A devoted volunteer described as “phenomenal” is celebrating 10 years with the RSPCA and has been given a prestigious award.
Sandra Pilkington, of First Avenue, Sheerness, has received the RSPCA Exceptional Dedication Queen Victoria Award 2023 and has been invited to a presentation at Buckingham Palace in May.
Each yr the charity holds nationwide awards, so anybody within the RSPCA community can nominate employees or volunteers for various areas of labor.
More than 200 individuals had been nominated and a panel picked out one volunteer and employees member to be recognised for the primary award.
Natalie Archer, undertaking supervisor for the RSPCA Canterbury and district department space, nominated Sandra to provide her recognition for the work she has achieved within the RSPCA’s Sheerness High Street store “because she is phenomenal”.
Sandra, who’s 72 and retired when she was 62, determined to affix the shop’s crew in 2014 as a result of she was “bored at home”.
Asked in regards to the award, Sandra stated: “I was shocked, because I’d missed the first email, I think I might have deleted it thinking it was a spam email.
“The next email I got said I was a finalist, and, on December 12, we watched the awards online and I won the Support and Engagement award and then I was given the Exceptional Dedication Queen Victoria award.
“Something like this never happens to someone like me.”
For receiving the Queen Victoria award Sandra has been invited to attend a ceremony – a backyard get together at Buckingham Palace – in May together with her daughter Claire.
The occasion shall be hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla and Sandra is awaiting her invitation which can arrive two weeks earlier than.
Natalie stated: “I felt like Sandra had never been acknowledged for any of the work that she does.
“She just goes above and beyond in her community and everything she does is voluntary.
“She’s full time and never misses a day ever and hasn’t been on holiday for ages.”
Sandra is thought by her colleagues and prospects for her dedication – typically making alterations to individuals’s garments once they buy one thing to make sure the merchandise matches correctly.
“She also crochets and knits stuff all year round for the window displays and sells them,” Natalie added.
The RSPCA charity retailer in Sheerness now has as much as 13 volunteers, which Natalie says is greater than some other store she manages.
One of the volunteers, Jack Turner, 28, who has additionally volunteered on the store for almost 10 years, stated: “Working alongside Sandra is absolutely amazing, she knows what to do, she’s one of the best managers.
“All of us have a great relationship with Sandra, we’re more like a family.”
Sandra, who has seven cats and two daughters, says she has no plans to retire and informed her daughter Claire “the day I leave here will be the day I drop down dead”.
The animal lover stated: “I’m not a lazy person and I’ve just got to be active all the time. I can’t sit and do nothing.
“I love the company and talking to people and when people bring their animals in it’s so lovely.
“I want to thank all the volunteers and also the customers – we get hundreds and hundreds of donations. It’s lovely that people support us the way they do.”
