Mary has been an ELF volunteering stalwart for many years, helping out at raffles, table top sales, summer shows, collection box responsibilities, as well as being an integral member of her local ELF group. This is in addition to her annual coffee morning which has raised many hundreds of pounds over the last 7 years. Nothing has ever been too much trouble for Mary, always eager to support and help when and where possible. Dale Edwards, who presented the award, said âI remember meeting Mary very early on in my career at ELF back in February 2008. Mary and I were selling raffle tickets for âguess the number of balls in the car competitionâ at Otter Nurseries in exceptionally cold and wet conditions. Even then I knew Mary was a special lady who was dedicated to the cause and certainly deserves the award for the many hours of tireless support she has givenâ. Mary commented âI learnt of the work of ELF when my husband was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia back in 2001. When visiting my husband in the Haematology Centre I got to learn of all the extra things that were provided by ELF to make the patients stay and treatments more comfortable, from then on I decided it was a cause that I would like to support. I have some good memories of the various events that I have helped with and of the other volunteers that I have met, sometimes trying hard to keep warm and at other times enjoying the sunshine.â
