Veteran volunteer, 98, steps down after more than 30 years of service to Sue Ryder charity shop in Cavendish
A 98-year-old woman, who dedicated more than three decades to supporting a charity which provides vital support for people living with a terminal illness, has stepped down from her role.
Renee Rowe has been a key member of the voluntary team at the Sue Ryder charity shop in Cavendish for 33 years.
After moving to the village in 1987 with her husband, Donald, Mrs Rowe joined store as a volunteer two years later.
“I have always been happy there,” she said. “And I’ve met a lot of people over the years.”
In 2018, Mrs Rowe was invited to the Queen’s garden party at Buckingham Palace in London, in recognition of her services to the charity.
“It was a very interesting experience,” she said, adding that it was also humbling to have won an accolade for her voluntary efforts at the Suffolk Care Awards during the same year.
“Volunteering has been my livelihood,” said the great grandmother. “It’s what I’ve liked doing.”
Before his death in 1998, Mrs Rowe’s husband received vital care as a patient at a Sue Ryder hospice.
Earlier in her life, Mrs Rowe qualified as a teacher – after the Second World War ended – before going on to teach at a private primary school in Essex for 18 years.
Her son and daughter live in Long Melford and Sudbury, respectively. She has three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Due to the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic, Mrs Rowe, of Pentlow Drive, made the difficult decision to step down from volunteering at the shop.
Commending her dedication to the charity, shop manager Gemma Rose said: “We are so incredibly grateful to Renee for the support she’s given Sue Ryder over the years.”
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