Pensioner's 30 years at Chelmsley Wood charity

"THANK YOU": Long-serving volunteer Sylvia Hetherington

A PENSIONER who has been volunteering at Barnardo's for the past 30 years has received an award for her exceptional service.
Sylvia Hetherington, from Chelmsley Wood, received the special "thank you" from colleagues as the children's charity marked Volunteers' Week.
The 73-year-old had started helping out at her local branch, in Chelmsley town centre, to assist her search for a job. But even after she got into work, Sylvia carried on supporting the organisation and is still involved three decades later.
The mum-of-two, who said she very much enjoyed meeting new people, was delighted to be presented with an engraved wooden trophy in the shape of a 'B' last week.
"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," said Sylvia.
"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."
Javed Khan, the charity's chief executive, singled Sylvia out for praise in an article for the Huffington Post paying tribute to those who helped out.
He said: "These incredible volunteers are the lifeblood of Barnardo’s and I cannot thank them enough for their life-long loyalty to the charity. Without them, we would not be able to help the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children and young people each year."
The Barnardo’s store is open Monday-Saturday from 9am-5pm and Sundays from 10am-4pm. To find out about volunteering yourself call 0121 788 0737 or visit www.barnardos.org.uk