Claire is usually the first face people see when they walk into Dodge Interiors in Sherborne. She is front of house, shop assistant and also deals with the advertising. Starting out in the back office some 28 years ago, then moving into the carpet department and now others, Claire works for this soft furnishings and interior design company three days a week.
Claire took intermittent breaks from work to have her five children. Now all grown up only the twins, soon to be 18, still live at home. Getting up at 6.30am and waking the house up, Claire then sets about work at Dodge Interiors, opening the post, checking emails and answering the phone, dealing with enquiries about fabric and sofa prices among other things. She states ‘We don’t try to compete with the high street brands as our sofas are all different with a bespoke range of covers which are more personal. I find out what the customers want and then point them in the right direction. Our customers come for good quality which they know they’ll get through our reputation’.
Claiming to be a normal working mum who comes home to cook the tea, Claire also goes by the name of Beaver Scout Leader. When the twins were six years old she took them to a new Beaver Colony after seeing an advert. It seems she didn’t leave fast enough and was the last parent standing, resulting in her being made leader.
Helping children achieve their badges Claire gets involved in stargazing, farm to fork trails, archery and creating junk models from scrap. She also takes her beaver colony out camping with the cubs. This is an introduction to scouting life which usually involves some form of chicken stew for supper and an old fashioned camp fry up for breakfast. When not working or out making dens, Claire takes time to go to Brittany to enjoy the cottage she renovated with her family.
