When Patsy Caskey says volunteering is a rewarding thing to do, she is speaking from experience. More than six decades of it, in fact, as Patsy has spent the past 60-plus years giving her time and skills freely to a wide range of organisations.
One of this year’s three Stratford District Citizen Award recipients, Patsy has spent countless hours over the years volunteering for all sorts of local and national groups, including the Stratford Foodbank, the Stratford Hospice Shop, Meals on Wheels and assisting with the Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day. Patsy is also an integral part of the Catholic Mission Group (formerly known as the Catholic Women’s League), volunteers for which help the parish in a number of ways, from visiting the sick to preparing food for funerals and organising and hosting monthly entertainment events at the parish. As a member of the Immaculate Conception parish community, Patsy also helps with cleaning at the church and providing transport for parishioners who otherwise might not be able to attend services.
Patsy is known to be humble, never seeking the limelight or praise for the things she does. Her nominators for the Citizen Award described her as being the “most unassuming yet valuable person”, saying without people like Patsy, the whole community would struggle.
While Patsy has humbly agreed to accept the Citizen Award, she asked not to be interviewed or photographed prior to the awards ceremony, saying she would rather the focus remained on the need for more people to volunteer.
