Inspirational women
Some of us are ready to party but for these volunteers, the New Year is all about putting others first
‘W E MAKE SICK CHILDR EN SMILE’
Vanessa Crocker, 60, from north London, will spend much of the festive period visiting children in hospital.
Our charity, Spread a Smile, grew from conversations at our kitchen tables in 2013. My friend Josephine Segal, 56, had arranged for a magician to visit her 12-year-old nephew, Aaron, who was having cancer treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Now enjoying life at university, that visit made such a difference to Aaron that he asked if she could do it for other patients.
Working together, we started with three entertainers – now we have more than 80. They visit 27 hospitals and three children’s hospices around the country. As a charity with no statutory funding, we rely on the generosity of supporters. Parents often tell us that it’s the first time they have seen their children smile for a long time.
Josephine and I are very hands-on. We go into hospitals with our entertainers, and spend time chatting to the children and their families. We also organise outings too. This year, those who can come out of hospital will join us in the new year on a trip to a West End theatre, meeting the cast afterwards. My husband, Paul, and four grown-up children know how much it means to me. Of course, there are sad times, but I am inspired by the children we meet and honoured to make a difference. ✢ spreadasmile.org
‘AS A MOUNTAIN R ESCUE VOLUNTEER , I AM ON CALL 24/7’
Mel Smith, 42, an osteopath from Huddersfield, is poised to volunteer with her local mountain rescue team again this New Year.
When the call came in last New Year’s Day, I grabbed my backpack and was soon trekking up nearby Marsden Moor, a huge expanse of wild heathland, to rescue a walker who had fallen. It was pitch dark, so the members of the Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team, where I’ve been a volunteer since 2020, split up to find the quickest route to her.
I arrived first with my fellow volunteer, midwife Nicola Ingle. We checked her over, suspecting a fractured ankle, then once the rest of the team joined us, we carried her on a stretcher to a waiting helicopter.
As a mountain rescue volunteer, I’m on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. My first festive call-out was 29 December 2021 – a 13-year-old girl had broken her leg sledging. A few days later, a woman was found hypothermic on the moor. We had to handle her gently, as rapid movements could have sent her into cardiac arrest.
Being part of the ‘Red Jackets’ has been incredible. I found out just how special the team was after I lost my husband
