Avon 'calls in' a fresh start for Combe Martin woman
A Combe Martin woman whose life has been hit by misfortune, heartache and bereavement has been able to turn it around with the help of a new job as an Avon Lady. The past couple of years have not been easy for Emily Griffiths: she was injured in a bad car
A Combe Martin woman whose life has been hit by misfortune, heartache and bereavement has been able to turn it around with the help of a new job as an Avon Lady.
The past couple of years have not been easy for Emily Griffiths: she was injured in a bad car accident and had to give up her job, her marriage broke up, her grandmother died and then she lost her mother to breast cancer.
Despite it all she fought back and a year ago set up her own business, selling cosmetic and beauty products from the well-known brand door-to-door - since then it has gone from strength to strength and Emily now runs a small but successful business.
The flexibility of being an Avon representative and managing her own time has also enabled the 30-year-old to return to college at Petroc in Barnstaple, where she is studying a full time foundation degree in psychology and sociology, with which she hopes to become a counsellor.
Disaster struck for Emily in July 2007 when she suffered back injuries in a car accident, which still affect her. She had worked for Co-op in Ilfracombe and then as store manager in Exeter, with the prospect of promotion to area manager, but the severity of her injuries meant she had to give up full time work.
She had been married only two months, but after the accident she split from her husband and moved back to her parents, only to suffer the double bereavement of losing her nan and then her mum Gaynor.
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But she said: "The whole process gave me more time with my mum and I was grateful for that."
She still needed to find work and the flexibility of Avon allowed her to work around both her studies and the effects of her injuries. The company also supports the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity, which gives the job added meaning for Emily.
"Within their framework you can do what you want, so if you have children or other commitments it's easier to fit around that," she said.
"At the moment I just want that something extra to keep me going and keep me sociable, plus I enjoy it.
