Yvonne Bowles

My mum is a real inspiration to me through the time she gives to others. She has been involved in the Girl Guide movement for over 40 years fulfilling all sorts of roles at County and National (N. Ireland) level. Her commitment to this organisation is exceptional and she has touched the lives of hundreds of young people through it. She has worked as a classroom assistant at the same school for 25 years, (becoming a bit of a of an institution!) and in this role she has often gone above and beyond her job spec, running homework clubs and studying alongside her job to become qualified as both a child minder and as a reading and writing tutor; lots of young people in the past have come to our house for extra literacy tuition. A huge time commitment my mum makes is fund raising for the Horizon West Hospice - this is a new build near Enniskillen in Fermanagh that will give young cancer sufferers in the county the opportunity to receive hospice care close to their friends and families. Mum (and Dad in fact, I have nominated him also) give up time to run BBQs, coffee mornings, jumble sales and musical events. She has run 10km events and swam in Lough Erne in December as part of her personal fund raising. Perhaps the most inspirational aspect of her work for others is the time her and I my father put into helping care for his parents. They are 99 and 90 and through the work of my parents and others are still very happily living in their own home. An inspirational woman to many!