Jacquie from Brampton has always been a doer. She became a widow 31 years ago, with two young children at the time and says “I knew I just had to take responsibility and get things done for myself and my children. I think that’s made me who I am today. My children are all grown up now; I’m a grandmother of seven and I love to spend lots of time with them all. My life is very family oriented but I love doing my voluntary work as well.”
“I retired at 60 and only managed three months before I knew I had to do something with my time. I started volunteering at the Hinchingbrooke Hospital charity shop and when that had to close, it just so happened that Magpas Air Ambulance were moving into their new Headquarters in Huntingdon. They had enough room for a charity shop in their new building and a group of us decided to start volunteering there together. It just worked out really well.”
“I’ve always been quite good at admin and after a long time of volunteering in retail, I decided I wanted to do something different. I asked the office team if my skills would be of use to them and they jumped at the suggestion!”
“I can see how much work the staff do here and they’re not a big team at all! The way I see it, if I can take even a little bit of the workload off of them, that’s great. I call them the ‘less important jobs’, but they tell me off when I do.”
“I really enjoy volunteering with Magpas Air Ambulance. It’s so much fun and the camaraderie within the office is infectious. It’s just a happy place to be; everyone is so welcoming and they genuinely make you feel part of the team. On top of all of that, you can actually see that you’re making a difference and helping this amazing charity – I can’t think of any other offices like that.”
As a volunteer at Magpas Air Ambulance, any time you can donate will help us keep our lifesaving service running 24/7. If Jacquie has inspired you to volunteer with us, head to https://magpas.org.uk/support-us/volunteering-opportunities/ to find out more.
