Even if she uses a wheelchair, Susan Mullally sees no reason to stop helping other people.
Although she has multiple sclerosis, Mrs Mullally will live as independent a life as she can.
She is a resident of the Highfiedl Care Home, which is part of the Pendine Park care organisation.
Once a week Mrs Mullally volunteers to help out serving customers at the Food Co-operative set up in the Gwersyllt Community Resource Centre.
“Basically it’s a local meeting place and anyone can turn up and put in an order for foodstuffs a week or so in advance and they are delivered to the centre where they can pick them up.
“I go once a week for about two to two and a half hours. I don’t move very fast or independently but I manage serving behind the tables,” she said. Mrs Mullally also helps register the names and details of shoppers so that the co-operative can work out what volumes of food to order.
Gerry Humphreys, Pendine Park’s activities co-ordinator, said: “Susan told me that she wanted to do more than she was already doing and I suggested perhaps she would like to volunteer.
“She liked the idea and now helps out at the food co-op once a week. Susan also has an interest in art and calligraphy.”
Born in Cornwall, Mrs Mullally moved about a lot thanks to her father’s military career and later with her ex-husband, until she found herself in North Wales.
She had completed secretarial training in London when she discovered she had the onset of MS. She has also done work training people for managerial positions.
“I kept working for a good while but then I could not get around or drive,” said Mrs Mullally. About five years ago she decided she would need to enter a home and decided on Highfield.
“You can feel a bit useless at first so you need to develop a few interests to keep busy. They have a resident artist at Pendine and I discovered I could do calligraphy, which I’m interested in. I also like reading and they come with a mobile library.”
Mrs Mullally also gets into Wrexham by taxi and manages some shopping, she visits the MS Society branch at Chester, and still retains her interest in theatre and attends the theatre in Mold, where she used to live.
“I just got to the point where I said to Gerry I wanted to do something which was remotely useful and to meet other people and she fixed it. There’s so much going on at all these homes, I don’t know how Gerry keeps up with it all.”
Natalie Edwards is the Rural Regeneration Unit’s (RRU) food development worker for Wrexham and Flintshire areas where there are more than 60 food co-operatives.
“The Gwersyllt food co-operative has only recently started but is already going very, very well. It’s a very friendly, welcoming atmosphere and links in with the luncheon club and toddlers group.
“Susan said she wanted to add value to her life which I thought was brilliant and she’s actually inquired about volunteering at some of our other co-ops in Wrexham.”
Orders and payment for £3 bags of fresh seasonal fruit and veg’ are placed a week before, orders placed with local farmers, producers or wholesalers, delivered to the co-operative for sale at wholesale prices – cutting out the middle man and avoiding any wastage – giving customers access to fresh, seasonal produce at competitive prices, and supporting local producers.
Volunteers organise the ordering, bag up the produce in recyclable bags and collect the money. Some food co-operatives in North Wales even operate out of homes for the elderly.
Wales-wide there are well over 300 co-operatives in a scheme which is funded through Welsh Assembly Government help for RRU via its rural affairs and health departments and linked to its healthy eating schemes.
Many of the not-for-profit co-operatives have adapted their schemes and now include fish – using a fishery at Bodfari – and eggs, and locally baked bread.
