Oswestry woman wins national charity award for volunteering

Sue McKevitt, aged 76, was awarded ‘Volunteer of the Year’ at the 2022 Sense Awards for her involvement in the Sense charity shop.

Sue has been a volunteer at the Oswestry Sense store since its opening in April 2022, saying she got ‘fed up’ of looking at her four walls at home and ventured into the shop on Cross Street. The judging panel noted her dedication to volunteering three days a week at the store, which sells a range of goods to fund support for children and adults who have complex disabilities and are deafblind.

Volunteering has helped her mindset around her cancer

Sue was sadly diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 2007, which affects several parts of her body and requires daily chemotherapy. Sue cites volunteering at the Oswestry Sense shop as a help with her mindset around her cancer, as it allows her to meet new people and keep herself busy.

Sue was nominated by fellow volunteers and staff at the store, who called her an ‘inspiration’ for remaining positive and active whilst receiving cancer treatment.

Sue McKevitt said: “I can’t believe that I’ve won, I’ve never had anything like this before.

“I have cancer, and volunteering at Sense gives me a life that I might not have if I didn’t come to the shop. It's difficult for people to understand when you’ve got an illness how you live with it; volunteering at Sense is my way of living with it.”

Sense Chief Executive, Richard Kramer, said:

“We were delighted to award Sue with the Sense Award for Volunteer of the Year in recognition of the huge amount of dedication she puts into the success of the Sense shop in Oswestry. Sue’s commitment has helped bring in more funds to support people with complex disabilities.”

The annual Sense Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of people with disabilities, as well as the staff, carers, family members, volunteers and fundraisers who support them.