We had great cause for celebration earlier this month as our oldest volunteer, Betty Nelson, celebrated her 102nd birthday in the cafe, and finally retired from her volunteering duties.
Betty blowing out her candles with fellow Minsmere volunteers Chris and Steve
Betty first started volunteering at Minsmere about 30 years ago, and many visitors will have met her during the 1990s and early 2000s when she regularly worked behind our welcome desk. Betty was always popular with staff and visitors alike, and had some amazing stories to tell about her time at Minsmere. She had a particular love of owls and swans, especially Bewick's swans.
In 2012 Betty stepped back the reception desk and took on the important task of maintaining our pin badges stocks and folding our events leaflets.
For many years, Betty's old Mini was a frequent sight in our car park, and for the past 15 years she has made use of the excellent demand responsive bus service to visit Minsmere every Saturday.
Betty's final volunteering shift at Minsmere was actually in March 2020, before the Covid-19 pandemic forced Minsmere's temporary closure. In September 2020 we welcomed her back to Minsmere to celebrate her 100th birthday, hoping that she would one be able to return as a volunteer, but sadly the time has now come for Betty to finally call time on her volunteering duties.
We wish Betty continued good health, and hope that we may be able to celebrate a few more birthdays with her.
Betty with her volunteer manager, Alex