, but I like all sorts of music.