Over the many years that Del has been around, there is very little this amazing lady has not done! Everyone in our community knows and loves Del. Del is truly a volunteer who goes above and beyond on a regular basis. We are blessed to have the unwavering and loyal support from such a super volunteer! Del is truly one in million!
Pippa Boss, CO of Rhayader & District Community Support, nominated our lovely Del for the prestigious Rhayader Citizen of the Year Award 2020 and we were absolutely thrilled to hear that Del has been chosen to receive this honour. Del truly deserves to be recognised for her tireless and enthusiastic efforts towards helping others.
Here are just a few examples of Del's volunteering work. For our organisation, Rhayader & District Community Support (The Arches), Del fills in as our Dial-A-Ride driver when our regular driver is away. We always know when Del has had charge of the vehicle because Carys the Caddy always comes back spotless! Dial-a-Ride members always say how much they love Del driving and how much extra support she gives – helping them do their shopping, walking them into luncheon club and so much more.
Del is a passenger assistant on minibus trips and as well as looking after the passengers she will always entertain them with a sing song and some dancing!
Del regularly helps out in our Community Shop and office. She will step in at short notice to provide cover. She is also on hand to help organise any fundraisers, including coffee mornings, our Annual Craft Fair and any other events – woe betide you if you don’t buy a raffle ticket!!
Del also helps out with Volunteer celebratory events and promotions during volunteer week often providing the entertainment as part of her singing duo. She will do the jobs other volunteers really don’t like such as counting out the small change from our donation tins and going around the local businesses and shops asking for raffle prize donations!
If all of that wasn’t enough…Del is also a befriender, providing companionship and support to several residents in the Rhayader and District area.
She spends 2 or 3 days a week volunteering at Bryngwy Residential Home, where she provides manicures for the residents, assists the carers with mealtimes and takes some of the more able residents out for a walk around the grounds or into Rhayader. The daughter of one resident cannot praise her enough: “My dad adores Del. He looks forward to her visits with great excitement and loves being taken around town with his ‘lady friend’.” Del even spends some of her free time at home knitting and crocheting blankets for the residents.
Del is active in the cultural and artistic life of the town too, volunteering for the museum and community arts centre (CARAD), including taking part in their many events – Rhayader Carnival, Dragon Festival, A Very Rhayader Christmas (Del the Elf). Over the years she has also been a key volunteer for the Willow Globe Theatre, co-ordinating other volunteers and managing the front of house with her partner, Roger, running the bar.
Somehow, Del also finds time to rehearse and perform with her singing duo entertaining at local care homes and at community events too.
This is what Del has to say about volunteering:
“ I’ve always been a caring person and after 37 years working at different levels in the NHS, I decided I would like to continue caring for people in my retirement. I was already doing some volunteering so when I retired, I signed up with several organisations to do more volunteering.
To me a volunteer is a person who voluntarily offers their time/services to an individual or to an organisation. It can be paid or unpaid depending on the type of volunteering and the organisation. (I opt for unpaid). I’ve been volunteering for several organisations since 2005.
Volunteering gives me a sense of satisfaction, to know that I’m helping someone, either an individual or a group of people/organisation. It gives me the opportunity to interact with people in the local community and to meet different groups of people. I have learnt all sorts of different skills from volunteering:
· Befriending
· Helping out in residential homes
· Helping with shopping
· Collecting and delivering medicines
· Accompanying clients out for walks
· Driving someone to an appointment e.g. Hospital, Doctors, Dentist etc
· Assisting in charity shops
· Assisting with charity fundraising events
· Helping out with admin work
· Assisting with several different clubs
*****The list is endless*****
Even when I’m not feeling 100% well, I’m still out there volunteering because I know someone will be depending on me.
I will continue to volunteer until my body gives up on me or until I’m no more!!!!!”
So a huge congratulations to Del on this award, a very worthy winner.
Thank you for all that you do for us as an organisation as well as the wider community. We are blessed to have you in our midst!
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