The Golden Years: In the year of the hospice’s 40th anniversary, gardening volunteer, Ron Barber, is coming up to ten years at the hospice and FIFTY years married.

Born at Clatterbridge Hospital in the 1950’s, Ron Barber came full circle when he volunteered for Wirral Hospice St John’s in 2013.

His mum and dad moved to South London when he was 10 and a few short years later he was studying at UMIST (University of Manchester), where he met his wife Doreen, a Dubliner, and then his career as a chemical engineer took him via Welwyn Garden City, Kent and then back Up North, to Helsby (BICC Cables) and Middlewich (British Salt).

He was settled back in the Wirral from 1987 where he and Doreen then brought up their four children, Joe, Ruth, Sarah and Anne.

When he retired, Ron had some time on his hands and giving back time in his his local community appealed to him. A visit to a volunteers fair at Birkenhead library in 2013 brought the hospice to his attention and he signed up to volunteer as soon as possible.

Living in Spital meant that, most of the time, Ron could cycle up to the hospice in good time for his weekly shifts. When he first started he remembers packing envelopes for hospice events, other occasions and the annual Christmas cards and calendars mail out.

A call for more garden volunteers also went out and although Ron doesn’t consider himself a gardener he knew he could add a little bit of muscle and guile to tidying up the hospice gardens.

And that’s what he does. Every Thursday, with a cheery “hello”, Ron, with clippers, loppers, a shovel or (if it’s switched off) a lawn mower in hand will greet staff, visitors and other volunteers alike

“Nothing too complicated” he says humbly. “Whatever needs doing, I’m not a garden expert and really happy to take instructions now I’m retired. I’m a tow that barge, lift that bale, kind of person. Trimming, weeding, digging, mowing, it all keeps me out of mischief. I can usually tell the difference between a flower and a weed, because a flower comes away easily while a weed will hang on for grim death.”

As a younger man Ron was a sprinter and competed at 100m for UMIST against other Universities, He’s been a member of the Birkenhead Park Run for a few years now. “I’m more of a plodder these days,” he says. We don’t thinks so as, in 2015 and in his 60’s, he completed the Wirral half marathon to raise funds for the hospice.

Alongside Doreen, Ron supports the hospice with kind donations every now and then, keeping a hospice collection box at home for all those spare pennies and pounds.

They are very much community people, attending Lower Bebington Methodist where Ron is a Steward and treasurer.

With their four children and three grandchildren based around the country in Brighton, Newcastle and Shipley, Ron is still spending quite a bit of time on the road.

It’s a big anniversary year all round as in the hospice’s fortieth year, in which Ron is making a great contribution to managing the garden in time for our Summer Fair on 24^th June, he will also be awarded his ten year long service award with the hospice and it’s also Ron and Doreen’s 50^th wedding anniversary in September!

Golden years indeed. We’re so glad you’ve spent so many of them with us Ron! Many, many thanks.