Mary Fleming

Mary took early retirement but soon decided that she needed something worthwhile to fill her time. As she had worked in HR, she initially looked for a volunteering opportunity which could utilise her existing skills. She began volunteering as a Mentor with Lauder College Employment & Enterprise helping young unemployed people. Then one day she saw an advert for the Dunfermline Chest, Heart and Stroke Club. She had no personal experience within this field but thought it would be very interesting.

Over and above learning how to deal with survivors of strokes in general, Mary said, “I learned a lot about disability awareness, which I had not known prior to working there, about the barriers faced on a daily basis. I also learned a lot of patience, as survivors of stroke often have very sharp minds, but just cannot express themselves so clearly.” So where initially Mary volunteered to give something of herself to others, she now believes that she is getting a lot back too. Mary has recently begun working part-time as an Administrator for Crossroads.