A Birmingham volunteer has been praised for supporting a children’s charity for 30 years. Sylvia Hetherington has been working at the Barnardo’s store in Chelmsley Wood since 1987.
The 73-year-old started volunteering to help her search for employment but continued to help even after she found a job. Now she is sharing her story as part of national Volunteers’ Week which runs from June 1-7.
She has also been presented with a series of gifts from colleagues, including an engraved wooden long-service award in the shape of a 'B' for Barnardo's. Barnardo’s manager Robyn Phillips said: “Sylvia is one of the charity’s longest-serving volunteers in the region.
“It’s amazing that someone would donate so much of their own time over so many years. Few people stay in paid employment for that long, which makes it all the more remarkable that she has done it without any financial reward. She’s fantastic. She’s brilliant with the customers and we love having her as a member of our team.”
Sylvia, a mother-of-two, had never worked until she started at the Chelmsley Wood store.
She said: “In the old days the women were often expected to stay at home and look after the children, so I suffered from a lack of work experience when I needed to start looking for a job.
“The job centre suggested that volunteering would help so I joined Barnardo’s and found that it really boosted my self-confidence. In fact I enjoyed it so much that I decided to carry on supporting them even after I found part-time employment.
“Everyone is really friendly and I like meeting people, and it’s nice to know that I’m helping such a good cause.”
