Drake Circus appoints local seven-year-old as Chief Fun Officer
Drake Circus has revealed the successful candidate in its search for a new CFO – with seven-year-old Ellie from Plympton in Plymouth appointed as the centre’s official Chief Fun Officer.
Ellie was recruited to try out the wealth of retailers and experiences at the centre and give a child’s eye view on just how fun they really are ahead of the October half term.
Her application stood out to the team at Drake Circus for her fun-loving nature, with mum Corinne, who is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer, confirming the job role described her dream day to a tee and would be the perfect way for Ellie to take centre stage after supporting her mum over the past few months.
Ellie spent a full day at the centre last week, testing out the diverse range of activities available. From the excitement of toy testing at The Entertainer to the creativity of experimenting with bath bombs at Lush, her day got off to a great start.
After trialling all the latest flavours at Bubble CiTea, Ellie moved on to a behind-the-scenes tour of Cineworld, where she even got to pick out her own treats, before taking on a tee-rific 18-holes at Paradise Island Adventure Golf.
Ellie and her mum finished off her day with a much-needed meal at one of the centre’s restaurants, fuelling up after an action-packed day.
As part of her experience, Ellie also received a bespoke pair of wellies made entirely from recycled chewing gum as part of the centre’s latest sustainability initiative which will see Gumdrop bins installed to reduce waste.
Sharing her views on just how much fun the centre is for younger visitors, Ellie said: “I had the best day ever at Drake Circus – I just didn’t want it to end!
“My favourite thing was making my own pink octopus at Lush, and I loved toy testing at The Entertainer – I even got to choose a toy to take home! Golf was really fun too and I got to play with my mum which was even better, I can’t wait to come back again to look at all the other shops they have at Drake Circus in the school holidays!”
Mum Corinne added: “Ellie has had a really tough time lately whilst I’ve been undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Even whilst she couldn’t do much over the summer holidays, she never complained, and it’s been amazing to see her take centre stage and get the attention she deserves at Drake Circus.
“I’m so grateful to the team at the centre for making her day so special, and I’ve no doubt she’ll be back for even more fun over the half term break.”
Greg Lumley, centre director at Drake Circus and The Barcode, said: “We had some wonderful applications for our CFO role, and were blown away by the number of entries and everyone’s passion for the job! It was a difficult decision to select just one candidate, but Ellie stood out as a brilliant choice for us to take on her perfect day at the centre.
We're always looking for ways to enhance our visitor experience, and we’d like to thank Ellie for helping us to do just that ahead of the half term holidays.”
To find out more about the retailers and experiences on offer at Drake Circus and The Barcode, please visit: https://www.drakecircus.com/
