A 91-year-old “heroine” who has dedicated her life to caring for other people has won a prestigious lifetime achievement award.
Grandmother Eurwen Holland Edwards OBE has spent most of her life helping others through her voluntary work.
Her pioneering work and devotion was recognised when she received the Craig Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award.
It was presented at the Oscars-style Wales Care Awards held annually at Cardiff City Hall.
The ceremony is organised by Care Forum Wales to honour the outstanding contribution made by care professionals and volunteers across the country.
Mario Kreft, the Chair of Care Forum Wales who founded the Wales Care Awards nine years ago, said Eurwen was a very worthy winner.
He said: “When Mrs Edwards accepted her award, she lifted it like a footballer lifts a cup, with determination and strength and I think this really embodies the type of person she is. She is true heroine of social care.”
“I think she has now been recognised for the terrific amount of work she has done over all these years and it is fitting that someone who represents all that is good in social care should not only receive the award, but receive it in front of 500 people who were clearly all so thrilled for her.”
Mrs Edwards is the honorary President of the Pennaf Housing Group and a founder member of Clwyd Alyn Housing Association.
Her inspiration for her lifelong passion of helping others came from her father John Wynne, a postman from St Asaph, who died from pneumonia when she was only 11.
She said: “When I was small, my father would take me around the workhouses and we would talk to some of the people who were there who were less fortunate than us because my dad wanted me to understand that everybody is equal and you should treat people in the way you want to be treated – with kindness and respect.
“It is something which I have remembered all my life and has become very important to me.”
This guiding principle has seen her through decades of caring for other people which started long ago helping World War II evacuees from Liverpool settle in to their new Welsh surroundings and has included heading up the Clwyd branch of the WRVS for more than 20 years. The UK wide charity uses volunteers to support elderly people all over the country.
Mrs Edwards added: “There were 72 clubs in Clwyd at that time which needed our support and I quickly learnt that helping people to wash up was the best way to find out what their problems were.
“It’s no good just going to these clubs and standing at the front giving these people a talk on how you can help them. You need to get talking to them quietly when they are relaxed and you also have to listen. Then you can find out how best to help them and persuade them gently that they need that help because not everybody thinks they need it.”
Caring for the elderly has became a particular specialism for Mrs Edwards who has also been Chair of Age Concern in her area and President of the Clwyd Disability Association.
Mrs Edwards is also the President of Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council and Vice Chairman of the Wales Council for Voluntary Action.
She has also championed the cause of vulnerable young people and young families, particularly those who have been homeless.
Last year she was given an OBE for her dedication and commitment to volunteer work and travelled to the palace to receive her award.
She said: “I received my OBE from Prince Charles which was a real thrill. The only sadness was that my husband wasn’t there to see me receive it.”
Her late husband, Gwilym, a former estate agent and valuer, had Alzheimer’s and was unable to travel to the palace with his wife because of his illness and the care he needed.
The couple would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary next month but Gwilym sadly passed away just days after Eurwen received her award.
Eurwen said: “I think I understand even more now having someone dear to me who needed a lot of care, just how important it is.
“And it is not just important to the person you give it to but also the person who is giving it. You don’t go home and want to cry, you go home feeling a bit tired but you feel lovely that you have spent the day helping someone.”
Mr Graham Worthington, Chief Executive of the Pennaf Group said: “Everyone here is absolutely delighted for Mrs Edwards. She is a very worthy recipient of this prestigious award. She works with tireless enthusiasm for others and is a dedicated champion who speaks up for many of the most vulnerable people in society.
“She is not only hugely respected across the Pennaf Group, but she is also thought of with great affection and fondness by all who have had the privilege of working alongside her. She is an inspiration to us all.”
Mrs Edwards insisted her award was not just for her but for the thousands of people who have volunteered alongside her.
She said the award was a great highlight but when asked about the most important moment in her volunteer career, she said quite simply: “I think a thank you from someone who has really been at their wit’s end. I don’t think it is about medals but simply about having someone squeezing your hand and thanking you for helping them.
“That’s what has kept me going all these years!”
