Why 90-year-old May loves volunteering

‘I think I’m the happiest person on earth,’ says bubbly, enthusiastic, ever-helpful May Dolphin, 90 years of age and a dedicated volunteer for Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin.

‘I love volunteering,’ she says. ‘You meet all kinds of people, and people are fascinating.’

May’s welcoming smile is now a feature of the Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin dementia support group at Forest Way, Monkmoor, where she is always ready to make you a cup of tea and find you a biscuit.

A mother of two sons, May was a school teacher by profession, and she and her husband Henry (also a teacher) came to Shrewsbury in the early 1970s.

‘I was born in Tregaron near Aberystwyth, and I was the runt of the family. All the others were hale and hearty but I was pale and skinny. Anyway. I decided on my future career at the age of five; I said I was going to be just like Miss Jones, my lovely teacher who was such an inspiration to me.’

Having settled in Shrewsbury, most of May’s career was spent at Harlescott Junior School. ‘Often a former pupil of mine will come up to me in the street for a chat and a hug,’ she says. ‘It’s so nice that they remember me.’

May’s husband died five years ago. He had had dementia. ‘People were so very kind to us, taking him to have his tests. The companionship of our friends was beautiful. I used to bring Henry to this group here in Monkmoor and we had fun.’

‘I suppose the reason that I’m coming here now to this group is that they were good to me here and they were good to Henry, so it’s payback time, if you like. But I love it!’

If you’d like to find out more about volunteering for Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin or you’d like some more information about our dementia support groups, call us on 01743 233 123 or email enquiries@ageukstw.org.uk