Ed Sheeran Keen To Get Away From Music And Work In A Charity Shop

Ed Sheeran has taken the rather extraordinary step to take a break from music and instead work in a charity shop in his hometown of Framlingham, Suffolk, if reports flooding the online media are to be believed.

According to Mirror, a source close to Ed Sheeran has revealed that the pop singer is keen to offload his duties as a touring musician next month to spend some time working as an assistant at the Sue Ryder shop in his hometown. Reports suggest that Ed’s sabbatical from music can last up to four weeks with the singer already in discussions to set up a new youth center in the town, having earlier credited its old youth club for getting him started in music.

The decision by Sheeran to work in a charity shop comes at a time in his career when the West Yorkshire-born singer has taken the music-world by storm, having consistently been rated as one of pop music’s A-list stars in the last one year. Ed’s second album X, which was released in 2014, has gone on to sell more than 5.8 million copies worldwide, and he recently performed to sold-out crowds in London’s iconic Wembley stadium.

However, the fact that Ed Sheeran is associated with charity organizations is also not completely surprising. The singer, like his good A-list pal Taylor Swift, has a history of raising money for important causes, both in his hometown and elsewhere. According to The Independent,Ed donated about eight bags of his outfits (including the ones he wore at the Grammy Awards) to the St Elizabeth Hospice charity shop in the town early last year, helping raise several thousand dollars in the process.

Jacqui Bell, the manager of the shop where Ed is most likely to volunteer, sounded extremely excited at the prospect of the pop-star joining hands with local folks in an attempt to raise money for needy causes.

“There’s a good possibility he will volunteer here. We’d welcome him.”

Ms Bell also pointed out that most of Ed’s fellow volunteers are looking forward to working with him, even though they represent a generation far removed from Sheeran’s.

“My volunteers, who are aged between 61 and 91, know Ed because he was brought up in the town. They would be fine working with him. He purchased the old police station to open up a youth club for £1 million, so he’ll also be helping there when it’s up and running. I think he will draw the youngsters into our shop which would be good for us.”

Ed Sheeran’s fans took to social media to express their joy at his decision, pointing out that despite all the success, Ed has done wonderfully well to remain grounded and in touch with his local community.

Can't believe ed sheeran is taking a month of music to work in a charity shop he's amazing

— sarah (@Fgssarah) August 23, 2015

Some people, however, appeared pleased for different reasons.

Says in the paper that Ed Sheeran's taking a month off from music to work in a charity shop. Don't rush back on our account, son.

— MrPaulRobinson (@MrPaulRobinson) August 23, 2015

Of course, many people do indeed wish Ed Sheeran all the best in his endeavors.

(Photo by Joerg Koch/Getty Images)